5 days ago
‘PWC Beach,' Echo Bay pipe mat latest Lake Mead improvements for boaters
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lake Mead is 8 feet lower than it was a year ago, and officials are making more adjustments to help boaters who are ready to get out in the water this summer.
After adding a new courtesy dock for personal watercraft adjacent to Hemenway Harbor just two weeks ago, the National Park Service (NPS) said this week it is adding another pipe mat at Echo Bay, along with adjustments to the courtesy dock there.
Hemenway Harbor, the closest launch point to Las Vegas, will have reduced access this summer as NPS extends the boat ramp. Construction began June 2, and the launch ramp will be reduced to one lane. The courtesy docks will be reduced down by one half, according to an NPS web page summarizing the project.
'Personal Watercraft Beach,' or PWC Beach, was announced around Memorial Day as the summer season began. It's just north of the Hemenway Harbor ramp. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area Facilities team installed two Mobi-Mats, one on each side of the new courtesy dock. The mats are portable, and have been used in recent years to help boaters with changing conditions at the lake.
Some boaters have complained that they won't use PWC Beach because they don't want to drive through the dirt, but they won't have any other option nearby.
'All jet skis must launch at PWC Beach during construction,' according to a May 31 social post.
Summer is the busiest time for boaters, but it's also the best time for construction, NPS said.
'Water level projections for the 2025 summer boating season are favorable for construction, allowing dive and contract teams to perform underwater and shoreline work safely and efficiently at the launch ramp. Summer and fall are generally the best times for this type of underwater construction work,' NPS said.
As of noon Wednesday, Lake Mead's surface was at 1,056.59 feet, compared to 1,064.81 feet on June 15, 2024. While that drop is a bit alarming, it's better than projections last year that expected the lake to be down another 3 feet, at 1,053.56 feet.
The lake typically hits its low point in July each year. On July 27, 2022, the lake hit its lowest point since it was filled in the 1930s, dipping to 1,041.71 feet above sea level.
At Echo Bay, crews were scheduled to do the work on Wednesday, June 4, and finish before the end of the day.
The upgrades will extend and widen the ramp for safer, easier boat launching, NPS said. Officials noted that the right launch lane remains closed.
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