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1950s
– Population growth continues; the first wastewater treatment facilities were built;
increased water flowing in the Wash creates extensive wetland environment
In the early 1950s,
treatment of sewage in the Valley was by means of cesspools, septic tanks and several
small treatment plants mainly operated by hotels along Las Vegas Boulevard. Urban
coverage (i.e., developed land) in the Valley was approximately 12,000 acres in 1950,
and continuing growth of both the tourist and residential portions of the community
demanded more sanitary and efficient means of treating wastewater. So, in August 1954,
the Clark County Water Reclamation District (CCWRD), formerly Clark County
Sanitation District, was created. A year later, Clark County residents
approved construction of a collection system (pipelines) and wastewater treatment facility
(the West Plant) and, in November 1956, the CCWRD began receiving sewage from the community
at these facilities. The West Plant had a treatment capacity of 12 million gallons per day (mgd).
Around the same time, the City of Las
Vegas decided to relocate their 7.5 mgd trickling filter treatment plant from in town
(located on the southwest corner of Mojave Road and Harris Avenue) to its present location
near the Wash. By 1957, the relocated wastewater treatment plant and an accompanying new sewer
system were in operation. Today this facility is named the City of Las Vegas Water Pollution
Control Facility.
As the Clark County Water Reclamation District and
City of Las Vegas began discharging wastewater into the Wash in 1956 and 1957, respectively, wetland
vegetation in the Wash was further enhanced, an event that hadn't occurred naturally prior to steady
influx of residents to the Valley starting in the 1950s.
1957
– Modern techniques accurately determine the flow of water in the
Wash; flood event causes initial headcutting in the Wash channel
Increasing volumes of treated wastewater caused increasing flows in the Wash. This was monitored by
stream gauging conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at Pabco Road beginning in 1957. The
USGS continued to quantify the increase in stream flow over time. In 1957, a flood event caused
minimal erosion in the Wash and, although the floodplain absorbed most of the water, headcutting
started.
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