By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
The boat launch at Echo Bay was reopened last week after being closed for a time due to heavy flooding in the area. According to Echo Bay officials, the gravel road leading to the temporary launch ramp was washed out making access to the launch impossible.
“The Echo Wash ran steady all through Wednesday and Thursday (December 22-23) last week,” said Herb Riggle Operation Manager at Echo Bay Marina. “I’ve never seen it running so high.”
The launch ramp, which is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), was closed on December 22. But NPS crews went to work quickly in restoring access to the launch, Riggle said. An alternate road was cleared and the ramp was reopened on Wednesday, December 29.
“They (NPS crews) got it fixed a lot earlier than we thought they would at first,” Riggle said. “At first they were saying they wouldn’t get to it until the beginning of the year. But they had crews on it almost right away.”
The current launch ramp is just a temporary facility which was built last summer to accomodate the dropping water levels on the lake.
A new deep water launch is currently being constructed at Echo Bay which is scheduled to be completed by the spring of this year.
“That ramp is only there to get us through until the new one is opened,” Riggle said. “The NPS has been good about keeping it clear and open.”
