Last Saturday, Project GREEN members, Henderson neighbors, UNLV volunteers, and more came over to help keep Pittman Wash beautiful. The volunteers repaired signs, restored walking trails, removed trash, and brushed off dirt under the bridge. After a rough year of vandalism, flooding, and plenty of wear & tear, the Legacy Learning Trail (which is right around the corner from my home!) got some much needed TLC.
Believe it or not, Project GREEN does more than just lobby the City of Henderson to stop proposed parking lots and concrete channels in the wash (though this is always important and badly needed!). Project GREEN also pitches helping hands to help with the day to day maintenance of the wash, especially in the trails going into the wash. And for all of us who live along Pittman Wash, we can't ever be grateful enough for the work they do.
October 22 is National Make a Difference Day. And if you'd like to make a difference locally (especially if you're in Henderson), Project GREEN would really appreciate you joining them for a local clean up project at the Pittman Wash Legacy Learning Trail, just east of Pecos and between Windmill and Wigwam. Local volunteers will be removing trash, repairing vandalized signs, and continuing to make the Pittman Wash trail system the envy of Southern Nevada by keeping it naturally beautiful.
We did plenty this year to save Pittman Wash by stopping the full concretization of it at the UPRR trestle. Now we need to preserve it by keeping the wash and trails clean and safe for all to enjoy. Please join us on the 22nd to make a difference and keep a great community treasure.
The city of Henderson and a group of residents and environmentalists have come to an agreement over how to control erosion caused by storm runoff flowing through the Pittman Wash.
The agreed-upon solution will be more environmentally friendly than the original plan but will add about $800,000 to the initial $4.5 million price tag. [...]
The new plan calls for construction of an arch culvert, which will function similarly as the concrete channel but will be built into the wash’s north bank and covered with dirt, rocks and natural vegetation.
The arch culvert will allow for the wash to be returned closer to its original state, while still reducing erosion, city engineer Scott Fiedler said.
The culvert, however, will cost about $800,000 more and must be engineered and then approved by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, which would fund the project. That could delay the start of construction by up to nine months.
“We think this option is beneficial to all concerned,” Fiedler said. “(But) this option would be more expensive to construct.”
So this is where we've landed. And while questions remain over how much immediate damage this construction will cause to Pittman Wash, this arch culvert so far looks to be far less damaging over the long term than either Henderson Public Works' original concretization plans or Project GREEN's articulated concrete block (ACB) alternative. And over time, the new plants will mature and the scenery will improve. And even more importantly, one of the last natural springs in the entire valley now has at least a fighting chance of survival.
Even with this compromise, there's no guarantee that a view like this will remain. Again, we'll have to see how extensive the construction is and how much of a footprint this culvert will ultimately have. And remember, Clark County Flood Control still has to give its final approval before the funds are allocated and the city begins construction.
But at least with this solution, the conversation is being moved toward conservation. As much of Pittman Wash has been preserved in its natural state over the years, Henderson residents have come to appreciate the natural beauty of the wash and the rare bit of respite it provides in what's otherwise the great concrete jungle that most of Clark County has become. And as the initial plans for concretizing the wash were slowly becoming public, residents spoke out as they realized what would happen if the wash were to be eaten up by that concrete jungle. Thanks to residents standing up and speaking out, Henderson has drawn a line in the sand on concretizing the wash (no pun intended?) and local environmental activists now have a stronger chance of getting Flood Control to remove any more concretization of Pittman Wash from the countywide master plan (which will soon need to be revised).
This has been a long and tough journey, but this is what progress looks like.
At first glance, the end of the Pittman Wash Trail in Henderson may not look all that special... But look closer.
And listen to the sounds below.
These are some of the unique sights and sounds to be found with the stunning flora and fauna of Pittman Wash. But if plans to concretize the wash are finally passed, get used to seeing something like this instead:
I have a confession to make. I live right along the Pittman Wash Trail. I love being able to see this every day.
And frankly, I don't want to lose this as my "extended backyard". And I know I'm not the only one here in the neighborhood who feels this way.
Remember, the proposed project from the Arroyo Grande trailhead (between Santiago and American Pacific) to the railroad trestles is just the first phase of what some city engineers envision as the concretization of the entire wash. It may be this stretch today, then my stretch of the wash tomorrow!
Also remember that Pittman Wash is one of the last six remaining natural riparian habitats left in all of Clark County. What Las Vegas previously ripped out and paved over, it can never reclaim. Why would Henderson want to repeat the past mistakes of Las Vegas and Clark County in destroying natural springs and oases?
So please contact Henderson's City Council members and ask them (politely) to reconsider plans to concretize Pittman Wash, starting with the creek near Arroyo Grande. So far, they have been willing to stop and study this some more. We need to encourage them to continue to do so, and to schedule public hearings so local residents can speak about what we want to see at the wash.
This is such a stunning natural treasure right in the heart of Green Valley. It would be a horrific tragedy to lose it forever.
