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Henderson Historical Society Stories

Desert

Water in the Mojave


Henderson, Nevada - Then and Now


Water and Pipelines

BMIWaterPipeline-treeSome of the below photos show the water pipeline from Lake Mead to the BMI Project. The pipeline was completed in 1943. Prior to that all water in the Las Vegas valley came from artesian springs and wells. During construction of the BMI Plant and housing, water was hauled from wells by train to the site and stored in wooden tanks.

The first two photos below show the location of the pipeline at BMI picture near the present day gate to Lake Mead on Lake Mead Drive. The color photo taken in 2012, is near the same place as the original photo site. Notice the dirt service road is probably the original and in the color version the new, paved River Mts. Bike trail.

The old pipeline of 1943 is still in operation working alongside a number of new pipelines that supply not only Henderson but also Las Vegas. Over the years the pipeline has sprung a few leaks and supported some nice volunteers (see attached) like the cottonwood tree shown at right in a photo from 2004.

Desert

Henderson Speaks Event-February 19, 2015

Henderson SpeaksLECTURE SERIES

Water in the Mojave Desert: Past, Present & Future

When: Thursday, February 19,2015

Where:

WaterIntakeSiteSaddleIsland1-42CSN-College of Southern Nevada,
Henderson Campus,
Caesar J. Caviglia Academic Building
700 College Dr. Henderson, NV  89002
Lecture Room: John C. Kish Auditorium

Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM


Presenters:

Reservoirs-under-constructionJohn Entsminger
General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority

John Tennert
Utility Management Specialist

Moderator:

Mark Hall-Patton
Historian, Clark County Museum


John Tennert
Utility Management Specialist

City of HendersonJohn is responsible for strategic and operational support and analysis  associated with providing water and wastewater (sewer) services to the residents of Henderson. Prior to working for the City of Henderson,  John served as project manager for the Clark County Desert Conservation Program which is responsible for regional management and  compliance with the endangered species act. John also spent approximately 6 years with the Las Vegas Valley Water District and  Southern Nevada Water Authority in its Public Services Department.  John is a graduate of Washington State University and the University  of Texas at El Paso and is currently a doctoral candidate with the  Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech.

southernNevadaWaterAuthorityJohn Entsminger
General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority

LVVWD serves nearly 370,000 customer accounts, and the SNWA, provides water to local agencies that collectively serve 2 million residents and 40 million annual visitors. Prior to taking the helm of these agencies in early 2014, Entsminger was instrumental in the development of several groundbreaking regional and international water agreements. He has been appointed by Governor Sandoval to serve as Nevada’s lead negotiator on Colorado River matters.  Active in several national water associations, Entsminger serves on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.

MODERATOR:

Mark Hall-Patton
Administrator, Clark County Museum System

Mark Hall-Patton is the Museums Administrator for the Clark County museum system, where he oversees the Clark County Museum, the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, and the Searchlight History Museum.  He has been with Clark County for twenty years, and was previously the Director of the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum in California.  He has worked for both public and private non-profit museums, and has consulted with numerous start-up and established museums and museum boards.

He is a MAP surveyor for the American Alliance of Museums, and the author of two books, over 400 published articles, and has written and produced 48 local history videos.  In 2009, he hosted a live interview program on C4 television in the Vegas
valley, and is regularly seen on the History Channel’s Pawn Stars as a visiting expert.  He has also appeared on American Restoration, The United Stuff of America, America; Facts and Fallacies, and Mysteries at the Museum.

In addition to 14 years as a Board member of the Nevada Museums Association, where he served as President from 2000-2002 and 2008-2010, he has served on the California Association of Museums and Western Museums Association boards.  He is a member of the board of the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, and the Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame.  He has been in the museum field for over 37 years, having also worked with museums in California and South Dakota.  He holds a BA in History from the University of California at Irvine, and did graduate work in Museum Studies at the University of Delaware.

He is married to Dr. Colleen Hall-Patton, professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at UNLV, and they are the parents of Joseph and Ellen Hall-Patton.