NEIL YOUNG,Mohave Valley Daily News
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Sue Willis, who lives on the channel at Sunshine Marina, said she’s been complaining to the city of Bullhead City about the water quality for three years.
“The city’s just been giving me nothing but a run-around,” Willis said. She was concerned about stagnant water which generated a foul odor.
Now, the situation has deteriorated even more, with the growth of algae in the water and even on the beach. Its stench can be detected in the Willis home with the windows closed, she said.
Kirk Koch, Bureau of Land Management program manager from the Lake Havasu field office, stopped by on his way to a meeting in Bullhead City and took a sample of the algae. He believes it’s cladophora.
Willis is concerned about the health of kids swimming in the channel.
“The Sunshine Marina is a project that we’ve been trying to address for many, many years,” said Steve Johnson, Bullhead City public information officer. The city leases the land from the Arizona State Land Department. It also falls under the jurisdiction of federal agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers, Johnson said.
Arizona Game and Fish is also involved. They’re offering the city a grant to repair the marina’s boat launch ramp, but for Bullhead City to qualify for the grant, they’re requiring a longer lease agreement with State Land. The city’s current lease expires in 2014. Game and Fish requires the city to obtain a 20-year lease.
The city also wants to install a culvert to allow water to circulate between the channel and the river. Johnson said he believes the culvert will help alleviate the algae problem, “but there’s no money to do it.”
City Manager Toby Cotter and Mayor Jack Hakim have had recent contact with the State Land Department, but Johnson was unable to say whether the subject of algae was discussed.
“We know (the marina is) an issue, it’s a big issue for the city because the city would like nothing more than to see that as an attractive, thriving marina,” he said.
There are people willing to dredge the channel if they could get permission, Willis said.
“There’s not a simple answer,” Johnson said. “There’s several agencies involved, so coming up with a solution is not simple. And of course, it takes money, and that’s another issue.”
Right now, the challenge is sorting out which governmental agency will take responsibility.
“The agreement we have with the state doesn’t say anything about water quality, keeping algae out, even dredging it or anything like that,” Johnson said. “In referring to the Sunshine Marina (in the city’s lease agreement), we’re talking about the land. The water, that’s a different issue.”
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
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