Multispecies Conservation Programs

Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan

The Water Authority is a member of the Clark County Desert Conservation Plan Implementation and Monitoring Committee. Implementation of a Multiple Species Conservation Plan ensures Clark County and local agencies avoid obstacles similar to the one that arose in 1989 when the desert tortoise was emergency listed and development in Clark County was brought to a halt.

By developing a habitat conservation plan under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act, the Water Authority is working toward conservation of species and their habitat. We are also ensuring environmental compliance is in place to protect future water resources and facilities.

The Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan reduces the likelihood of future listings of other plant and/or wildlife species not only in Clark County, but also in the entire Mojave region. Steps will be taken to protect species in danger of being federally listed as threatened or endangered and will provide measures to prevent future listings.

Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program

This program was initiated in 1994 by Arizona, California and Nevada to coordinate responses to the designation of critical habitat for three endangered fish in the lower Colorado River. The U.S. Department of the Interior approved the program on April 2, 2005. The program includes goals to conserve habitat and work toward recovery of included species, reduce the likelihood of additional species listings, accommodate current water diversions and power production, and optimize opportunities for future water and power development. Agencies within three states, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Western Area Power Administration all participate in the program.