Lake Mead limnology and ecosystem management: Preface

On 13–14 January 2009, the Lake Mead Science Symposium was held on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus to bring together together researchers and representatives from academia, local, state and federal governments, nonprofits, private consultancies and interested citizen stakeholders to discuss the state of the lake. Past and current conditions were considered in an effort to guide the future management of the lake. The symposium was divided into sessions addressing Emerging Issues, Water Quality and Limnology, Aquatic Biota and Fisheries, Riparian and Shoreline Resources, Environmental Contaminants, and Lake Management Applications at Lake Mead, topics that would serve to focus the development of a long-term limnological and aquatic resource monitoring plan for lakes Mead and Mohave. This special issue of Lake and Reservoir Management offers a collection of manuscripts developed from symposium topics.

Lake Mead was formed by the impoundment of the Colorado River with the closing of Hoover Dam in 1936. At full capacity, Lake Mead is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. While Hoover Dam is maintained and operated by the US Bureau of Reclamation, the lake is managed for recreational activities and preservation of its historic and natural value, including wildlife, by the US National Park Service through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which encompasses lakes Mead and Mohave. Locally, Lake Mead serves as an important water supply for almost 2 million residents of Southern Nevada and provides recreational opportunities to more than 8 million visitors to Lake Mead National Recreation Area every year. The lake also provides flood control, electricity through hydropower generation, and water storage for millions of downstream users in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico. Along with Lake Powell upstream, Lake Mead plays an important role in ensuring the delivery of water to the states that are signatories to the Colorado River Compact (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming).

The papers included in this collection can be divided into 3 general categories: Water Quality, Quagga Mussels, and Endangered Species. The collection begins with a review of the hydrologic, biological and recreation characteristics of Lake Mead by Holdren and Turner. The Kramer et al. and Ryan et al. manuscripts address water quality issues of mercury and selenium in the lake and surrounding waters, while the Li et al. manuscript presents modeling results describing conditions under high and low lake surface elevations. Invasive quagga mussels have colonized the lake over the past 4 years; manuscripts by Beaver et al., Mueting et al., Umek et al., Wong et al. and Wittmann et al. address trends and impacts of adult and juvenile quagga mussels in the Lake Mead ecosystem, including initial evaluations of the impact of this species on other benthic organisms. Reid et al. extend the analysis of quagga mussel impacts to systems downstream of Lake Mead. Finally, the Albrecht et al. manuscript investigates life-history characteristics of the federally listed endangered razorback sucker populations found in Lake Mead.

The Lake Mead Science Symposium was a component of a larger National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area-led initiative funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. It was planned by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on behalf of and in cooperation with the National Park Service and its project partners.

Acknowledgments

This article not subject to U.S. copyright law.