@Peter Renfro "Frank, Do you think that beautiful river would as it is if we did not have stringent regulations in place?" Presence of human population in concentration accounts in large part for the despoil of waterways; The Colorado River meanders it's way from it's headwaters all the way to the Gulf of Mexico through some of the most desolate, least populated country in America. So, yes, I think the river would be as it is, or very close, without great regulation. But I will concede that people are the cause of the destruction of natural resources, so yes, regulations work, but only up to a point. As an example, I present these: Some astute passenger shot this magnificent photo of our area through their window. The wide-spot near the top is Lake Mohave, formed by the impounded water of the Colorado, which may be seen snaking it's way northward above the lake proper. The distance covered here from top to bottom is approximately 100 miles. Note the absolute desolation for the most part. Davis Dam may be clearly seen where the lake suddenly "skinnies down" again, the river continuing to flow southward. The water depth behind the dam is about 120 feet, compared to Hoover Dam's 300-400 ft. Going downward from the dam, Nevada route 163 is visible where it crosses the river, via the bridge financed and built by Don Laughlin in 1987; prior to then, all vehicular traffic needing to cross the river was carried over Davis Dam. To the right, (east) away from the river lies a large part of the residential part of Bullhead City, AZ. To the left, immediately along the river, lie the Laughlin Resort Hotels. Directly across the river may be seen the airport, with it's one runway, Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport, (IFP.....["It's Fun to Play"], believe it or not! A close-up of Davis Dam: "Would you make a habit of eating fish downstream of an unregulated mining operation?" No, knowing now that despite safeguards, many aquifers near not only mining operations, but also "state-of the art" manufacturing facilities, have contributed heavily to fresh water pollution. Scottsdale, AZ, affluent area east of Phoenix, was forced to shut down numerous domestic wells while I still lived there, thanks to Motorola, Inc. dumping chlorinated solvents (chiefly Trichloroethylene) for many years. Frank
@Peter Renfro Regulations Be Damned? The scenes shown here of our river took place in 2016 during August, the "River Regatta" being held wherein all boat traffic was halted, and the river made publicly available (for a fee of course) for only 2 days, a weekend. Those folks left this behind, incredible as it might seem: Estimated amount 20 tons. Clean up took weeks. Public outcry was furious. This despoilment was done not by local residents, but tourist outsiders, families seeking a nice weekend on the river. We were sickened. The Regatta had been run for several years in succession, but that year revealed the worst in the visitors lack of decency. The following year, it was cancelled. Demand for another in 2018 resulted in Edgewater and Colorado Belle Management posting $100,000 bond as clean-up funds, convincing the cities to allow the run last August. 2019 is cancelled. Was the river itself harmed? Where were the regulations? Ownership of the river is claimed by the U.S. Government, with river usage controlled by Bull head City, AZ, Laughlin, NV, Mohave County, AZ, Clark County, NV, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Unanswered questions, those. Frank
Ugh, humanity. What a mess, Frank. Similar to any "festival" or event where there is a crush of people. And of course, we all remember the messes made in National Parks when the government was shut down.