Tag Archives: Colorado River

Odds & Ends

Laughlin Reopens to Thrilled Patrons

LAUGHLIN — Gaming has finally returned to Nevada and Laughlin has come back to life. Throngs of people came pouring back into town from all across America, thanks in part to resumption of charter flights by two of Laughlin’s casino resort properties. By 4 p.m., there was a large line waiting at the registration desk to check into the Edgewater Casino Resort.

In compliance with guidelines set up by Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Nevada Gaming Control Board, all patrons were checked by staff at the door by hand-held thermometers. Spots placed on the floor in the registration line were the requisite 6 feet apart and all staff were wearing masks. Sanitizer stations were spread out across the floor for patrons to regularly use, and all facilities were being cleaned regularly.

At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, several of the casinos allowed slots and limited gaming but the bulk were waiting for the full opening of the gaming floors.

If there was any questions that gamblers would come back with COVID-19 still lurking in America, they were utterly trampled in a heartbeat under the feet of the mob of people hungry to get back into the casinos. No shortage of gamblers were found in Laughlin.

The Aquarius Casino Resort had just under 1,000 guests by 10:30 a.m. “We are thrilled to reopen and do what we love to do in providing a fun and exciting escape for our guests,” said Sean Hammond, vice president and general manager of the Aquarius and Edgewater. “Our parent company, Golden Entertainment, has developed a ‘Golden Commitment’ to the health and safety of our guests and team members, which encompasses broad safety measures we are taking here in Laughlin at Aquarius and Edgewater.

This is a fantastic time of year to come visit Laughlin, play in the Colorado River, and then cool off inside the casino.”

Source: Laughlin’s revival begins: Gamblers, casinos get reacquainted | News | mohavedailynews.com

Read the full article. It looks like things may pick up sooner than everyone thought. It was heartening to see that the casinos are still as popular as ever. It’s a vital part of our economy here too, as many Bullhead City residents work in Laughlin, and it brings in the tourists not only to the casinos, but many visit Route 66, Kingman, Oatman, and even the Grand Canyon while here.

Arizona

Spring Colorado River Runoff Low Since April

A dry April caused the expected spring-summer runoff into Lake Powell to plunge dramatically, with the water-flow forecast down the Colorado River declining as much in one month as Tucson Water customers use in 10 years.

May’s monthly runoff prediction for the April-through-July period was 65% of average, or 4.6 million acre-feet. That’s 1 million acre-feet less than the April forecast predicted. Tucson Water customers typically use close to 100,000 acre-feet a year. While low runoff this year is highly unlikely to trigger the river’s first major shortage as soon as 2021, it raises the possibility of one in 2022.

A shortage would fall particularly hard on Central Arizona farmers. Flows of water into Powell that would be low enough to cause a shortage in 2022 are likely to occur about 10% of the time, said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s most recent study of its reservoir operations, published in mid-April.

Source: Expected spring runoff into Colorado River plunges after dry April | Arizona and Regional News | tucson.com