To the south of Lake Las Vegas, just past Lake Mead Boat Storage off Lake Mead Parkway, lies a paradise of graffiti and dirt.
There are couches littered with graffiti and firework cartridges, with names such as “Addicted to Quack.” And as you walk, it’s a challenge to avoid the broken glass and bullet casings.
The dirt lot is accessed by a narrow opening between concrete barriers covered in, you guessed it, more graffiti.
This area is the abandoned Three Kids Mine.
Kirk Stowers has a caliche story. Not because he’s a geologist, which he is — with the consulting firm Broadbent & Associates — but thanks to his dad. It was 1973, and his family had just arrived from Illinois. “My father had been led to believe that in order for a family to appreciate living in Southern Nevada, a swimming pool was going to be necessary in our backyard,” Stowers recalls. A contractor was hired and began to dig. “We wanted an eight-foot pool, and at about six feet they ran into caliche.” Full stop. That’ll be $10,000 extra, they said.
The leadership transition at longtime Reno civil engineering and environmental consulting firm Broadbent & Associates is about as seamless as any business could hope for.
Current President Randy Miller took over the top position at Broadbent & Associates in August. Former President Doug Guerrant, who led the company for nearly 14 years, moved into the role of vice president as he begins transitioning into retirement.
The duo have worked shoulder-to-shoulder for nearly 30 years, though, and have adjacent offices.
Reno—Broadbent & Associates Inc. (Broadbent), a leading provider of environmental, water resource, and civil engineering solutions, is pleased to announce a significant leadership transition and recognize the exceptional contributions of its outgoing president, Doug Guerrant. After more than 13 years at the helm and an impressive 32-year tenure with the company, Guerrant is stepping down from his current role. Effective August 2023, Randy Miller, current vice president, will succeed Guerrrant as the next Broadbent president.
Some environmental matters are more challenging to address. One of note involves several groundwater basins that are interconnected by a deep carbonate aquifer known as the Lower White River Flow System. The aquifer feeds a spring system that supports the endangered Moapa dace, which is a native fish species found only in the Warm Springs area in Southern Nevada. Pumping from the aquifer has been found to affect spring flows. The State Engineer in coordination with local entities and the public are attempting to manage the aquifer, which has been found to be over-appropriated. Resolutions to the matter are pending.
