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Launch ramp conditions at Lake Mead have improved significantly thanks to an ongoing $1.5 million construction project that began in late July.

The project involves underwater excavation, dredging, grading and construction of reinforced concrete ramps.

The concrete ramps will extend down to the water’s edge, and concrete panels or steel pipe mat will extend roughly six feet below the current lake water surface.

Construction is ongoing at five launch ramps, Echo Bay, Callville Bay, Hemenway Harbor, Temple Bar and South Cove.

At Boulder Harbor, which has a launch ramp down to an elevation of 1,060 feet, crews are dredging the harbor channel approximately 15 to 18 feet below the water surface. Navigational aids are in place to guide boaters around dredging.

All ramp work is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. Funding for the project was provided by fees collected at entrance stations and the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

The contractors are Catworks Construction from Battle Ground, Washington, and DH Ortega Construction from Show Low, Arizona.