Channel Stability Study, Flamingo Wash, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The city of Las Vegas, Nevada, is located on a desert alluvial fan which is characterized by parallel stream networks and wide shallow channels. These channels are subject to alternating erosion, deposition, and avulsion during the course of flood events, in which discharges rise and fall within hours. This natural runoff system is incompatible with the rapid urbanization which is occurring on the alluvial fan. Urban development intensifies the flood conditions by reducing rainfall infiltration and channel percolation, and by concentrating flow. To contain the additional runoff in urbanized areas, some channels have either incised or been artificially enlarged. Many channel reaches have been realigned. Although channel capacities have increased, so have velocities, depths, and channel instability. Channel instability has been addressed by numerous channel stabilization techniques including invert paving and bank protection.