The meetings that I have attended regarding recreational use, and boating in particular, at Lake Nighthorse have never established the boat size, engine size or number of boats that will be permitted on the lake. Can fishing and water skiing share the limited surface area of Lake Nighthorse safely? If the reservoir is drawn down to 70 percent of capacity (a possibility during drought conditions), how much is the surface area reduced?

If rules are established to secure a safe environment, who will enforce them or will water skiers whiz around at 30 mph creating a wake that will effectively make fishing untenable?

I have asked on several occasions how many trucks with trailers will the parking accommodate? This is simple arithmetic that does not need a consultant. The recent announcement from the federal agency directing the use of the reservoir said that parking would be shared with the Durango Parks & Recreation Department. The Parks & Recreation Department has never given me an answer as to how many parking spaces they going to build and will they favor boating over swimmers in the allocation of the space.

I assume that the beach will be sand surface. I have asked how many cubic yards of sand will be required – a simple calculation – and was told the consultant will determine that. It seems to me that the cost of the sand and pavement for the parking should use the entire $400,000 allocated by Durango for the project. This is being managed by the same people who managed the soccer fields at Fort Lewis. Let’s keep in mind that Lake Nighthorse’s primary purpose is to supply municipal and industrial drinking water.

Sanford Max

Hesperus