Lake Las Vegas neighbors want more information on Three Kids Mine site

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Could the site of an old mine near Lake Las Vegas be cleaned up and turned into homes?

Residents who say they are just finding out about the plan went to a City of Henderson meeting Tuesday looking for information and answers.

Lake Las Vegas is just on the other side of Lake Mead Parkway from what was once known as the Three Kids Mine.

The Three Kids Mine site was used for mining manganese from 1917 to 1961 until the pits were economically exhausted. Those mining operations caused the soil at the site to be contaminated with metals, particularly arsenic, lead, and manganese.

Now there’s a plan to remediate the land to prepare for thousands of houses to be built. Some Lake Las Vegas residents say it’s too close to their homes to not know exactly what is going on.

“I’ve spent some time trying to educate myself on this project,” said Irene Bjorklund, one of several concerned Lake Las Vegas neighbors who spoke before to the City of Henderson Redevelopment Agency Advisory Commission Tuesday.

“We live literally across the street from the mine, and we are just finding out that we are beside a toxic dump,” Bjorklund contended. Bjorklund and her neighbors worry that the clean-up job is being rushed and won’t be done right. Bjorklund stated the projected cost of the cleanup of the mine site back in 2014 was very different than it is now.

“From $300 million to $1 billion for 142 acres… and in the plan that is going forward you have got $185 million for the remediation. How can you go from $2 or $7 million per acre to $400,000?,” Bjorklund questioned.

In November 2022, the Bureau of Land Management Las Vegas Field Office sought comment on the environmental effects of conveying the Three Kids Mine site to the City of Henderson. The public was able to provide comments during a 30-day period from November 18, 2022, through December 19, 2022, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Lake Las Vegas neighbors who attended Tuesday’s meeting say they missed that public comment period.

Neighbors will be getting together to discuss the next steps and welcome anyone else who wants to learn more Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Lake Las Vegas Sports Club at 101 Via Vin Santo, Henderson, NV 89011.

You can find a link with more information about the Three Kids Mine and Nevada Department of Environmental Protection remediation plans here.

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