The Colorado River may need your help this week with its insect problem

As the Colorado River level dips down Tuesday to kill off a mothlike pest, there’s a rare opportunity to help clean it up.

Bullhead City, Arizona, is on the other side of the river from Laughlin, about an hour and a half southwest of Las Vegas. Its city officials are encouraging people to take the day to participate in citywide cleanups, taking advantage of the lower water level to reach areas that are normally submerged.

Starting at 3 a.m. Tuesday and lasting until 3 p.m., flows from Davis Dam will be reduced. That’s largely so the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bullhead City Pest Abatement District can kill off caddisflies, a harmless insect drawn to water that’s present in overwhelming numbers in Laughlin and Bullhead City.

Bullhead City Manager Toby Cotter said it’s been years since a city-organized cleanup has taken place when flows from the dam are reduced.

“Let’s show our pride in our community and our beautiful river,” Cotter said in a statement.

The tiny insects causing the drawdown are known as caddisflies.

They don’t hold disease or bite, but you’re likely to get an earful, noseful and mouthful of them on the water near Davis Dam. Because they are so pervasive, the Bureau of Reclamation has temporarily lowered the flow of water from the dam for years so the caddisflies are exposed to dehydration, the sun and predators such as birds and bats.

Those who own boat docks should clean out the underside of them, where caddisflies tend to nest, Cotter said.

Mackenzie Covert, Bullhead City spokesperson, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that about seven organizations have reached out to participate, from Laughlin River Tours to the Mohave County Department of Public Health.

To get involved, Bullhead City is asking residents to get creative, whether they decide to pick up trash shoreside or kayak along the river banks and get to harder-to-reach areas.

There’s even a hashtag the city is using to spread the word: #BullheadRiverCleanup.

“It’s not a historic river cleanup if no one hears about it,” Covert said in a statement. “We want everyone to encourage their friends and family to join them, and we hope they share their pictures of their trash hauls with us online.”

To arrange participation for an individual or organization, officials ask that residents reach out to Casey Lemmons at 928-763-9400 ext. 8500 or clemmons@bullheadcityaz.gov on the Bullhead City side. On the Laughlin side, reach Carrie Larson, executive director of the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce, at 702-298-2214 or carrie@laughlinchamber.com.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.