Apparently some genius in the Mohave County Water Department thought it would be a good idea to spend Golden Valley Improvement District ratepayer money on a brand new chain link fence around the water fill stand pipe station on Estrella and Bolsa, ostensibly to keep out the open range cattle that come there for a cool drink on a hot summer day.
However, as the self-serve facility is available around the clock it has to be open to allow private and commercial vehicles access to the water, so the County painted stripes on the ground at the entrance and exit in an attempt to fool the thirsty cows into thinking it was a cattle guard.
Needless to say, cows are smarter than some County employees as the only thing accomplished at ratepayer expense is that the cows are now crowded in closer to the vehicles trying to get water with less room to move off.
Previously, locals successfully attempted to mitigate the issue by putting an inexpensive kiddie pool full of water several feet away, but County workers kept removing it.
In 2022, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance making it a class 2 misdemeanor to feed or water open range cattle just because one person complained to former District 4 Supervisor Wilma Jean Bishop that a neighbor was putting out water for the cows and they were causing a problem.
