LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – It was a moment that was caught on camera – Homeless bathing in a public park in the northwest valley at the Hualapai Canyon Trailhead.
City leaders tell us they plan to keep the water off, despite temperatures expected to hit triple digits this week.
Several dog owners wished the fountain at the park had some water for their four-legged friends. But it’s been turned off since September.
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman doesn’t mince words as she told FOX5 why that is.
“Children were walking by and seeing these people take their clothes off and bathe. It just was the most unsanitary thing,” Councilwoman Seaman said.
She tells FOX5 her office was flooded with complaints from neighbors about homeless people using the fountains as a shower.
She actually saw it for herself and filmed a video of it in September of 2024.
Councilwoman Seaman knew right then she was going to put a stop to it.
“It’s unhealthy. It’s unclean. It spreads diseases because these people were bathing areas on which cause a lot of problems,” Seaman said.
It’s also causing a few headaches for some dog owners as these temperatures continue to rise, as FOX5 recently noticed some neighbors sounding off on social media about it.
We caught up with Tanner Hartranft as he was walking his three dogs at the popular park.
“It would be nice to have the water on for the dogs,” Hartranft said.
He’s well aware of the issue. “I bring water for them, because I know that the water’s turned off.”
Around this same time last year, FOX5 covered a similar story of homeless people bathing in splash pads at Joe Shoong Park in the east valley.
It’s something Councilwoman Seaman wants to nip in the bud in the area she serves.
“People come here to bike, to hike, to bring their dogs, and now people are naked and bathing in our fountains? So we turned them off, and we have not had a problem since,” Councilwoman Seaman said.
Hartranft thinks the Councilwoman made the right call.
“A lot of women and children come walk around out here and obviously you don’t want to invite the wrong crowd,” Hartranft said. “Obviously, you don’t want to be seeing anybody showering in public.”
The councilwoman suggests bringing a water bottle for yourself, with the pop-up dog bowl for your pet so they don’t get dehydrated.
She tells FOX5 the fountains will not be turned back on.
Concerned neighbors noticing improper behavior can call the Office of Public Safety at 702-455-7532 or 311 for non-emergency issues.
The City of Las Vegas offers a number of resources for the unhoused, which can be found here.
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