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Show B. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT General This section presents a description of the existing environment of the Unit area that would be affected by the proposed development. The expected future environment without the Unit is also described. By relating the proposed plan or the various alternatives presented respectively in Sections A and H to the existing environment, the true effects of these plans can be more fully ascertained and evaluated. The Unit area includes part of the sparsely populated Uinta Basin, a large portion of the more densely populated, industrialized Wasatch Front, and the rural counties of the Sevier River drainage. The Wasatch Front refers to the combined area of the four counties-- Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah- that contains the State's major population centers, its principal governmental entities, and the bulk of its economic activities. Bonneville Unit would not directly affect Davis and Weber Counties since the proposed service area would not extend north of Salt Lake City. The designation " Bonneville Basin" generally refers to that portion of the Intermountain area which was covered by or drained into ancient Lake Bonneville„ As used in this statement, the term often refers only to that portion of the Basin served by the Bonneville Unito The Uinta Basin in Utah includes all of Duchesne and Uintah Counties. U. S. Highways Nos. 89, 91, 50, 6 and Interstates 1- 15 and 1- 80 along with several Utah State Highways traverse the Wasatch Front area. U„ S0 Highway 40 and State roads provide access to the Uinta Basin. Principal cities in the Unit area include Salt Lake City, Provo, Nephi, Delta, and Richfield in the west and Heber City, Duchesne, Roosevelt, and Vernal in the easto To indicate current population trends, census figures for the various areas are summarized in the following table based on the Department of Commerce's 1970 Census of Population report. 112 |