OCR Text |
Show begin in 1978 and Provo Bay construction would start in I98O. Thus, if the proposed schedule is realized, there is sufficient lead time available within which to conduct the required studies. The Bureau of Reclamation intends to initiate the study program as soon as a plan can be formulated and approved. The plan would be an interagency cooperative venture having interdisciplinary " aspects and be geared to complying with CEQ, guidelines and the provisions of NEPA. All of the concerns listed under this issue would receive specific attention. When the environmental studies have been completed an environmental statement covering proposed actions on Utah Lake would be prepared in compliance with NEPA. This detailed environmental statement would be processed prior to any scheduled construction work, and would thus be available for use in the decision making process on plans for Utah Lake. Paragraph C3b^ 2) of the final environmental statement presently contains more detailed discussion of the known environmental impacts of the proposed action than did the draft environmental statement. The cumulative effects of the known impacts are treated in paragraphs cUd through g. The mitigation potential is discussed in Section D. However, even with this additional information, it is apparent that not enough is known about the ecology of Utah Lake to allow proper assessment and evaluation of potential impacts. The Bureau of Reclamation is approaching this problem by arranging for interdisciplinary baseline and diagnostic studies to be carried out on the lake and adjacent marshes prior to the completion of the final planning stage for this feature. The information gained would be utilized in the planning process to avoid or minimize adverse impacts and where possible mitigate adverse effects or enhance aspects of the lake's ecosystem. Many potential mitigating and enhancement possibilities have not yet been evaluated. In response to the concern that the draft statement did not adequately explain the plan for diking Utah Lake, Section A of the final environmental statement has been expanded and modified. Within Section A the diking proposal is specifically discussed in paragraphs A3b, A6d( l0) and A6e( 6), Of particular concern to interested parties was the contention that the Bureau of Reclamation may have overestimated the evaporation savings that would occur under Unit conditions. The draft environmental statement presented a figure of about 100,000 acre- feet of evaporation savings annually. A reanalysis of this estimate was carried out by staff hydrologists and a figure of 105,000 acre- feet per year was derived. Thus the figure quoted in the draft was essentially correct. A brief explanation of the evaporation situation is presented below: About 105,000 acre- feet of the 1^ 8,500 acre- feet of water proposed to be developed from within the Bonneville Basin would be realized through reduced evaporation on the diked Utah Lake and reduced evapotranspiration in the Provo and Goshen Bay areas. About 668 |