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Show Section 8 of the Colorado River Storage Project Act ( Public Law U85) was implemented in April of 195& and charges the Secretary of the Interior with specific recreational and fish and wildlife responsibilities related to Federally financed projects authorized under the Act. The Bonneville Unit, as a participating project, is subject to the terms of Section 8. By authority contained in Section 8, the Deparmtnet of the Interior is: "... authorized and directed to investigate, plan, construct, operate and maintain ( l) public recreational facilities on lands withdrawn or acquired for the development of said project or of said participating projects, to conserve the scenery, the natural, . historic, and archeologic objects and the wildlife of said lands, and to provide for public use and enjoyment of the same and of the water areas created by these projects by such means as are consistent with the primary purposes of said projects; and ( 2) facilities to: mitigate losses of, and improve conditions for the propagation of fish and wildlife." Determining what facilities are required and the costs of these facilities to meet projected needs is an interagency responsibility. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife is responsible for fish and wildlife considerations. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, the National Park Service, and the Forest Service are responsible for the remaining recreational considerations including access roads. The specific responsibility for a feature depends upon which of the agencies have jurisdiction over the land in question. After the planning agencies have determined needs and costs, as well as assigning project benefits, each agency independently programs required funding under Section 8. The above described procedure will change somewhat on July 1, 1973. Cooperative planning occurs as in the past but now all Section 8 appropriation requests for reclamation projects will be made by the Bureau of Reclamation. This change in procedure is expect to simplify and improve coordinated use of funds. In conjunction with the Bureau of Reclamation's assuming the responsibility for coordinating the Section 8 program will be a reassessment of the objectives and scope of the program with the intention of making-, it more functional and effective. The reassessment is ari interagency cooperative project expected to be completed in mid- 1973. Included in the new plan is the opportunity for greater input by the State of Utah, There have been problems associated with the existing Section 8 program. Basically, these problems have been of four types, occurring singly or in combination: ( l) Underestimation of the utilization demand. This situation developed on Starvation Reservoir where the ultimate public use was predicted to approximate' 50,000 visitations annually. 683 |
