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Show FRAMEWORK PROGRAM The Region's rapid population growth rate, its concentration in few locations, the fragile nature of the desert environment, and the extremely limited water supplies, require that particular attention be directed to the environmental impacts which may occur as the result of development necessary to insure the well-being of the people of the Region. Such considerations have been of paramount concern to planners in nearly every phase of the framework studies. Main items of concern include: preservation of cultural, scenic, and natural values; protection and management of land resources; safeguarding the quality of water supplies; maintenance of agricultural areas; enhancement of fisheries; and the preservation of wildlife habitat. See bar graph, page 35, for estimated total cost of the 19&5 to 2020 regional framework program needed to satisfy projected requirements. Multipurpose Water Supply Presently authorized water supply projects included in the 19&5 to 198O framework program include the following: the Central Arizona Project, a multipurpose project which will provide facilities to convey up to I.67 million acre-feet of Colorado River water to central Arizona, will make exchanges of water possible for uses in upstream reaches in Arizona, and will make 18,000 acre-feet of water available to New Mexico annually; the staged Southern Nevada Water Project, which will initially provide facilities to convey 0.13 million acre-feet of water from Lake Mead to the Las Vegas, Nevada, metropolitan area for municipal and industrial uses; and the Dixie Project which will provide supplemental and new irrigation water in addition to water for municipal and industrial uses in southern Utah. Also to be provided during this time period, is the recovery of approximately 270,000 acre-feet of water annually along the Colorado River. In addition, 35,000 acre-feet of water could be recovered annually from the Gila River. The 1965 to I98O land treatment and management program provides water yield improvement measures on about 175,000 acres of forest lands to increase average annual water yield by about 30,000 acre-feet. After implementation of the early action program, a water supply deficiency of about 1.5 million acre-feet will remain. The continuing water supply program will provide water to satisfy the increasing demands and to greatly reduce the ground-water overdraft. The only foreseeable method to effectively augment the regional water supply is by importation from outside the Region. 16 |
