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Show Administrative and Legal Considerations As part of the WDPP, various rights- of- way, permits and memoranda of understanding ( MOU) were executed among the State of Utah, BLM, USAF and COE. Several of these were long- term agreements to operate the WDPP, such as the right of way issued by BLM. Others were short term, temporary permission arising out of the emergency nature of the project. USAF never granted an official approval for the use of the range in operation of the WDPP, but instead issued a letter of approval for temporary operation for the duration of the flooding emergency. In recent discussions, USAF notified the state that an environmental baseline study would be required, and perhaps an update of the original project EIS, before Hill Air Force Base ( HAFB) would grant permission to flood parts of the Utah Test and Training Range. HAFB has also indicated that a proposal to utilize the WDPP will require the state to address several HAFB concerns. Use of the WDPP raises several safety concerns such as the impact of the West Pond on fog levels and increased bird use, both of which affect flight safety. Presence of the West Pond will also affect planning for flying missions, operation of target complexes and conducting environmental clean- up activities. All of these concerns would have to be addressed before USAF would allow operation of the WDPP to resume. HAFB also indicated that a proposal to utilize the WDPP for lake levels below 4208 feet may make it more difficult to obtain USAF approval to pump GSL water into the West Desert. COE has also raised a concern over the impacts the pumping project may have had on the ecology of GSL, ( removal of salts from the lake). COE issued a Section 404 permit for construction of much of the WDPP, which also covers operations. COE has indicated that a resumption of pumping or a change in the use or protocols of the WDPP would likely trigger an evaluation of the state's performance under the permit in light of these concerns. Locomotive Springs The most critical issue facing Locomotive Springs is maintaining freshwater flow. From 1993 to 1997 DWRi has collected hydrologic data regarding the groundwater system in Curlew Valley. A report entitled Hydrologic Data for Curlew Valley, Utah ( Atkin, 1998) was recently published containing this data. DWR cooperated with this data collection and installed and operated several gaging stations at Locomotive Springs. The groundwater system in Curlew Valley is the source of water for Locomotive Springs. The basin is in both Idaho and Utah. The Utah portion of the valley has been closed to new groundwater applications, except single family domestic wells, since 1976. However, it is reported that Idaho is still approving new applications. In addition, the data indicated that most of the water for Locomotive Springs comes from the Holbrook- Snowville Flow System. Most of the groundwater withdrawals from this flow system are in Idaho. Due to decreased hydrostatic pressure in this aquifer, the potential for salt water intrusion is another concern. 38 |
