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Show 20,000 acres of this loss would result from inundation by reservoirs. The remaining 2,000 acres of vegetation would be removed in conjunction with road construction and excavation of borrow materials. Some of the latter losses would be recovered through application of restoration techniques. The ecological implications of these vegetative losses are variable in magnitude and intensity and are not well understood. In most instances the plant communities that would be destroyed are not unique and are found in abundance in adjacent areas. However, inundation of lands along Rock Creek, particularly the 340 acres at Upper Stillwater site, would destroy streamside forest vegetation zones that have special characteristics and are in relatively short supply. The relationship of vegetative cover to wildlife habitat is discussed in paragraph C4c. In addition to inundation losses and removal of vegetation resulting from construction activities, significant vegetative alteration within the Bonneville Unit area would occur when wetlands would be drained and converted to irrigated farm lands and when dry lands receive water. Under existing operating plans about 213,170 acres of land would receive supplemental irrigation and 29,370 acres of new land would receive a full supply of water. The net result would be an ' increase in cultivated agricultural vegetation. The evaluation of changes in algal populations has not progressed enough to be useful in assessing environmental impacts of the Bonneville Unit. c• S treamflows While it is recognized that reduced streamflows would have impacts upon all existing forms of plant and animal life within the aquatic ecosystem, much of this portion of Section G is devoted to discussing the status of fish populations because of the importance and popularity of this indicator organism. Often a thriving fish population signifies a " healthy" ecosystem. ( 1) Effects of Reduced Flows Upon Fish Habitat One of the conclusions reached at an Instream Flow Requirement Workshop held in March of 1972 was that at this time fishery science does not have the capability of accurately correlating streamflows with 283 |
