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Show Preservation Act of 1966 ( 80 Stat. 915, l6 U. S. C. 1+ 70 et seq.), the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (^ 9 Stat. 666, l6 U. S. C. U6l et seq.), and the Antiquities Act of 1906 ( 3^ Stat. 225, l6 U. S. C. 1+ 31 et seq.). Historical and archeological values on State- owned or controlled lands will be protected by the Utah Antiquities Act ( H. B. No. 3*+) when it becomes effective on July 1, 1973. These Federal and State acts are designed to protect, preserve, restore, and maintain historical, archeological, and anthropological resources of the State and Nation. Specific instruction and regulation is contained therein for the discovery, designation, preservation, and utilization of these resources. h. Potential Mitigation Measures The mitigation phase of the Bonneville Unit plan would be flexible in that a continual search for additional and improved methods of minimizing and replacing environmental losses would be carried out. Such desirable changes often develop from consultation and coordination with cooperating agencies and from completion of environmental studies. The Bureau of Reclamation expects to incorporate additional and more effective mitigating measures into the Bonneville Unit plan as this information would become available. There are several areas where favorable mitigation potential is readily apparent. One of these locations would be Utah Lake. Preliminary ecological studies' 0 indicate that the proposed dikes could be constructed so as to duplicate important aquatic habitat that would be lost. Such duplication could result in an increase in desirable productivity. Another area associated with Utah Lake and having excellent mitigation potential would be Goshen Bay. Under proper management the area behind the proposed dike could be developed to minimize production of problem insects and increase production of pheasants and waterfowl. Full implementation of the ecological investigations planned for the Bonneville Unit should allow substantial improvement of the existing mitigation plan. Summary and Discussion It is apparent that under the existing Unit plan there are serious adverse environmental impacts that would not be mitigated and additional impacts that would only be partially mitigated. The most serious apparent ecological losses would be associated with reduced streamflows and the diking of Provo Bay. The proposed mitigation plan for the Bonneville Unit has been developed over a relatively long period of time and includes input from many cooperating agencies. It is a flexible plan in that improvements would be made as additional knowledge is obtained. The Bureau of Reclamation will actively seek to improve the proposed plan through initiation of environmental studies and continued consultation with cooperating agencies. 468 |