OCR Text |
Show It was pointed out that hydroelectric power was a much cleaner operation environmentally than plants using fossil or nuclear fuels. One speaker questioned the power aspects of the Unit as to whether the amount of power to be consumed in project pumping would exceed that generated by the Unit's power system. i. Alternatives The " Alternatives" section of the Draft Environmental Statement received considerable attention from several speakers. If the need for water in Bonneville Basin is accepted, it was suggested that all other sources of water be carefully investigated. These would include purchase of unsubscribed water from the Weber Basin Project and importing water from the surplus flows in the Bear River. The State of Utah indicated that these alternative plans had been and were being investigated by the State Department of Water Resources, but they all presupposed construction of the Bonneville Unit. Other recommendations for alternative sources of water included: recycling of wastewater for lower grade industrial uses; improving the efficiency of irrigation operations through practices such as canal lining to eliminate seepage losses; development of atmospheric water resources through cloud seeding; increasing water charges to discourage excessive use; educating Wasatch Front residents to desert- type landscaping to reduce residential use; investigation of control of phreatophyte vegetation, particularly on Utah Lake; and utilization of surplus water in Wasatch Front streams. It was also proposed that the alternative of no further development of Unit features be investigated in greater detail than was discussed in the draft environmental statement. h. ' Disposition of Comments Received on the' Draft Environmental Statement The list of agencies and groups included with the Summary - Sheet in the front of this statement indicates those who furnished written comments on the draft environmental statement to the Bureau of Reclamation. Copies of the letters of comments are included in Appendix A and the originals of these letters are on file in the Upper Colorado Regional Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Salt Lake City, Utah. The testimony of those who participated at the public hearing is bound separately as noted previously in this section. 641 |