OCR Text |
Show The primary need for additional water for irrigation is to help stabilize the existing farm economy. Agriculture is one of the major sources of income to the State of Utah. The production of food and fiber in the Wasatch Front area is vital to the farmer himself and to the thousands who work in agriculture- related fields. This production also contributes to the State and National supplies. Much of the water allocated to irrigation in the Bonneville Unit would be used on presently irrigated lands that do not have a full water supply. This criteria is in harmony with the objectives of the State Water Plan which considers supplemental irrigation service second only to municipal and industrial use. Issue 27: The availability of additional water in the Wasatch Front area provided by Bonneville Unit would foster i i. M. • m in II • ii HI rfri i ir » i • i ii fi. i . i •- ii ii » i ii . .• II •• » » .• , i i f i • • in • mi and encourage additional growth and development with associated problems of air and water pollution, housing, transportation, and crime, all of which would contribute to a general decline in the quality of life. Issue raised by: Department of Housing and Urban Development Forest Service Bureau of Land Management Environmental Protection Agency State Department of Natural Resources Sierra Club Wasatch Mountain Club National Wildlife Federation Utah Environmental Center Western River Guides and several individuals Response: The Bureau of Reclamation recognizes that there is a relationship between the availability of water and the potential for growth and development in the Wasatch Front area. The Bureau questions, however, whether this relationship is one of direct cause and effect and whether growth would necessarily result in a deterioration in the quality of life. From a broad standpoint one might suggest that if the movement of people and industry to one location is a detriment, it should likewise be a benefit to the area from which they moved-• particularly if the latter area is more densely populated. The points expressed in this issue as problems are valid simply because more persons and industry in an area would cause them. These points are made clear in Section C. According to a study prepared for the National Water Commission,- 1' 31 water development and regional economic growth are not necessarily connected. Ample water supplies for agriculture and/ or municipal- t[ industrial use, the existence of water- based recreational resources, the avilability of low cost hydroelectric power, etc., do not 681 |