OCR Text |
Show on the Navajo Indian Reservation to include a marina with fueling capability, boat launching ramps, and sewage disposal system. • Antelope Point DCP ( September, 1985): Draft plan calls for water- related development activities by the Navajo Nation and NPS at Antelope Point. Planned activities include a marina with fueling and boat pump- out capabilities; a boat launch ramp; a day- use beach area; potable water wells and water treatment and distribution system; and central sewage collection and treatment system. These planned expansion activities raise several concerns associated with the water resources of Lake Powell. Water intake structures ( no fixed structures on Lake Powell are designed with discharge capability) must be evaluated for possible effects on water quality. The design and location of facilities and their operation practices must also be evaluated from the standpoint of impact on surface runoff. Most of the current planning noted above includes additional boat sewage pumpout and water treatment capacity to handle wastewater from new developments. It will be important to monitor the accuracy of design projections to ensure that capacity does not outstrip water treatment. While development plans normally treat impacts on water resources in a general way, most of the major issues are resolved during the planning stage, such as locating facilities outside of floodplains. Specific problems and details are resolved at the design and permitting stages of development. Facility expansion will result in higher visitor use, which in turn could lead to additional adverse water quality effects from human waste in beach areas or discharges from boats ( impacts are described more fully in the problem statement on shoreline water quality). Also, sedimentation rates ( including the presence of river debris), possible shoaling ( due to reservoir water level fluctuations), and flood hazards need sufficient evaluation in the siting of facilities ( particularly marinas). Although these factors generally have been considered in prior planning activities, they must receive more intensive analysis in lakeshore development planning. The planning process for lakeshore development activities must assure ( 1) that impacts to the hydrologic balance of Lake Powell resulting from such activities are properly understood, and ( 2) that possible water- related effects on such facilities ( e. g., flooding potential and water level fluctuations) are carefully evaluated. With this information, informed decisions regarding water resources can be made early in the development planning process ( as opposed to later in the permitting or implementation phases). These issues currently are addressed during planning and subjected to public review then. Continuing such analyses is the only reasonable alternative, so a separate problem statement concerning lakeshore development has not been included in this document. 65 |