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Show IN REPLY REFER TO: 500.1 152 United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF RECLAMATION UPPER COLORADO REGIONAL OFFICE P.O. BOX 11568 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84147 • \U G1 8 7 6 Ms. Dorothy Harvey, Chair Person Central Utah Project Coalition 721 Second Avenue Salt Lake City, UT 84103 Dear Ms. Harvey: We have reviewed your letter of July 19, 1978, and have responded to your questions in the numbered paragraphs below. The opinions or feelings of the Central Utah Project Coalition will be considered as input to our planning process. While we appreciate your continuing interest in the Central Utah Project, we feel many of the questions included in your July 19, 1978, letter have either already been answered in the environmental statements and planning documents you have been furnished, during meetings with you, or are premature in light of on-going work and our EIS schedule. *<£** 1. Costs of water are not developed on the basis of a single feature in our planning process. The cost of delivering water in Salt Lake County is approximately $100 per acre-foot, including ad valorem tax. We also do not calculate wildlife mitigation, Indian replacement, and salinity costs on a per-acre-foot cost. 2. The Bureau calculates benefit/cost ratios using methods prescribed by law and policy, and on the basis of genuine economic benefits. 3. The information concerning instream flows in question 3a is included in the Bonneville Final Environmental Statement which we provided you, and is included in each project's EIS as it is developed. 4. As you know, Federal agencies are just beginning to interpret President Carter's water policy. While many items do not require Congressional action, many of the major issues do require such action. In response to item 3b, we have repeatedly reaffirmed our commitments to comply with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and all other environmental laws. As we told you, Bureau policy is to proceed with fish and wildlife aspects concurrently with planning and construction. ^JB-ttft* 9 |
