Correspondence on Bonneville Unit of Central Utah Project

Page 58

United States Department of the Interior OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 / • • - . Memorandum. . S>EP 2 i 3f973 e To: The Secretary Through:" ^ a s s i s t a n t Secr^tar^^Tjagr^fiL^Development and Budget z l / l / \ M From: Assistant Secretary--Land and Water Resources Subject: Central Utah Project norioV Following an analysis of the Bureau of Reclamation Environmental Impact Statement and PDOD for the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project, I recommend that construction of the Currant Creek Dam of the Strawberry Aqueduct be approved but with a reconsidera­tion of the future use of the water in both the Uinta and Bonneville Basins. I base this recommendation on the following conclusions: 1. Approximately 100,000 of the 135,000 acre-feet of water to be ^ yusfyVUdL. diverted to the Bonneville Basin is allocated to M&I purposes,? &y4Lj[c<>*> and that allocation should have the highest priority in terms J^C^MIT . of the use of the water. ^V^># *** for* 2. The remaining 35,000 acre-feet is allocated to irrigation pur-^fj^'y £ poses in the Bonneville area and should have a lower priority. L'f,.*- * 3. A difference exists between the recommendation of the Forest Service that about 18,000 acre-feet a year be guaranteed to safeguard the stream flow in the Uinta watershed and the Bureau of Reclamation, which is guaranteeing a minimum flow of about 6,000 acre-feet. O+tUy (ate. 4. Successful defense of the Rainbow Bridge case would assure the water supplies to meet Utah's water commitments, including 102,000 acre-feet for a large powerplant (Kaiparowits or alternative) and still leave about 108,000 acre-feet for other future uses such as oil shale development (see Attachment A) . Loss of the case would require a reallocation, which could be accommodated without abrogating existing contracts, including the one for the full use of Bonneville Unit water yield. vT~ en