Environmental Impact Statement for Bonneville Unit, Central Utah Project

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Central Utah Project (Bonneville Unit). Major'- Environmental Impacts Minimum Streamflow Releases • ' ghe most serious, and immediate impact will be the r . . diversion and virtual dewatering of. nine cold water trout , streams^ "along the_south_ face of the High Uintas -by-the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System. ^__The_lL^. Forest Service and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and ,,.' Wildlife have recommended.downstrearn releases of at least _ 17,800 acre/feet annually in order to maintain the stream ,y haiiitat"essential to these Class I and II cold stream trout fisheries; the Utah Division of Wildlife recommended 37,000 acre/feet; the Bureau plans to release j5J^0^ja£re/ feet annually on these streams which are; on National^ Forest lands., . Increased Salinity of the Colorado River The increased salt load resulting from upstream depletions of the -Colorado .River will adversely affect downstream irrigation, municipal, industrial and domestic uses. EPA conservatively estimates- damage costs to downstream users of $414,000 to $580,000 annually. "The Federal government is committed to a $115 million salinity reduction program to alleviate the existing international salinity.problem of the Colorado River. The Bureau is currently studying the Basin salinity problem but no remedial plan has been proposed for Congressional approval. • r Diking Lake Utah Diking Goshen and Provo Bays will reduce the. water surface area of the lake by about one-third in an effort' to reduce annual evaporation losses. Of the known impacts, this will result in a. loss of up to 30% of the sport fishery resource, loss of valuable waterfowl and game habitat, loss of recreation use, and creation of extensive \ mud flats. No work should be undertaken on this feature^ until a complete study and analysis has been performed, and the KEPA review completed.'