Environmental Impact Statement for Bonneville Unit, Central Utah Project

Page 86

£•' 10. Comment: There would also be secondary growth impacts associated with the project. The assertion in the impact statement that the Salt Lake City metropol­itan population would reach nearly 1.4 million by 2010 with or without the project is without foundation. Major infrastructure investments like water supply systems do affect growth rates and growth patterns. The alternative sources of water discussed previously can in all probability supply the 1.4 million population if it does come about. However, the water would be developed in an incremental, well-planned manner in coordination with overall development planning. As a result, growth patterns would tend to be more orderly and better planned. Providing a huge increment of water ail at once by the Bonneville Unit M&I System j?. would encourage haphazard growth patterns by reducing the necessity for ;.i more careful and coordinated planning for development. Information on p growth patterns and the effects of major infrastructure investments on growth can be found in the annual reports to the President prepared by the Council on Environmental Quality and in publications prepared by the Council such as The Growth Shapers and The Costs of Urban Sprawl. Response: The DES acknowledges the possible indirect effect of the proposed Municipal and Industrial System on growth in Salt Lake County. How­ever, it also states that the Municipal and Industrial System is only one of many interacting factors influencing growth rates and growth patterns. As stated in Section C2 of the DES, studies by Field, Barron, and Long (1974) suggest that water resource projects are not a signifi­cant factor influencing growth in many areas. This conclusion is supported by others (Dietz, 1977). Throughout the Salt Lake Valley, growth would not be significantly influenced by the provision of a water supply, although the distri­bution of the supply could be a determinant of its location, rate, and pattern locally. An analysis of the secondary growth impacts of water supply based on a knowledge of sewer system impacts as suggested on page 58 of The Growth Shapers appears to be more applicable to muni­cipal water distribution systems. The rapidly expanding population of Salt Lake County, caused primarily by a birth rate double the National average and a high level of in-migration is attributable mainly to social and economic factors. Job opportunites and the stable economy, along with the attractiveness of the location are very influential in drawing people to and keeping them in the area. A population figure of 1,382,000 was projected in the"" DES for Salt Lake and northern Utah Counties in the year 2010. There are no indications that growth trends will decrease. The growth situation in Salt Lake City is analagous to that in several other western cities, notably Denver and Phoenix. Growth in Salt Lake City has continued unabated, despite shortages like those that occurred in the summer of 1977 and threats of further drought. In the face of shortages, it appears that the public will respond to the need for 33