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<br />Environmental Considerations <br /> <br />The major environmental consideration in the Lower Gunnison Basin <br /> <br />Unit area is the elimination of wetland habitat along the canals. <br /> <br />Implementation of the proposed plan for canal lining would affect <br /> <br />the canal-side marshlands. Affected wetland vegetation would be replaced <br /> <br />by native saltbush and greasewood and the composition of the area's wild- <br /> <br />life would respond according to the change in habitat. About 887 acres <br /> <br />of wetlands would be eliminated and 2,767 acres would be reduced in <br /> <br />quality. <br />The proposed plan includes measures for wildlife mitigation. About <br /> <br />2,100 acres of riparian wetlands along the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers <br /> <br />would be purchased by the United States for habitat replacement and would <br /> <br /> <br />probably be operated by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. <br /> <br /> <br />Socioeconomic impacts of the project are expected to be minor. <br /> <br /> <br />Construction of the unit is expected to begin at about the time construc- <br /> <br />tion of the Dallas Creek Project is completed. Therefore, the adverse <br /> <br />economic impact upon the area expected at the end of construction for <br /> <br />Dallas Creek would be lessened with the beginning of construction of the <br /> <br />Lower Gunnison Basin Unit. <br /> <br />Water supplies will not be further depleted with development of the <br /> <br />recommended plan. The O&M contract will include provision for water con- <br /> <br />servation and assure that water conserved as a result of the unit devel- <br /> <br /> <br />opment will be used only on presently irrigated land in the Uncompahgre <br /> <br /> <br />Project area only if its use will not add to the salinity levels of the <br /> <br /> <br />Uncompahgre River. <br /> <br />001694 <br /> <br />23 <br />