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<br />CHAPTER I <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />development (NED) and environmental quality (EQ), as specified by the <br /> <br />o <br />ol:lo <br />o <br />(Q <br /> <br />Principles and Standards for Planning Water and Land Related Resources <br /> <br />(Principles and Standards). <br /> <br />Further, as a result of public involvement activities in 1979, two <br /> <br />alternatives preferred by landowners were formulated, consisting of <br /> <br />combinations of alternatives previously developed. The general consen- <br /> <br />sus of the majority of landowners and the coordinating committee was to <br /> <br />select an alternative that would retire from irrigation about 87 percent <br /> <br />(13,700 acres) of the irrigated area, with 13 percent (2,000 acres) <br /> <br />remaining under irrigation. <br /> <br />Of the 2,000 remaining irrigated acres, <br /> <br />nearly all would need on-farm improvements to obtain better irrigation <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />efficiencies that would reduce losses to deep percolation. This acreage <br /> <br />would be supplied water by three pumps and distribution pipelines direct <br /> <br />from the Big Sandy River rather than through the existing delivery <br /> <br />system from Big Sandy and Eden Reservoirs. <br /> <br />SCS estimated that implementation of this alternative would result <br /> <br />in a reduction of 113,370 tons of salt per year in the Big Sandy River. <br /> <br />The land remaining under irrigation would show increased crop yields. <br /> <br />Wildlife mitigation measures would be included. <br /> <br />The total estimated <br /> <br />cost of implementing this alternative would be about $35.9 million (1980 <br /> <br />costs). <br /> <br />In response to Wyoming's concern about erosion of the agricultural <br /> <br />base, SCS developed and studied a second alternative, which was pre- <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />sented in a 1982 supplement to the original report. This alternative <br /> <br />12 <br />