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<br />032316 <br /> <br />Chapter 2 <br />River Conditions and Associated State <br />Prot~tion EffortB <br /> <br />The following sections discuss the condition of the rivers from the per- <br />spectives of water development projects, shoreline development (pri- <br />marily housing), resource development (logging, mining), water quality, <br />transportation and utility system construction, and recreational <br />demands. We based this infonnation upon interviews with state, local, <br />and other officials and reviews of related documents. <br /> <br />Rivers Not Affected by <br />New Water Projects <br /> <br />Major new water projects are not a problem on the 13 rivers we studied. <br />As table 2.1 indicates, most of the new water project developments <br />involve hydropower modifications on dams that had already impounded <br />or affected flow conditions at the time the rivers were studied. As an <br />example of such projects, figure 2.3 shows the Bulls Bridge hydropower <br />project on the Houstonic River in Connecticut. The utility company pro- <br />poses to install more efficient equipment to increase power production <br />without changing the dam or reservoir. State and local officials and <br />environmental group sources generally believe that the modifications of <br />existing dams will not harm the rivers' natural or scenic values. <br /> <br />Page 23 <br /> <br />GAO/RCED-87.39 Wild and Scenir Rivers <br />