WSP11547

• File Number: 8220.116.I
• Description: Fruitland Mesa Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 10/7/1976
• Title: Public Hearing - Draft Environmental Statement - Crawford-Colorado October 7-1976 - ‎(Part 1 of 2)‎
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: EIS

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do not seem to be adequately analyzed in this draft statement.

These center around wildlife, fish, recreation and related

economics. some of these impacts are stated in the draft but

not analyzed in depth or qualified. Some do not appear in the

draft at all. All parties seem to agree that the deer herd in

this area will receive significant adverse impact if the project

is built. The draft lists a number of possible effects on the

deer, but says "Converting these into actual population change

is not possible. II The tish and wildlife Service and the Colo-

,rado Division of Wildlife, however, do have estimates of the

actual herd losses which they feel will occur if the project

is built. At least twenty percent of the herd, about 1,800

animals, or possibly as much as forty percent, are 'expected

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to be lost.

Now this would represent, a large annual economic loss

to the state, for the life of the project at least. These

values, dollars spent for sightings of wildlife, hunting

licenses, travel ,and service expenditures in the local area,

should be shown in the EIS.

The EIS does admit that if the

mitigation plan which they have outlined is inadequate. ,iell,

the Division of vdldlife and the Fish and Wildlife Service have

stated that this sizeable loss would be unacceptable, and that'

the mitigation plan proposed by the Bure~u of Rac is indeed

also unacceptable. Thieis pretty much a recent development
which'is, I ~uppose, why it'$ not in the draft statement. But