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<br />,. <br /> <br />.""...- <br />1 U<J:~I <br /> <br />The adverse environmental impacts of the Unit include: <br /> <br />(1) The inundation by the reservoir of 15.5 miles of natural <br />stream environment and approximately 15,000 acres of <br />predominantly agricultural lands. <br /> <br />(2) The displacement of approximately 1,100 fur bearing animals <br />and 1,000 ducks annually associated with the existing <br />habitat. <br /> <br />(3) The project will require the acquisition of a total of <br />36,250 acres of predominantly agricultural lands. This <br />involves the relocation of about 70 owner-operators and <br />44 renters associated therewith. <br /> <br />(4) The relocation of three small communities involving about <br />25 home owners, 15 renters, 28 business properties, and <br />one cemetery. <br /> <br />The alternatives considered for providing supplemental irrigation <br />water include the development of ground-water pumping, alternate <br />dam and reservoir sites, and weather modification. Nondevelopment <br />of the project was also considered. These alternatives would not <br />provide equivalent benefits, and other sources of water were <br />inadequate in quantity to meet the project area needs. <br /> <br />For the relation~hip of short-term uses versus long-term needs, the <br />resources which will be committed to this development are not subject <br />to depletion in the same sense as are coal or oil deposits. Water <br />is a renewable resource. Land productivity can be maintained and <br />enhanced with proper care while being irrigated. Therefore, the <br />water and land resources are not lost, nor is their future develop- <br />ment for other purposes having higher values precluded. Thus, a <br />common relationship exists between local short-term use of the <br />resources and the need to maintain and enhance the long-term <br />productivity. <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />The irreversible commitment of resources would include the inundation <br />of 15.5 miles of stream with the associated riparian vegetation and <br />wildlife habitat, the loss of agricultural land committed to reservoir <br />use, and, from a social viewpoint, the local displaced businesses <br />will incur temporary economic hardships during their relocation. <br />Likewise, displaced persons having strong psychological associations <br />with their homes will undergo a period of adjustment during relocation. <br /> <br />26 <br />