WMOD00432

• Title: Colorado River Augmentation Demonstration Program - Finding of No Significant Impact
• Date: 9/1/1985
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

III. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
A. The General Environment

Grand t-1esa is a "table top" mountain with slightly undulating surface
at elevations above 10,000 feet, reaching peak elevations above
11,000 feet. Over 200 small lakes and reservoirs are on the mesa in
a hummocky terrain that is the result of glaciation, mud flows, and
slumping. The elevation drops rapidly from the mesa top to an eleva-
tion of about 7400 feet in only 4 miles. Mass wasting in the form of
landslides and slumps has been a major factor in forming benched and
hummocky topography surrounding the mesa proper.

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Streams from the many lakes have cut an intricate drainage pattern,
producing terraces and alluvial or outwash fans (locally called
mesas) which vary in size from a few acres to several square miles.
These mesas and the river valleys provide farm land. Below 7200
feet, agricultural patterns dominate the landscape. Orchards, small
grains, and pastureland are intermixed. The Colorado and Gunnison
River floodplains are at about 5000 feet.

Agriculture and recreation/tourism activities are the economic base
of this region. Good quality bituminous coal is mined commercially
in small quantities.

The Colorado River Augmentation Demonstration Program would take
place in and affect that area on Grand Mesa above 9000 feet. The
area is principally in the Grand Mesa National Forest, with a minor
amount of private land included. Major uses of the National Forest
are watershed protection, wildlife range, timber production,
livestock grazing, and recreation. The private land is used mostly
for commercial establishments and cabin sites. None of the area is
under consideration as a wilderness area.

B. Consequences from Alternatives Other Than the Proposed Action

The No Action Alternative would mean no manipulation of the environ-
ment and would, therefore, have no immediate effects. In the long
term, the anticipated water shortages (see Section I) would have
severe and wide-ranging impacts if not alleviated, which could be
affected by the loss of timely research on weather modification.

Use of a different geographic area for the site of the proposed
research would affect the research rather than a have a significant
environmental effect. Other areas offer less in the way of potential
storms for the type of studies proposed, nifficult ann more limited
winter access, and more rugged topography which would limit the data
that could be obtained by aircraft compared to that possible at Grand
Mesa. The general environment niscussed in Section III.C. (following)
would be essentially the same for any other alpine watershed in the
Upper Colorado River Basin, ann the potential for impacts the same
since the same limited research program would be instituted in any
other area.

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