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2.13 Disaster and Emergency Response Section 13 discusses flood hazard mitigation and drought response. It also briefly discusses programs presently in place and additional programs that could be beneficial in dealing with flooding and drought problems. Many types of emergency situations are water-related, including disastrous flooding from earthquakes, landslides and extreme drought. Planning efforts focus on measures that may lessen or eliminate the impact of future disasters. Drought damage can be reduced by precipitation augmentation, water conservation, increasing carry-over storage in reservoirs during non-drought years and drought planning. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) makes flood insurance available to rnunicipalities as a protection against monetary losses when flooding occurs. Damages for the 1983-1984 ($10.1 million) and 1997 floods ($6.4 million) are shown in this section. Issues impacting disaster and emergency response are that some local governments do not have plans for managing flood plains, and they lack hazard mitigation plans, disaster response plans, and emergency operation plans. Participating NFIP communities should review their flood damage prevention ordinances to insure they are meeting the rninimum requirements for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. 2.14 Fisheries and Other Water-Related Wildlife Section 14 describes the fisheries and other water-related wildlife currently found in the basin. The Division of Wildlife Resources has responsibility for managing, protecting, propagating and conserving the state's wildlife. The Fish and Wildlife Service has authority to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species on federal and private lands. Responsibilities of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to augment water supplies and support fish and wildlife interests are briefly explained. Minimum instream flows, watershed protection, stream bank erosion and wetlands protection are the greatest needs for wildlife. A state wetland protection plan is currently being prepared by the Governor's Office. High priority wetland areas will be identified, and opportunities for protection and enhancement will be addressed. Big game winter rangeland will be purchased under Section 305 of the Utah Reclarnation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. Big garne crossings and wildlife escape ramps in large canals are also to be provided. 2.15 Water-Related Recreation Section 15 describes how water relates to recreation. Water is part of almost all recreation provided in the Uintah Basin, from water skiing to camping, to pools in municipal recreation centers, to flat water boating on major reservoirs. Design of water access and recreation features associated with water development projects are important components of water planning and development. Lists of recreation facilities and campgrounds maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, Dinosaur National Monurnent, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, National Forest Service and state parks are listed for the Uintah Basin. The basin contains five state parks with a total of 308,340 visitations for 1997, including the Natural History Field House in Vernal and four reservoirs. Issues that impact water-related recreation are unethical behavior in recreational settings and comprehensive planning for allocation of resources. The Division of Parks and Recreation, in cooperation with other recreation agencies, should organize focus groups with recreationists and rnanagers from throughout the state to obtain ideas and support from all members of the recreation community. People who create the conflicts should be represented and encouraged to participate. Also, the Division of Parks and Recreation should continue to implement findings of the Uintah and Diamond Mountain Resource Management plans and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area Management Plan to balance use and resource capacity to achieve sustainability of water resource uses for recreation. 2-6