Curecanti National Recreation Area: Personal Watercraft Use Enviornmental Assessment

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Vll under Alternative B: Reinstate PWC Alternative A: Reinstate PWC Use pecial Use under a Special Regulation with Additional Regulation Allow Impact Topic Managed (Preferred Alternative) No PWC Use Visitor Use and PWC use impacts Negligible to PWC use impacts Negligible to PWC use impacts Beneficial Experience minor adverse impacts on minor adverse impact on most impact on the experiences of experiences for most visitors in PWC users, because most of most non -PWC using visitors the short and long -term. the more popular PWC use due to the ban of personal Swimmers and other motorized locations at the park would watercraft. Impacts on PWC boat users would be most remain available. Shoreline users, particularly local affected by PWC use because users seeking more natural residents would be short and of the popularity of the day use surroundings, and non- long term, moderate to major, areas especially at Dry Creek motorized and motorized and adverse. Picnic Area, Bay of Chickens, boaters using the lake arms Cumulative impacts Beneficial and the windsurfing beach. would experience beneficial as compared to alternative A. Long -term negligible to minor impacts and visitors using the Negligible to minor adverse adverse impacts for visitors main body would experience impacts at other waterbodies in who desire a more passive negligible to minor adverse the region as a result of PWC recreational experience and impacts. desire natural quiet. users going to other locations Cumulative impacts Similar to to enjoy this activity. Cumulative impacts Negligible alternative A. to minor adverse impacts in the short and long-term. Visitor Conflicts and PWC use impacts Short-term PWC use impacts Short- and PWC use impacts Short- and Safety negligible to minor adverse and long -term, minor to moderate long -term, beneficial impacts long -term, minor adverse adverse impacts on visitor by reducing visitor conflicts and impacts on visitor conflicts and conflicts and safety in the high enhancing safety. PWC - related safety, particularly in the noted use areas and boat launches contributions to overall high PWC use locations due to due to the number of visitors cumulative impacts to visitor the number of visitors and and boats present on high use safety would be eliminated. boats present on high use days, as well as a Visitor safety impacts from days, as well as a concentration of conflicting other sources would be concentration of conflicting uses. Conflicts along the south beneficial. uses. Conflicts at other shore and at lake -arm locations Cumulative impacts Minor locations would remain would be negligible to minor short- and long -term, adverse negligible adverse because use adverse because PWC zoning impacts for other uses. is lower and conflicts would be would reduce the potential for less likely to occur. conflicts. Cumulative impacts Minor Cumulative impacts Minor to adverse for all user groups in moderate adverse for all user the short and long term, groups in the short and long particularly near the high -use term, particularly near the high - areas; negligible adverse in use areas. Cumulative impacts other areas of the reservoir. in lake arms would be negligible adverse because of reduced use. Cultural Resources PWC use impacts Minor PWC use impacts Minor PWC use impacts Beneficial adverse impacts on listed or adverse impacts on listed or impacts on archeological sites. potentially listed archeological potentially listed archeological Cumulative impacts Minor to sites from possible illegal resources from possible illegal major effects, accessibility of collection and vandalism. collection and vandalism. the resource and the potential Cumulative impacts Minor to Based on speed zones and for illegal collection or damage major adverse, due to the speed restrictions from arm by other users. No increase areas into main body d number of visitors and the dy areas. based on PWC use. potential for illegal collection or Beneficial impact those destruction. resources from the reduced erosion resulting from higher speeds. Cumulative impacts Minor to major and adverse effects of other activities on archeological resources that are readily accessible due to the number of visitors and the potential for illegal collection or destruction. Vll