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Wildlife <br />Grass and woody plantings, fenced exclosures, and the protection of <br />existing vegetation should provide the food and cover needed to encourage <br />wild song and game birds, deer and other wildlife. <br />Irrigated Cropland Practices <br />Irrigated croplands (along the bottoms) are so situated that they do not <br />add appreciably to flood or sediment damages. However, many practices <br />are needed on these lands chiefly in the interest of water conservation <br />and crop production. Nearly all of this-land is irrigated by sprinkler <br />system and the principal measures would be efficient water use, crop <br />rotation and fertility maintenance. <br />Land Rehabilitation <br />Meadows have been damaged by heavy deposits of sand and trash, by gully- <br />ing and soil removal by flood waters. The deposits must be removed, the <br />land smoothed, fertilized, and seeded if the productive capacity of the <br />land is to be restored. When the protection features of this watershed <br />program become effective, this type of work will probably be speeded <br />appreciably within the project. <br />EFFECT OF RECOivYIENDED PROTECTION PROGRAM IN TERMS OF W&GE <br />REDUCTION, C ONSERVATION , LAND ENHANCEIMENT AND OTHER BENEFITS <br />The combined program of land treatment and flood prevention measures <br />described above would greatly reduce damage from floods occurring on the <br />average more frequently than once every 25 years. These measures will <br />naturally reduce flood peaks resulting from larger storms but they cannot <br />be expected to prevent all the damage. The program will have only a <br />minor effect on extreme floods such as occurred in 1935. With the com- <br />pletion of the combined program, average annual flood damage will be <br />reduced approximately 77 %. The estimated average annual flood water <br />damage will be reduced from $36,500 to X9,770. The total flood preven- <br />tion benefits are estimated to be $64,110,of which $21,980 will result <br />from increased production and $42,130 is the anticipated value of pre- <br />vented flood damages. Conservation benefits to land owners and operators <br />in the upland area of the watershed will amount to $46,960 annually. <br />COMPARISON OF COSTS AND BENEFITS <br />When the project has been completed and is operating at full effectiveness <br />the ratio of the average annual benefits of "A" measures ($53,990) to the <br />average annual cost of these measures ($632,390) is 1.7 to 1. The ratio <br />of land treatment benefits ($657,080) to costs ($21,780) is 2.6 to 1. The <br />ratio of the total average annual benefit ($111,070) to the estimated <br />total average annual cost of the project ($54,170) is 2.1 to 1 based on <br />current price levels for costs and long term values for benefits. <br />