Laserfiche WebLink
CI APTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL <br />CONSEQUENCES <br />General <br />This chapter discusses resources associated with the Gunnison River that could be affected by <br />the proposed actions of constructing a fish passageway and providing water flows through an <br />interim water agreement. The passageway and associated interim water agreement are designed <br />to benefit endangered fish and could affect other resources as discussed below. During <br />preparation and review of the draft EA, concerns were expressed by the public about some of <br />these impacts, and efforts have been made to address these concerns in this report (see Chapter <br />4 on Consultation and Coordination for further details and responses to concerns). <br />Vegetation and Land Use <br />Existing Conditions <br />The Gunnison River Basin is primarily rural. Much of the over 8,000 square mile watershed <br />is National Forest or Bureau of Land Management (BL1VI) lands. Valleys are largely private and <br />were originally developed for ranching, farming, and mining. In recent years, recreation, <br />retirement living, and second -home development have become important. In the vicinity of the <br />Redlands Diversion Dam, lands are a combination of parcels privately owned by individuals, <br />sand and gravel operations, or Redlands Water and Power Company; and Federal lands managed <br />by the BLM. The BLM owns the land on the west side of the river at the Redlands Diversion <br />site. The Redlands Water and Power Company has used this BLM land since at least 1918. <br />The Southern Pacific Railroad's line parallels the east bank of the Gunnison River in this area <br />and primarily hauls coal in unit trains. The railroad and the Redlands Diversion Dam are the <br />primary land use. The city of Grand Junction has a water intake structure on the east side of <br />the diversion dam on land leased from the Redlands Water and Power Company. Immediately <br />upstream on the east side of the river agricultural lands are irrigated; however, future plans are <br />to use this area for sand and gravel mining. There has been some home development on the <br />west side of the river in the last few years. <br />The riparian areas upstream from the Redlands Diversion Dam are dominated by cottonwood <br />trees, willows, Russian olives, tamarisk, wild rose, and skunkbush sumac. Downstream there <br />has been more disturbance to vegetation although bands of willow and bulrush occur. The <br />disturbed areas are vegetated primarily with kochia, bindweed, and grasses and forbs. Away <br />from the influence of the river, vegetation changes to upland communities of greasewood, <br />rabbitbrush, and saltbush. <br />13 <br />