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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />l.yhere, as is the situation in this matt:~:" ti:c('~: are rh) pr2:Jcnt proposals for <br />developmen t of speci fie wilJern8ss 'NateI' " dscur.'ces. the ,1:'c;::"es t: Service uses <br />genet'al t'esout'ce data and pt'ofessional jl"dgment to analyze the potential fot' <br />and effects of yet-to-be identified fut",'e water' t'esout'Ce development. In <br />oI.'der to determine the location of thOSe an'its WhCl".~ fut:Il'c development migh~ <br />be initiated without d.lrect Forest Scr\;i,~;2' illVolvclllent, lhuse land areas ",,'hich <br />at'e in non-Fedet'al ownet'ship are identified. Then Forest Service procedures <br />provide for a general evaluation of an identified land area, which includes <br />consideration of the topography, typical stream ch~nel a~d watershed charac- <br />teristics, availability and nature of access. ar,d the engineering feasibility <br />of water resource development. Based on this evaluation, a determination is <br />made, predicting the potential for future water r8source development and <br />',.:tether- such deve 10pOlent would dimir:ish the wilderness values. <br /> <br />It is also the policy of the Forest Service to pr-esecve and protect the wilder- <br />ness water resce~ces in a manner tta~ does n8t ~nduly disrupt the water uses <br />and t,-;ater resource allocation programs of the citizens of the State of <br />Colorado. The Forest Service considers ~~2 ;Jacer resource needs of the people <br />of C0lo,au,) in the development of NFS la..1d ma;'agement plans under the provi- <br />si0ns of the National Forest Manegement Act of 1976, 16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq., <br />which includes planning for- wildernesS management. <br /> <br />Further, it is the policy of the For-est Service to avoid unnecessary conflict <br />and litigation and to conserve agency reaources. Accor-dingly, the Forest <br />Service relies primar-ily on administrative cont~cls to protect wilderness water <br />r-eSOurces a~d will consider requesting the Depaccment of Justice to assert <br />wacer rights under either State or- Feder~l law where, such controls are inef- <br />fecti -J'e. In particular t this policy a.llo'.vs the agf.~~cy to avoid the unnecessary <br />expenditures of resources to prepare and liti6ate water right claims, while at <br />the same time protecting wilderr.ess v~lues. <br /> <br />4. ANALYSIS OF EFFECT OF WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND USE ON THE WATER <br />RESOURCES OF THE 24 WILDERNESSES <br /> <br />T~,,, Sierra Club has cor.tended ch"c the cur-rer.t ot' future development of water <br />resources in Col;::r:ido p,)se immedi9.:e ::hr23.ts ce.. the water resout~ces of the <br />24 ~ildcrnesses nc~ed in the Second A~ended CGiliplai~t. This current or future <br />~~car- development. the Sterr-a Club bsser-~s. will di~lnish thc wilderness <br />c;--s.racteristics that Congress specificall:1 sought: to preserve in establishing <br />tl1~ wi.ldecness areas. <br /> <br />\s discussed belew, based upon th(~ a'1tl1:,'sis o~.. ;:Jce.s,:nt and foreseeable future <br />wate,' reSO'.lrCA development pr-epared fot' the No\!P'::bel' 26. 1986 repor-t and <br />c,,~,' ir:ucd b~' s\JbsE:quen t review, the Fores t SE:r-'Ji",: has determined that there <br />ar., no immediate thr-eats to the wilderness r':s""I'ces that Congress sought to <br />preser-ve, In r-eaching this determination, the Forest Service consider-ed the <br />.;::ffects of present water uses undc.: absolute W<:iter rights. future water uses <br />un:,',r e:dsting decr-eed conditional water- r-ights, and the potential for- future <br />