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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />SECTlONTHREE Affected Environments and Environmental Consequences <br /> <br />for these uses. Prime farmland has the soil quality, growing season. and moisture supply needed <br />to economically produce sustained high yields of crops when treated and managed, including <br />water management, according to acceptable farming methods. <br /> <br />3.2.2.1 <br /> <br />Alternative 1 - No Action <br /> <br />No prime farmland would be affected by the No Action Alternative. <br /> <br />3.2.2.2 <br /> <br />Alternative 2 -Improve Routing of Pawnee Creek Flood Flows (Proposed <br />Action) <br /> <br />This alternative would include acquiring or obtaining floodway easements for approximately <br />45 acres ofland. Approximately 33 acres of prime farmland would be converted to flood control <br />use. However, approximately 28 acres within the constructed floodway channel downstream <br />from the Riverside Cemetery would be returned to agricultural production during years that <br />Pawnee Creek does not flood. Therefore, only 5 acres of prime farmland would be permanently <br />lost with Alternative 2. As will be discussed in Section 3.9.2, hydrologic modeling of the 1997 <br />flood event indicated that if Alternative 2 had been in place during the 1997 flood, the duration <br />of the flood would have been significantly reduced. This reduction in the flood duration would <br />have reduced the amount of agricultural crops lost during the flood. <br /> <br />Because 33 acres of prime farmland would be disturbed, a Farmland Conversion Impact Rating <br />Form AD-I006 was completed. The proposed action was determined to have a value of 148. <br />Since the alternative received a total score ofless than 160, guidance in 7 CFR 658.4 indicates <br />that no further consideration would be required. <br /> <br />3.2.2.3 <br /> <br />Alternative 3 . Pawnee Creek Overflow Cutoff <br /> <br />This alternative would include acquiring or obtaining floodway easements for approximately 41 <br />acres ofland. Approximately 32 acres of prime farmland would be converted to flood control <br />use. However, approximately 28 acres within the constructed floodway channel downstream <br />from the Riverside Cemetery would be returned to agricultural production during years that <br />Pawnee Creek does not flood. Therefore, only 4 acres of prime farmland would be permanently <br />lost with Alternative 3. <br /> <br />Because 32 acres of prime farmland would be disturbed, a Farmland Conversion Impact Rating <br />Form AD-1006 was completed. The proposed action was determined to have a value of 149. <br />Since the alternative received a total score of less than 160, guidance in 7 CFR 658.4 indicates <br />that no further consideration would be required. <br /> <br />3.3 TRAFFIC AND CIRCULATION <br /> <br />Both Highway 6 and the UPRR track run throughout the entire length of the project area. <br />Numerous county roads are also located within the project area. The lower portion of Pawnee <br /> <br />3-5 <br />