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OJ c.o ~ cubic feet per second would be maintained in Cement Creek below the reser- voir through the year. The water supply would be of excellent quality for all project purposes. Data on operation of Cement Creek Reservoir are sum- marized in the table on the following page. CHAPl'ER rr EAST RIVER UNIT The East River Unit would deplete the flows of the Colorado River system by an average of 1,000 acre-feet annually. The Environmental Pro- tection Agency estimates that the unit would increase the salinity con- tent of Lake Mead by about 0.1 milligram per liter. It estimates the economic impact of the increase to the water users below Lake Mead at $6,000 annually, based on 1972 prices. No water rights have been obtained for the East River Unit. Recreation Cement Creek Reservoir with its view of distant mountain peaks and quality aesthetic surroundings would be a scenic attraction. The reser- voir, located in a small valley, would be surrounded by steep mountains covered with aspen-spruce forests intermingled with open sagebrush parks. Below the dam site is a conifer-forested gorge. The Forest Service has outlined specific recreational facilities that could be provided at the reservoir, including picnic-camping units, access roads, trails, domestic water supply, and a sanitation system. Fish and Wildlife With a dead and inactive storage pool of 2,900 acre-feet in Cement Creek Reservoir, dependable reservoir fishing would be assured. The re- leases to Cement Creek of not less than 10 cubic feet per second would sustain the stream fishery below the dam. Only limited stream fishing opportunities would be lost in the reservoir basin. About 5,480 fisher- man visits at the reservoir are expected each year. This estimate is based on a use of 40 fisherman visits for each acre of the normal reser- voir water surface, which was the average use on similar reservoirs on the western slope of Colorado in 1972. Development of the East River Unit would have little impact on wild- life as the reservoir is in a summer grazing area where feed is plentiful. Mineral Resources A small warm spring issuing from the west side of the reservoir area is the only mineral resource of value found in the Cement Creek Reservoir Basin, according to the Bureau of Mines. Water from the spring with a temperature of about 750 is piped across National forest land to a resort on private property which caters to summer recreation activities. The resort is just above the normal water surface of the reservoir but is be- low the surcharge level and would have to be relocated if the reservoir were developed. 26