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<br />0235 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />7. Railroad Relocation Problems <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The relocation of the Union Pacific Railroad is another point of <br />concern when the construction of the Narrows Dam is considered. <br /> <br /> <br />The planned relocation will go through 20 miles of prime farm land, <br /> <br /> <br />of which all except 2t miles is irrigated. This would involve 17~ miles <br /> <br /> <br />of highly productive farm land. It is stated by the Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br /> <br />that it will take 12 acres per mile with a right-of-way of 100 feet unless <br /> <br /> <br />deep cuts or high fills are encountered. On these 17~ miles there are 15 <br /> <br /> <br />circular sprinklers which would be adversely affected as to efficiency. <br /> <br /> <br />Five of these would be cut through the middle, making further use of the <br /> <br /> <br />sprinkler impossible. The rest would be decreased in length so that the <br /> <br /> <br />circle sprinkled would be smaller. This then would take out of production <br /> <br /> <br />a minimum of 590 acres, including )0 acres of grassland. <br /> <br /> <br />The crops that are raised on this land would gross an average of $500 <br /> <br /> <br />~er acre per year, or an annual gross revenue loss of $280,000 to the area. <br /> <br /> <br />In addition to the sprinklers that will be affected, there are numer- <br /> <br /> <br />ous irrigation wells that lie right next to the proposed right-of-way. <br /> <br /> <br />What will the vibration of the trains do to those wells and to the farm <br /> <br /> <br />buildings and homes that will be very close to the tracks? <br /> <br /> <br />The safety of the public is a concern to the railroad company as it <br /> <br /> <br />is to the Bureau an~ recreation agencies, but we feel that they have failed <br /> <br /> <br />to recognize how frequently school buses will have to cross the railroad <br /> <br /> <br />tracks in this area. The proposed right-of-way will cut through the middle <br /> <br /> <br />of at least three bus routes, and the buses will have to cross the tracks <br /> <br /> <br />several times each trip just to reach all the students. <br /> <br />. <br />