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The dam would be a rolled earthfill structure very similar to the proposed Narrows Dam. The overall envirpnmental setting for the Narrows site is applicable to the Weld County site. The soils at the damsite and res,ervoir site at the Weld County alternative are lighter in texture and are more highly erodible. The Weld County site would require more land than the Narrows site. The proximity of the Weld site to Greeley, Colorado, could increase the chances for eutrophication and pollution prOblems in the water impoundment due to the adjacent feedlot wastes and human sewage effluent. Additionally, due to the proximity of the Greeley urbanized area, serious problems from the standpoint of land speculation, subdivisions, and utility suppl ies could take place. The town of Hardin, Colorado, would be inundated, which would require the relocation of 30 people; howevet~, an additional 270 people would require reloca- tion. An entire feedlot operation would require relocation. 4. Modification of Existing Facilities There exist many small reservoirs off the mainstem of the South Platte River which are filled by direct flow rights from the South Platte River. Any attempts at modifying these facilities, while benefiting the individual water districts, would not significantly increase the available water to downstream water users. Chances are that fish and wild1 ife and recreation would not benefit since the existing facilities are privately owned and operated. Increasing the exist- ing water resource for municipal and industrial water uses could not be attained. It is doubtful that sufficient high waterflows could be stored to increase the quantity of irriga- tion water available. E. Other Issues 1. Clean Water Act of 1977, Section 404(b) 1), Dischar e of Dred ed or Fill Material Into Navigable Waters. A section 404 (b) 1 eva uatlon has een prepared and lS lnten ed to meet t e requirements of fill, in "navigable waters II pursuant to Public law 95-217 (see appendix A). liThe EPA and the Corps of Engineers have determined that this project as proposed is not consistent or otherwise in compliance with the section 404(b)(I) guideli,nes of the Clean Water Act." This is based on the fact that wet,lands lost will not be replaced on an acre per acre basis (see wetlands). 2. Endan ered S ecies Act of 1973 Amendments of 1978 Section 7(c). The Fish and Wildlife Serv ce a a e 1 y, a co 'Oglea erVlces lce as prepared a biological opinion with a no jeopardy finding on the peregrine falcon, black-footed ferret, and a no jeopardy finding with certain conservation stipulations on the bald ea91e. In January 1983, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Regfonal Office, Denver, Colorado) issued a biological opinion of jeopardy on the whooping crane unless specific measures to preclude jeopardy are incorporated into the Narrows Unit plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service recommended u. . . that water storage be designated in the Narrows Unit Reservoir to provide needed supplemental flows for roosting habitat and for channel width maintenance. Flows need to be released from the Narrows Unit Reservoir to satisfy channel maintenance needs; this has been estimated to average 32,000 acre-feet per year, depending upon the base flow.1I These flows are for the Platte River between Lexington and Shelton, Nebraska. In March 1983, an interagency task group composed of staff from the Bureau and Fish and Wildlife 'Service was formed to identify additional water and/or land management alternatives to remove the jeopardy finding rendered by the Fisn and Wildlife Service. This group identified a number of alternatives which it believed could provide the suitable ha'bitat characteristics conducive to continued whooping crane use in the area of concern. However, it was concluded that none of the alternatives, including the plan recommended in the biological opinion issued on January 20, 1983, are completely satisfactory due to the lack of certainty that, if imple- mented, the desired results of providing for whooping crane habitat would be achieved. As a result, the Regional Directors of the two Interior agencies have agreed to a plan of action to field test a number of these measures over the next 2 years with the goal of developing an acceptable and implementable plan for whooping crane habitat management that would remove the jeopardy opinion. The plan of action is contained in Appendix D. 3. Prime and Unique Farm1ands~ CEQ Memo, August 30, 1976. The project wou 1 d inundate 5,500 ac res (2,227 ha) .of i rri gated farmland and take another 5,500 acres (2,227 ha) of farmland out of private hands and put into the public domain, but some production could continue as part of a management plan. / S-4