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<br />~J <br />~ <br />~ <br />~ <br />C~ <br />(~) CHAPTER III - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES <br /> <br />General Descriotion of the Area <br /> <br />The project area is located at the eastern end of the Grand valley <br />in Mesa County, in west-central Colorado and is described in the <br />FEIS. The Bookcliffs bound the study area to the north and the <br />Colorado River forms the south boundary. The communities of <br />clifton and palisade are nearest Reach 1 of the Government Highline <br />Canal and Grand Junction and Fruita are nearest Reach 2. Refer to <br />Maps 1 and 2 for locations of the reaches. <br /> <br />Mesa County's population is approximately 86,140, with Grand <br />Junction being the largest urban center. Agribusiness generates <br />$39 to $51 million annually within the county with small grains, <br />hay, and fruit being the primary crops. Of the approximately 8,400 <br />acres of orchards in Colorado, an estimated 2,700 acres occur in <br />Mesa County (Colorado Agriculture Statistics Service, 1989). <br /> <br />The Grand valley is located at the extreme eastern extension of the <br />Great Basin Desert. Both the climate and geology of the region <br />have a definite influence on soil and soil moisture properties, and <br />ultimately the native and cultivated plant communities supported. <br />Much of the area is underlain with Mancos Shale from marine <br />sedimentary formations. The soil derived from weathered shale and <br />ground water percolating through the upper layers of the parent <br />shale are quite saline. Salinity is derived from the salts of <br />gypsum, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and carbonate. <br /> <br />Construction and management of irrigation systems and subsequent <br />residential development in the Grand valley have altered native <br />plant and animal communities that historically occupied the project <br />area. Based on vegetation, six distinct habitat categories occur <br />in the Grand Valley: river woodland, phreatophytic shrub, marsh, <br />agricultural lands, desert shrub, and pinyon-juniper woodlands <br />(Ecology Consultants, Inc., 1976). <br /> <br />Reach 1 of the Government Highline Canal begins at the outlet of <br />Tunnel No. 3 at the upper end of the Grand Valley and carries <br />approximately 775 cfs of irrigation water. Land use along both the <br />north and south sides of Reach 1 varies from orchards and vineyards <br />to grain and hay fields, small ranchettes, dry grazing land, and <br />suburban developments. Along Reach 2, land use south of the canal <br />is primarily grain and hay operations, with some orchards and <br />suburban developments. Lands north of Reach 2 are generally dry <br />grazing lands in private and public ownership. <br /> <br />Environmental values associated with the present canal include <br />agricultural production, esthetics, recreation, and wildlife <br />habitat. The presence of the canal in the midst of developed <br /> <br />23 <br />