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<br />CHAPTER I <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Public Involvement <br /> <br />Following the development of preliminary alternatives, a Notice of <br />Initiation of Investigation was issued in February 1981 and a Plan of <br />Study distributed in March 1981. A general public involvement plan <br />outlined (1) the preliminary consultation that led to plan develop- <br />ment, (2) identification of the major issues associated with the study, <br />(3) assessment of the level of public interest, (4) identification of <br />the types of people the unit would affect, (5) determination of whether <br />or not specially trained public involvement personnel were required <br />during the study, (6) development of a specific plan for public involve- <br />ment activities, (7) formulation of a general unit mailing list, and <br />(8) creation of a system to review the information Reclamation presented <br />to the public. <br /> <br />The first public meeting which qualified as the National Environ- <br />mental Policy Act (NEPA) "scoping" meeting, a meeting to determine the <br />environmental issues to be addressed during the planning process, was <br />held on April 23, 1981. Reclamation announced the meeting in the <br />Federal Register on April 8, 1981, at which time a Notice of Intent to <br />Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement was published in the first <br />Dolores Unit newsletter and in a news release to local radio stations <br />and newspapers. During the course of the study, Reclamation held <br />numerous other meetings and talks with the public. <br /> <br />A planning team was created after this first meeting, It included <br />representatives from the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wild- <br />life Service, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Western Area Power <br />Administration, and the Forest Service. The public was also repre- <br />sented, although most actual planning was done by State and Federal <br />agencies. <br /> <br />Public involvement was very influential in the development of the <br />unit plan. Public dislike of the potential effects of McPhee Reservoir <br />fluctuations, which would have regularly exposed large areas of the <br />reservoir bottom, led to the investigation of fluctuation control struc- <br />tures and alternate afterbay sites. The decision to pursue the Campbe1l- <br />Plateau Creek Alternative relieved public concern over the earlier <br />proposals. The only significant issue associated with the Campbell- <br />Plateau Creek site would be the loss of grazing rights by one of the <br />permittees in the San Juan National Forest. <br /> <br />3 <br />