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<br />WATER YIELD IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN REGION <br /> <br />In the In.termountain Region the National Forest Land Management <br />planning effort is dealing with 12 Issues and 5 Concerns. <br /> <br />One of these Issues is the Matter of Water Yield or.water yield <br />augmentation. <br /> <br />Through public workshops this Issue was presented to the public with <br />the question, "To what extent should the Forest Se1="vice increase water <br />yield from National Forest Land?" <br /> <br />THE PUBLIC SAID... <br /> <br />Because of growing demands for water, the Forest Service should <br />increase water yields through any means available. <br /> <br />Hanaging vegetation to increase water yield could cause real impacts <br />to other resources which may be. unacceptable. <br /> <br />The Forest' Service should identify areas that provide acceptable <br />opportunities.'for water.yield incrt'lases in .the 'sallie manner as they do <br />. for other resources. <br /> <br />Methods other than,llianaging.veget:ation -suchas reservoirs, snow <br />fencing, weather .modification, waste water. reclamation, desalination, <br />and conservat:idnofexisting water.;. .should be considered first. <br /> <br />INFLUENCES <br /> <br />Growing demand forhigh-"quality water both on and off National Forest <br />lands. <br /> <br />Tradeoffswithother resource values, .such as timber, wildlife, water <br />quality, and wilderness. <br /> <br />.. . <br />. . <br />Lack of inventory on areas which might have potential for water yield <br />increase, <br /> <br />Cost of water yield increases through vegetation management as compared <br />with the. cost of alternative measures. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />SITUATIONS. <br /> <br />National Forest lands of the Intermountain Region produce over. 27 <br />million acre-feet of .water in an average year, or. 50 percent of the <br />total water voll.Ulle produced within the area. National Forest lands <br /> <br />B-30 <br />