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<br />. ' <br /> <br />IV. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS/MITIGATION PLANNING <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~ <br />C-') <br />W <br />W <br /> <br />The final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on the Lower <br />Gunnison Basin unit was filed on February lO, 1984. The <br />recommended plan (A-2) provided for concrete lining approximately <br />254 miles of canals and laterals east of the Uncompahgre River. <br />Alternatives included lining canals and laterals over the entire <br />valley (Plan C) and modifying plan A-2 to include some pipelines. <br />While the recommended plan in the FEIS is similar to alternatives <br />being proposed under the SO/JU study, sufficient changes exist to <br />warrant preparation of an environmental assessment to present and <br />assess changes. ' <br /> <br />The recommended plan in the FEIS included measures to <br />protect cultural resources, canal safety measures, revegetation <br />plans, and a habitat replacement program. The habitat <br />replacement program was developed in cooperation with the Fish <br />and wildlife Service (FWS) and the Colorado Division of wildlife <br />(CDOW) and called for the acquisition and development of 2,100 <br />acres along the Uncompahgre or Gunnison River corridors. The <br />acreage was determined, using Habitat Evaluation Procedures and <br />involved habitat tradeoffs agreed to by the agencies. These <br />tradeoffs'involved some use of upland habitat to replace wetland <br />habitat. <br /> <br />The most significant environ~ental concern with the project ~ <br />centers a~ound the loss of wetlands that are now supported by <br />canal and lateral seepage. Under the SO/JU study, the FWS <br />expressed initial concerns that wetland inventory information and <br />pabitat replacement plans should be reviewed. Therefore a new <br />inventory of wetlands was conducted for lands east of the <br />Uncompahgre River, and coordination with the FWS and CDOW was re- <br />initiated''- rn December, 1991, the Denver Office completed a <br />report entitled:Uncompahqre proiect Svstem ootimization/Joint <br />Use Study Wetlands Inventorv and Evaluation. The study maps 542 <br />wetland sites, encompassing 727 acres, and identifies the canal <br />or lateral which supports each site through seepage. Wetland <br />sites ranged in size from 0.1 to 22.3 acres and averaged l.4 <br />acres. Emergent wetlands comprised 72.7 percent of the total; <br />shrub-scrub wetlands 21.8 percent; and forested wetlands 5.5 <br />percent. The inventory was designed to allow separate <br />identification of wetland and wetland impacts by canal and <br />lateral increments. <br /> <br />Emergent wetlands most typically consisted of saltgrass <br />flats and sedge/wet grass meadows although cattail/reed/bulrush <br />wetlands were also encountered. Monotypic thickets of young <br />willows were the most common Shrub-scrub wetlands. These <br />thickets usually extended only short distances from canal or <br />lateral banks. Forested wetlands generally consisted of small <br />stands of cottonwoods with minimal understory vegetation. .. <br /> <br />14 <br />