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<br />CULTURAL RESOURCES <br /> <br />A Cultural Resources Review was conducted by the State Historic <br />Preservation Officer (SHPO). According to the SHPO review, there are <br />several cultural sites located in or near the irrigated area. Several <br />sites are potentially eligible on a national, state, or local level for <br />nomination to the National Register by the Secretary of the Interior. <br /> <br />The only known cultural resources that are known to occur on the <br />irrigated lands are the Oregon Trail and the Bryan-South Pass City Stage <br />Road. Activities associated with flood irrigation during the past <br />several decades have obliterated the portion of these trails that occur <br />on the irrigated lands. Lands along the river and creek drainages <br />within the irrigated area are mapped by SHPO as having a high potential <br />for archeological resources. Lands adjacent to the southeast part of <br />the Eden irrigated area are mapped as having medium potential. <br /> <br />The SCS has determined that a cultural resource survey is not <br />feasible during the planning phase of the project because of the <br />difficulty in determining site specifically what kinds of construction <br />activity will occur where. This is because the amount and location of <br />acres that will voluntarily participate in the project are not known at <br />this time. It is recognized that cultural resource surveys will be <br />conducted where appropriate when specific construction sites are <br />identified. <br /> <br />SELECTED PLAN <br /> <br />The selected plan calls for the voluntary installation of <br />modernized irrigation systems with individual on-farm pumping on <br />15,700 acres. The predominant type of installation will be low-pressure <br />sprinkler irrigation systems, but may also include installation of <br />automated border irrigation systems on odd-shaped or smaller fields not <br />lending themselves to sprinkler irrigation. For cost estimating <br />purposes, sprinkler irrigation systems were used, as the analysis <br />indicates no significant difference in installation costs between low <br />pressure sprinkler and automated border systems. The selected plan also <br />calls for the voluntary development and enhancement of wildlife values <br />which may be impacted due to the installation of the improved irrigation <br />systems. <br /> <br />While it was recognized during plan formulation that there may be <br />smaller areas within the project that contribute somewhat greater salt <br />loadings, no attempt was made to prioritize the project into smaller <br />treatment units. This decision is based on the fact that the project is <br />compact, well defined, and the Big Sandy River is the single outlet for <br />water leaving the project area. There are approximately 80 irrigators <br />in the project area. This decision also recognizes that if maximum <br />salinity control benefits are to be realized, implementation needs to <br />occur throughout the project area. <br /> <br />The selected plan shows that irrigation diversion requirements would <br />be reduced by approximately 20,500 acre feet per year. It was not the <br />intent of the salinity study to determine what use, if any, this saved <br /> <br />OjlC61 <br /> <br />11 <br />