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15 LOWER GUNNISON BASIN - COLORADO N ~ Eight alternative plans have been developed by SCS for salinity control ~. in the basin. These plans provide for salt reductions ranging from ~0 65,000 to 420,000 tons per year. A public involvement effort is underway so that the locally-preferred alternative can be identified. A draft report is due for in-house review in January 1981. Comments on this report will be requested from other interested agencies and organizations. A supplement to the existing program EIS originally issued by WPRS/SCS in May 1977 is also being drafted. Completion of the supplement is expected by March 1981. The major environmental impact of any of the alternative plans will be their effect on wildlife habitat in the area. Presently some 14,820 acres of wetlands supported by irrigation water sources are located within the study area. Of this total about 7,220 acres are Wetland Types 1 and 2. A trial of the Fish and Wildlife Service's "HEplI procedures is underway. All of the needed field data on present habitat values have been collected. This information is being put into the FWS's ADP program to compute habitat value ratings. VIRGIN RIVER UNIT - ARIZONA, NEVADA, UTAH Supplement No. I to the Virgin River Unit Plan of Study (distributed in June, 1980), divided the study into Moapa Valley, Virgin Valley, and Upper Virgin River sub-evaluation units. A USDA implementation plan was recommended for some 5,000 irrigated acres in Moapa Valley. Comments from the Advisory Council and other interested agencies will be considered in finalizing the study report. Distribution date is estimated to be March 1981. A draft report identifying an implementation plan was prepared for the 3,500 surface irrigated acre Virgin Valley. A report for the 15,000 irrigated acre Upper Virgin River sub-evaluation unit is also in progress. The SCS Nevada planning staff expects to finalize these draft reports in the next six months or so. BIG SANDY RIVER - WYOMING The accomplishments and progress for FY 1980 centered around the preparation and review of the Coordinating Committee and Technical Review Draft and the Interagency Review Draft of the Big Sandy Salinity Control Study Report. Two public meetings were held during this period concerning the salinity study. The first meeting was with the Coordinating Committee on December 13, 1979, to review and obtain comments on the draft report. The second meeting was held Feburary 4, 1980, to report progress on the salinity study to the public. '. ':l,c_," :,t" ,;"J_v~<""",,~