WSP07875

• File Number: 8220.116.I
• Description: Fruitland Mesa Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 1/1/1976
• Title: Comments re: Draft Environmental Statement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: EIS

,'lib
~

Ifj~&
j1J'

on April 19, 1963, with the consent of the President, was officially
transmitted to the Congress of the United States. Subsequently,
Congress conducted public hearings on the project and thereafter
authorized construction of the project through Public Law 88-568,
approved by the President on September 2, 1964.

The Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District was organized
under the laws of the state of Colorado in 1960 as the sponsoring,
contractual and operating entity for the project. Following authori-
zation of the project, a repayment contract was executed between the
United States and the District in 1969. Project construction funds
have been appropriated by the Congress, approved by the President, and
are now available to initiate project construction. A small feature
of the project, the Gould Siphon, was completed in 1973.

The project involves construction of the 48,235 acre-foot
Milly K. Goodwin Lake on Soap Creek in Gunnison County and a delivery
system which would provide full or supplemental irrigation service to
18,250 acres of land in Montrose and Delta Counties. The plan of
development set forth in the draft environmental statement is essen-
tially the same plan presented to the Congress in 1963, except that
approximately 5,200 acres of irrigable lands, along with other project
lands, have been converted from planned irrigation to a proposed big
game management area. This proposed conversion would reduce the total
project irrigated acreage by about 22 percent and the new land acreage
by about 31 percent, a significant reduction in either case.

From our review of the draft environmental statement and
considerable knowledge of the project area, we conclude that any
adverse environmental impact occasioned by the project would be minimal.
The environmental impact statement does state that "Direct habitat
losses could result in winter population losses in the range of 400 to
800 deer." (p. C-17). This statement is apparently based on the
assumption that the conversion of now dry pasture land to irrigated
farm land will reduce deer forage directly proportionate to the con-
version. This assumption is not correct. During the winter months,
thousands of deer congregate annually on irrigated fields within the
state of Colorado. As a matter of fact, it is a certainty that a
significant number of the deer population on Fruitland Mesa, as shown
on page B-26 of the report, were counted. while they were grazing on
irrigated farm lands. If irrigated lands are unfit for deer browsing,
this fact has not yet been communicated to the deer herds of this state.

Nevertheless, the environmental impact statement assumes a
possible loss in the winter deer population in the area in the range
of 400 to 800 deer. To mitigate this assumed loss, it is proposed
that approximately 6,900 acres of public lands withdrawn for the
Fruitland Mesa Project become a wildlife management area. About 200
acres of this withdrawal would be irrigated with project water to pro-
vide feed for deer. In addition to the dedication of these 6,900 acres
for a deer management area, it is proposed that an adjacent area of
public lands containing approximately 7,000 acres "be maintained with
an emphasis on increased wildlife carrying capacity." (p. D-8). Under

Memorandum

-2-

September 30, 1976