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<br />ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT <br />I. Purpose and Need for Action <br /> <br />The proposed action is the result of a request by the Bureau of Reclamation <br />to excavate and use a gravel pit located in SE%SE'4 Section 34, T.44N.,R.11E <br />NMPM, Saguache County. <br />The gravel will be used for canals, pipelines, and roads for stages 4 and 5 <br />of the Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project. An estimated 200,000 <br />to 300,000 tons of material will be removed. The pit will be used until <br />October, 1989, when the free use permit expires. <br />II. Alternatives <br />A. The preferred alternative involves excavation of from 10 to 14 acres to <br />a depth of ten feet. The remaining acreage will be used to store equipment <br />and stockpile topsoil. A 4-strand barbed-wire fence shall be constructed <br />around the site. Before any gravel is moved, topsoil shall be removed and <br />stockpiled no higher than 3 feet above ground level. No stockpiling of <br />gravel will be allowed at the site. When all work is completed, the slopes <br />shall be graded to approximate a 3:1 slope. Topsoil shall be replaced and <br />the area seeded with a mixture approved by BLM. The fence will be removed <br />when vegetation has been sufficiently established, but not sooner than two <br />years after seeding. The Bureau of Land Management will be contacted before <br />any reclamation work is initiated. <br />B. The other alternative to be considered is the no action alternative. No <br />excavation of materials will be allowed and therefore no disturbance will <br />occur. The Bureau of Reclamation will have to develop a pit elsecahere. <br />III. Existing Environment <br />A. The climate of the area is characterized by long, cold winters and mild <br />summers. Precipitation averages about 7 inches and the majority of this <br />occurs from May to September in the form of rain. <br />B. Slopes average 0-2"/, and the exposure is westerly. Soils on the site <br />are represented primarily by Derrick very gravelly loam. This soil is well- <br />drained with a low available water capacity, and the erosion hazard is slight. <br />C. The vegetation is dominated by an overstory of rabbitbrush with an under- <br />story of blue grams. Occurring in lesser amounts are prickly-pear, apache- <br />plume, threeawn, and various lichens. Grasses such as dropseed, ricegrass, <br />and squirreltail occur in trace amounts, as do other forbs. <br />D. The gravel pit is located in the San Isabel grazing allotment and is <br />grazed from June through October. The pit will have no appreciable effect on <br />forage availability for livestock or wildlife. The site is used year round <br />by antelope and various small game species, including jackrabbits and coyotes. <br />