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CHAPTER 3 <br />AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES <br />of willow and shrubs, may provide suitable willow flycatcher habitat. At some of these sites, surface <br />water may be present in the early part of the nesting season, gradually drying up as the season progresses. <br />Ultimately, the breeding site must have a water table high enough to support riparian vegetation. <br />Mitigation for Refined Alternative 6 Special Status Species Impact 3: Enhancing, restoring, and <br />protecting suitable near-site wetlands would compensate the loss of wetland/riparian habitat along <br />abandoned irrigation ditches. <br />Near-site habitat restoration would compensate for the wetlands lost due to the abandonment of existing <br />irrigation or water distribution canals, or altered hydrology. Prior to the acquisition of water rights on a <br />parcel within the Pine, La Plata, Mancos, and McElmo River Basins, existing wetlands would be <br />delineated and suitable nearby wetland/riparian sites would be identified from which to restore, enhance, <br />and protect compensatory wetlands if water were removed from the irrigation lands and ditches. Such <br />enhancement would occur through a combination of hydrologic and topographic enhancements. A legal <br />and planning mechanism would be established to monitor the wetlands to be enhanced and protected and <br />to provide long-term preservation of wetland habitat. <br />If after acquisition of irrigated parcels, water were allowed to remain in the irrigation ditches, there <br />would be no significant impact to canal-associated wetlands or riparian vegetation. In such cases, there <br />would be no need to implement this mitigation measure for the loss of wetland/riparian habitat. <br />3.7.4.3 No Action Alternative <br />No impacts to special status species were identified in the 1996 FSFES. Navajo Reservoir would <br />continue to be operated to mimic a natural hydrograph to help recover endangered fish species. <br />3.8 GEOLOGY AND SOILS <br />3.8.1 Introduction <br />This section addresses potential impacts to geology and soils that would result from actions associated <br />with Refined Alternatives 4 and 6 and the No Action Alternative. Section 3.8.2 defines the Evaluation <br />Methodology and significance criteria used for determining impacts, Section 3.8.3 describes the affected <br />environment, and Section 3.8.4 identifies potential impacts and mitigation measures that would serve to <br />reduce or eliminate anticipated impacts to geology and soils. <br />3.8.2 Evaluation Methodology <br />This section discusses the methodology used to determine potential impacts that could result from <br />Refined Alternatives 4 and 6, and the No Action Alternative. Also discussed are specific criteria that <br />were used to determine the significance of the impacts identified. <br />3.8.2.1 Geology <br />3.8.2.1.9 Methodology <br />The following is a list of geological criteria considered in this analysis: <br />¦ Seismicity/Discontinuities Weeminuche Construction Authority <br />¦ Ground Failures/Erosion and Sedimentation P.O. Box AA - Towaoc, CO 81334 <br />pW%MAS ac.ACt61Z(Z"%JGL <br />3.8 GEOLOGY AND SOILS 3-122 OAA tRz, tT 14 - PAGE 14 . °15