Downstream, the federal government's Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, is "where things get dramatic," she added. The 74,000-acre refuge is located on the northeastern extension of the Great Salt Lake. Frey said it hosts nearly 250 species.

With less water in the system because of the reservoir, there would be a loss of habitat and food for birds and other animals, she said. A diminished habitat means wildlife would be crammed into less area and therefore be more vulnerable to the transmission of disease.

Avian crowding also means better hunting for predators, she added.

"The refuge has a large and very old, senior water right that must protect it," she said.

Wetlands beyond the refuge also are a worry. Lower lake levels and the reductions of these wetlands can affect duck-hunting and wildlife all around the lake, she said.

When the Malad River is moved, the new river bed would be lined with riprap, she said. This wall of boulders "is never a hospitable habitat for wildlife," according to Frey.

Another question Frey has concerns historic and prehistoric remains at the Washakie reservoir site.

Lynn DeFreitas of the group Friends of the Great Salt Lake said the real challenge is looking for ways to conserve water. A report issued some years ago by the Utah Rivers Council said development on the Bear River could cause the Great Salt Lake to fall, she said.

A drop in the lake's water level has the potential of drying wetlands, and the lake-side ecosystem is important to millions of migratory birds, according to DeFreitas. About 75 percent of the wetlands in Utah are adjacent to the lake, she added.

Dennis Strong, deputy director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, said an environmental impact statement will be prepared before the Bear River Project is built. In the 1990s, the state hired a Logan-based environmental consulting firm to help analyze the then-proposed Honeyville Reservoir.

The consultants, division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked together to examine that reservoir site, he said. The conclusion was that impacts would be considerable but could be mitigated. Among the losses would be streamside habitat.

Eventually, the Honeyville locale was abandoned in favor of the more costly but less damaging Washakie site, according to the division.

Washakie Reservoir would be created on farmland that is already affected by man, he said.

"The Malad River is not considered a high-level fishery. In fact, I don't even know if it is a fishery down that low. It's very high in total dissolved solids."