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<br />--00 <br />C\1 <br />c-; <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The project area 1.S rural and, as noted above, relatively r~e. <br /> <br />c. <br /> <br />'The 1976 population of towns in and near the project area was Placer- <br /> <br />ville 105, Norwood 487, Naturita 940, ledvale 440, and Nuc1a 1,069. <br /> <br />Fluctuations in the mining industry, of course, affect population <br /> <br />figures. The population increase between 1970 and 1976 was estimated at <br /> <br />2.4 percent for the San Miguel River Basin. <br /> <br />Reed for Water Development <br /> <br />Irrigation <br /> <br />Agriculture and related service enterprises account for an important <br /> <br />part of the local economy. An expansion of the agricultural bue would <br /> <br />offset the fluctuating nature of mining in the area and provide a _re <br /> <br />stable economic base and employment for present and future generations. <br /> <br />Since rainfall is sparse and erratic, irrigation is essential <br /> <br />for crop production. However, because most of the runoff occurs during <br /> <br />the spring when demands for water are low and because the uiatiug <br /> <br />reservoirs are limited in their storage capacity, the preaently irri- <br /> <br />gated land often receives little or no water from midsummer into fall <br /> <br />when crops are most sensitive to a lack of water. <br /> <br />At the present time approximately 12,690 acres 1n the area are <br /> <br />irrigated, but almost none of the land has a full water supply. Because <br /> <br />of the inadequate irrigation supplies, only about two-thirds of the <br /> <br />arable land is irrigated. Present diversions are nearly all limited to <br /> <br />the early part of the season when streamflows are high. Moreover, <br /> <br />ahortages are unpredictable, making it extremely difficult to adjuat tbe <br /> <br />irrigated acreage each year for optimum results. Because of tbese <br /> <br />7 <br />