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~ applications greatly aid yields. Other minor elements such as C) iron are generally available for most crops except in those l\) areas where drainage is inadequate. The soils in the area are 0) of relatively recent origin, and consequently, they contain no definite concentration of lime or clay in the subsoil horizons as would be expected in weathered soils. Some areas in the Valley have limited farming use because of poor internal drain- age, which results in waterlogging and salt accumulations. Lying on top of the Mancos Shale and below the alluvial soils is a large cobble aquifer extending north from the river to about midway up the irrigated area for most of the length ' of the Valley. The approximate areal extent of this aquifer can be seen in Figure lO. The importance of this aquifer with respect to the drainage problems of the area has been demon- strated by a cooperative study in 1951 between the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station in conjunction witH the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which evaluated the feasibility of pump drainage from the aquifer. Much of this cobble aquifer is covered with a thin, tight and often discontinuous clay layer and/or a shale gravel washed from the nearby Book Cliffs. AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS The modification of the Colorado River's flows have yielded benefits in the form of irrigation, power generation, recreation, industrial and domestic water supply, transportation and waste disposal. In recent years, manufacturing and service industries have experienced rapid growth, surpassing mining and agriculture in economic importance in all seven basin states. Agriculture is an important source of employment and income to a local population in the Grand Valley area. In recent years, basic manufacturing and service industries have greatly contributed to the otherwise traditionally agricultural community. In 1972, the annual per capita income for Mesa County was $3,409 compared to the Colorado per capita income of $4,006. The unemployment is generally less than the statewide level (October 1976 it was 4.3 percent compared to 5.3 percent for the state). In 1970, the median income for families was $8,065 for Mesa County. Farm population in Mesa County for 1970 was 3,898 which was a 42.7 percent decline from 1960. The Grand Valley contains approximately 65 percent of the total irrigated croplands in Mesa County and accounts for about 75 percent of total value of farm products for the county. The 1969 census (by U.S. Department of Commerce definition, 1972) counted a total of 1,320 farms for Mesa County, which was a 21 percent decrease since 1964. 28