WSP08945

• File Number: 8030
• Description: Section D General Compact Issues - US Water Resources Council
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 12/1/1971
• Author: US Water Resources C
• Title: Summary - Obers Review Meetings - Held July 1971 - RE-Economic Activity in the US by Water Resources Region and Subarea-Historic and Projected-1929-2020
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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002925

distribution? What if assumed rates of technological advances fail to

materialize? What if public constraints are imposed on the use of certain

technologies in the interest of environmental quality. These "what if"

questions, many of which have been raised in your comments, have important

implications as to the kind of projection system that is needed. The
(page 6)
attached diagram/suggests some of the attributes of sUCh a system. It

portrays a projection strategy designed to generarealternative projects and

to shed light on "what if" questions. You should note that the top tier.of

the chart indicates the type of material that will be available when the

draft report is completed. The second tier indicates some of the changes

in assumption that may be considered in the development of alternative pro-

jections. Alternative projections might or might not be shown in the same

detail as the baseline projections. The third tier merely depicts. the

changes that can be identified from the first and second blocks on.the

chart. I must add at this point that a strategy for alternative projections

is easy to conceptualize but extremely difficult to implement. As the

discussion ensues, it should be.obvious that some of our problems in this

report arise from our attempt to develop a projections system with the

attributes implied by the diagram.

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As indicated in the report, the projections of agricultural production

are based on the principle of comparative advantage, The current geographic

pattern of agricultural production, in a general sense, reflects this principle;

and historical shifts in the competitive balance among areas have been a prime

factor in locational changes in agricultural production and employment. The

comparative position among areas stems largely from the natural or man-made