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FIGURE 7 POPULA liON DISlRIBUlION-1960 BY SUBBASIN ~~I LEGEND SUBIIAS I II POPULAT 1011 0/0 PERCEUAOE OF THE TOTAL IIASIN L1 0/0 ~ AURAL POPULATION BY PERCENTAGE COI.ORADO URlU fIOPUU,TIOIII IT PElCEJlUGE 0/0 TOTAl USIN . . . RURAL ~3J. URIAN 57" continue to playa most important role in development of the basin. One of the most important natural resources in the basin is its water which covers approximately 3.8 million acres. Of the total water surface, 2.7 million acres, or about 70 percent, comprise surface areas over 40 acres in extent and streams over one-eighth mile in width. About 1.1 million acres are in narrow streams and in water areas of less than 40 acres. There is wide variation among the eight subbasins in the distribution of water. The Eastern Dakota Tributaries Subbasin has the largest proportion of total water areas, about two and one-half percent of the subbasin being water area. In comparison, the Yellow- stone Subbasin has the smallest proportion with only three-fourths of one percent being water area (table 3). In mos~ areas of the basin, the ground-water resources are related to the surface water resource. Ground water 14 ~I ~ ~ . t SCALE 1I11,~OO.OOO o . 100 APPROXIMATE SCALE IN MILE S MINNESOTA I i --~r--- KANSAS --~ MJSS~RI__- L_____~- is the source of water for most of the rural population and smaller communities and for livestock on the Great Plains. Many areas in the basin are dependent on ground- water for municipal, industrial, domestic, and irrigation purposes. The surface water of the basin is used and reused as it accumulates and flows to the mouth of the Missouri River. Under presenl l:onditions of development and usage, the estimated average annual flow of the Missouri River near its mouth at Hermann, Missouri, is 53.6 mil. lion acre feeL Table 4 shows the contributions ~o the Missouri River made by each of the subbasins, The land resources of the Missouri Basin are closely associated with their present uses. The best method to describe these resources is to indicate the current uses and to give an idea of their potential for future expansion.