WSP11430

• File Number: 8449
• Description: Platte River Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 5/1/1975
• Author: USACOE
• Title: Needs Identification and Supplement to the Plan of Study, Water and Related Land Resources Management Study
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Alternative futures affect outdoor recreation planning through

changes in population, participation rates, and funds available for

recreation development. "Controlled grovth" may tend to stabilize

demand for local facilities because of reduced population grovth.

"Economic crisis", "energy crisis", and "food crisis" may tend to

decrease the participation ratio of outstate individuals and for

activities that require travel or other associated expenses

because of reduced discretionary income. Participation rates at

recreation areas near Denver should increase.

Therefore, participation rates in the future may decrease for

travel intensive or costly activities and increase for inexpensive

local activities if either an economic crisis, energy crisis, or

food crisis are included in the future. Funds for recreation

development should remain stable unless an economic crisis is

included in the future.

SUMMARY

Solutions to water and related land resources problems must be

compatible with the future of the South Platte River basin. The

future must be defined in terms of the variables used in planning

that are most subject to temporal change. The current value of many

of these variables is different for different parts of the basin,

e.g. population grovth, per capita use rate~. There is little

agreement and much uncertainty over the future values of even the

most studied variables, e.g. population and employment; even if the

future is not expected to differ significantly from the recent past

(sustained grovth). Alternative futures such as controlled grovth,

energy crisis, economic crisis, and food crisis create additional

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