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<br />~ <br />r.. <br />CT) <br /> <br />Dairy, range beef and sheep, feeder calf, farm flock of sheep and cash~ <br />crop farms comprise the bulk of the existing type of farms. These same <br />types of farms are expected to prevail with project conditions. Adjacent <br />national forest and public domain lands are used from spring, summer and <br />fall grazing by cattle and sheep. Range rights on these lands are fully <br />utilized and no additional grazing permits are available for any new fams <br />developed by the project. <br /> <br />Industrial Development <br /> <br />In addition to agriculture, several other industries contribute to the <br />local economy. Mining is important in Garfield County. Seven workable <br />coal veins, with a combined thickness of 100 feet, are located within a <br />few miles of Rifle. The county has an estimated oi1~sha1e deposit of 500 <br />billion barrels of oil. The U. S. BU!l-Ol,u of Mines developed and operated <br />a pilot oil-shale plant and mine six mUes west of Rifle. This plant has <br />now been turned over to the Navy Petroleum Reserves. The Union OU Company <br />of Gal ifomia is also active in the oil-shale deve1opnent. They erected <br />and operated, during the period of 1956-58, a three million dollar research <br />extraction plant near Parachute Creek. During 1960 the plant was dismantled <br />am. shipped to South America for similar shale research. The Union Carbide <br />Nuclear Company recently completed an eight and one~alf million dollar <br />uranium and vanadium mill at Rifle. <br /> <br />Recreation and railroading also provide the area with a substantial source <br />of income. <br /> <br />General <br /> <br />The towns of Rifle and Silt are both located on the main line of the Denver <br />and Rio Grande Western Railroad, which operates between Denver and. Salt <br />Lake City, Utah. U. S. Highways 6 and 24 also connecting Denver and Salt. <br />Lake City, pass through Rifle and Silt. Colorado State Highway 13 extends <br />north from Rifle to Meeker and Craig. <br /> <br />Census records show Garfield County with a population of 10,560 in 1940, <br />11,625 in 1950 and 12,017 in 1960. Population of Rifle was 1,373 in 1940, <br />1,525 in 1950 and 2,135 in 1960. <br /> <br />Proposed Development <br /> <br />The Silt project plan proposes the construction of the Rifle Gap Dam and <br />Reservoir on Rifle Creek, approximately seven miles above the town of Rifle. <br />Surplus early season runoff will be stored in the reservoir. Approximately <br />80 percent of the water stored in the reservoir will be used to replace <br />natural flow water now used to irrigate some 2,600 acres of land in the <br />lower Rifle Creek Valley. The remainder of the water stored in the reser- <br />voir will be used to irrigate new lands on Davie Mesa and upper Cactus <br />Valley. In exchange, natural flow of East Rifle Creek will be diverted <br />above the proposed reservoir and used to irrigate lands in Dry Elk Valley <br /> <br />- 3- <br />