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<br />construction of more than 200 reservoirs, varying in size from <br />small, private ponds to the Bureau of HeclaIll!l.tion's Pathfinder <br />Reservoir, which has a storage capacity' of IIlOre than 1 milliol~ <br />acre-feet. <br /> <br />g. Casper, Wyoming, with a 1970 population of 39,360, and <br />North Platte, Nebraska, with a 1970 population of 19,447, are <br />the major cities in 1;he North Platte River basin. Other important <br />population centers are Laramie and Rawlins, Wyoming, and Scottsbluff, <br />Alliance, and Gering, Nebraska. <br /> <br />h. Plat.te River basin. The drainage basin of the Pla.tt'e <br />River is about 29,600 square miles in area and lies wholly in <br />Nebraska. Early set1;lement and deyelopments in the basin wer,e <br />accomplished by pioneer farmers and ranchers 'Nbo grew grain and <br />feed and raised livestock. The Sand Hi.lls region, in the western <br />portion of the basin, has about 3 percent of its land area in <br />cropland and about 93 percent in lllttura.l pasture. The basin of <br />the Elkhorn River, a ma.jor tributary' of the Platte River, has <br />about 76 percent of :lts land in cr"p production and 18 percent <br />in pasture. <br /> <br />i. Although farming and livelstock raising are the donlin~nt <br />value producers of the basin, the lIlanufacture and processing of <br />agriculture-related products reprelsent a major segment of the <br />region's economic vit.ality. Irri~.tion has been developed to a <br />high degree, and soil and climatic cond,itions s.re favorable to <br />the production of a variety 01' cro'ps. <br /> <br />j. Lincoln, the capital city of Nebraska, is also the <br />largest city in the Platte River basin; in 19'70 it had a popula- <br />tion of 149,518. The State's larg'est city, Omaha, w.lth a 1970 <br />population of 347,790, lies just outside the eastern edge of <br />the basin but is a dominant factor i.n the economy of the area. <br />other important population centers i.n the Platt.e River basin are <br />the cit~es of Kearney, Hastings, Gra.nd Island, Columbus, and <br />Frem:>nt. <br /> <br />9 <br />