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<br />,able 1
<br />CUmaUcData
<br />
<br />City
<br />'"'
<br />County
<br />
<br />Annual
<br />~an
<br />PrecipitatiOn
<br />(inches)
<br />
<br />January
<br />'1<'" n ~l"" n
<br />Maximum Minimum
<br />(degre"s n
<br />
<br />Temperatures
<br />July
<br />fle"Il
<br />:.laximu,"
<br />
<br />'lean
<br />liinimum
<br />
<br />DrO\lghts 1n the 1910's and 1950's attelet'ued the developm"nt of
<br />\oIell irrigation. The pri...ry aq\lU...r i, the ~ouch ?latte River v"l1ey,
<br />but the Cache laPoudre River do"nstrearn fro",fon Collin" ls"lsoa
<br />slgn1fieant ground ""tel' source.
<br />
<br />Fort
<br />Coll1ns,
<br />Lart,"er
<br />
<br />14.9
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />8'
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />i\gricu1tur" is a major etonolll1c>lctivity in the basin. Principal
<br />irrigated crops are corn, sugar beeu, beans, and alfalfa. ~ry crop-
<br />land produces "inter "heat, barley, hay, or pasture in rotation. The
<br />rich irrigated farmland has ~laeed the Fort Collins - Greeley area
<br />"ithin the top 10 areas in the Kation for agricultural produotion.
<br />Agricultural related industries suoh as sugar beet processing, cattle
<br />feedlot". and packing houses are also i~portant econo~ic activities.
<br />Cattle feeding operatIons In Weld County rnak" Gr"eley the:najor
<br />livestock m..~rk"t htlt"een OTUaha, ~ebraska, And the "eat coast.
<br />
<br />P.atea
<br />Park,
<br />Lad"'''r
<br />
<br />i5.9
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />Greeley,
<br />Weld
<br />
<br />12.2
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />"'
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />OEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMY
<br />
<br />The Cache la Poudre River bast~ in the early days of settlement
<br />waa c.ossed by Indians, trappers, ~iners, e~i8rants, and soldiers.
<br />During the 1860 's and 1870's, agriculturai "colo~ies" or cooperatIve
<br />
<br />In addition to agricultural industries, other areA industri"s
<br />include electronics, photo supplies, dental appliances, plastic
<br />products, clothing, ~obile hQmea. ohemicals, cement, and lu~ber.
<br />Tourism1s iUlport"ntinthemountainarea. Another Iargeemployment
<br />sector i9 edueation. Colorado S.tate University is located in Fort
<br />Collins and the Oniversity of Northern Color3do a~d A1~s Co~unity
<br />College are located in Gree-ley,
<br />
<br />land settl<"'Il..nt org"n1z~tLons a""eler..t"d 10<051 ~ro"'th. In the
<br />semiarid ciimate, only a li~tted nu~ber of cultivated crops could be
<br />gro"n ~lthout irrigAtion. Canal irrigation ~as quickly b~gun in orJ~r
<br />to assura ~ood yields. The prilllary ""urees of ~at-"'r "ere< th~ South
<br />PI.ute River and the Cache la Poudre Riv"r, ~htch are fed by "'('lllnt~in
<br />'no"",,~lt. Irrigation ditches ""d "ater storage r~servcirs are no"
<br />
<br />The kno;;n sources of metallic minerals and strippable c""l beds
<br />lie outside the Cache Is Poudre River basin. Minerals produced include
<br />"tone, sandandgrBvel,,,etroLemllA,,dnacura1gas, l1",e, gyp""",a"d
<br />",tea.
<br />
<br />~um~rOU" in the pla~ns.
<br />
<br />By abQut 1900, ."rtace witt."r ri~ht.. w~rc f"lll' appropriate,!.
<br />Tr,~n""'n\lntain diversl"n froOl 'lOCOS, th~ Contin~ntal 01viJc ".% h!t1-
<br />
<br />ated co i"port water into <he ,n'''' eilH "f the i\oedos. Th~ roajor
<br />d Ivers ion in t~(s >In", t~ th~ .\.daro" TnnneL of the Colocado-a!~ Tom,ps,,'1
<br />
<br />project '.'oieh "as constructed by tll" ~ures~ of Reda",,,t'lo~.
<br />hegs" su~plybg ".,ter Co ;,,,ns of L~r!",'er a~c I./~l~ CO"'1tlc.
<br />"",I (,", h~lpcJ to ,tab!l I,,, cr"p ~rQJuct!"n.
<br />
<br />TheprQjcct
<br />""''''' 19';1
<br />
<br />The Larimer-~eld County srea has a history of continued gro~th because
<br />of Its strong econo~ic ~as~. T~ble 2 indLcates popul~cion trend..
<br />
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<br />
<br />,
<br />
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