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<br />Surface .",ters thrJugh~ut the basin hCl""o bec" greo.tly ovorllppr:;prb,t'''d fer
<br />
<br />irri,;"tioll purposes !lnd, in recont yEJurs, irriglltion by punpinb hils increo.sod
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<br />grc"...tly, aspoci" lly in tho lowor ro=hEJs of the tLuin ston "horo [;round
<br />
<br />
<br />V!lltcr is, .w'-Cilablc il.t depths af fram 40 t~ 200 foet. Tho qllcilltity of wu.t,,,.
<br />
<br />
<br />pumped during tho wator year 1939 WIlS Qbout 240,000 acro-faet.
<br />
<br />
<br />:':conomic Development
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<br />
<br />10. population. The popula.tion ,Ii thin the 80uth Platte Ri ver basin
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<br />
<br />h..s increased stea.dily since about 1860 when the expansi~n of the West
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<br />
<br />began. The population is prtidominantly white and native-born. As Denvor,
<br />
<br />
<br />Colorado, is by far the largest city in the basin. 'the density of population
<br />
<br />
<br />is greatest in the s~uthwestern part of' the basin. Th8 total population
<br />
<br />
<br />in the basin in 1940 wa.s 665,644, of ",hich 602,074 or 9C;;; were in Colorado,
<br />31,149 in Nebraska, and 32,421 in \',yoming. Of the total population in the
<br />ba.sin in 1940, 445,134 or 6'7/~ v;ere urban and 220,630 or 33~~ were r'til'"ul,
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<br />living on farmS or in towns of 2,500 or less. The larger ci.tios "Dd to',ms
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<br />in the basin have grown steadi ly in 0very census since 1900 as shown in
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<br />table 1. A comparison of the urban, rural, line farm populations (tlible 2)
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<br />shows similar gains for &11 three except for the peri~d from 1930 to 19'10
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<br />when apparently SOffie of the farm populati8n moved to cities and towns.
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<br />The Increase in ,oopulation for the next 50 years was estimated from the
<br />
<br />trend dur i.ng the past 90 years, and was compared wi th data obtained from
<br />
<br />vari.ous agendos whose business requires accurate forecusting of popuktions.
<br />
<br />Plate IV-l presents the past and expected f'uture g;rowth in rural aNti" and.
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<br />in Denver and vicInity as used in this report. The eenter of population
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<br />
<br />in ColorQdo has moved slightly to the northeast in the 30-year poriod "rom
<br />
<br />
<br />1910 to 1940 due largely to the growth of' Denver and the South Platte
<br />
<br />
<br />'i'alloy. This center is nOf! located in southwestern Douglas Gomty. l'hu den-
<br />
<br />si ties of population in tIlt;) 8ou.~h ~~ latto River basin" exclusive of tho ci ti(')s
<br />
<br />of Denver, North Platte, and Chcyon~lG :::.rc 1/i.8 pursons por squ-::.r'o lnil(; hl
<br />
<br />':;ulorlldo, 8.6 in Nebr~.skll, Il"d S.D in Wyoming; 'm :J.vorc,f,o for the basin of'
<br />
<br />13.3 persons pOl' sqlC(\rO mile,
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