C153701 Feasibility Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Section 2 Study Area Descriptions SECTION 2: STUDY AREA DESCRIPTIONS Environmental Assessment As a requirement of the Rural Economic Community Development (RECD) agency, an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the SWSP pipeline and Fort Morgan project was completed by Black and Veatch in 1995. A FONS! was issued in October 30, 1995. Land Use The land surrounding Fort Morgan, encompassing the alternatives, consists primarily of irrigated farmland and range land. The irrigated farm land in the study area is found primarily to the east of the Bijou Canal (see Fig 3.1, pg 3-10). Most of the irrigated land in the study area is designated as prime farmland. This designation does not prohibit the City from using the land. The Soil Conservation Service required an inventory and evaluation of the land during the Environmental Assessment phase. The land that has a higher elevation than the Bijou Canal is primarily range land. The soil above the Bijou Canal is very sandy, and sagebrush is the primary vegetation. The Wiggins and Bijou sites are located in rangeland. The Fort Morgan sites are located in prime farmland. Population According to data from the 1990 census, the population of Fort Morgan was 9,068. Virtually all Fort Morgan citizens are supplied with water from the City's municipal system. For water supply planning purposes, the consulting firm Montgomery Watson completed a 30-year population projection in 1993 which was based on a one percent growth rate per year. The population projections are shown below. Year 2000 2010 2020 Projected Population 10,000 11,100 12,200 Based on the 1994 population estimate by City officials of approximately 10,000, future populations may be somewhat higher than those projected by Montgomery Watson. Since the City's population appears to be increasing at a higher rate than anticipated, population projections should be updated accordingly. MONTGOMERY WATSON Page 2-1