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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Climate <br /> <br />Morgan County has supported an agricultural community since the late 1800's. <br />The climate and water supply have supported an excellent farm community for over <br />100 years. <br /> <br />Table 2 (at the back of the report) lists the monthly values for the average <br />annual temperatures, maximum and minimum temperatures of record, average annual <br />precipitation, snowfall, information on hail, and various other statistics concerning the <br />weather near the project site. This information was obtained from the Colorado <br />Climatic Center3. Frost-free growing periods typically run from early May through late <br />September. <br /> <br />Socio-Economic Factors <br /> <br />The current population of Morgan County is 25,400, based on July 1999 <br />estimates' (2000 census data is not available). Population based on the 1990 census <br />was 21,900. This indicates a moderate 16 percent increase in county population in the <br />last nine years, but represents a relatively small total number increase of 3,500 people. <br />The major employer and economic engine of the county is the agriculture and <br />agriculture support services. Government and industry (primarily the Public Service <br />Company Pawnee Power Plant and the Western Sugar plant), and general <br />retail/professional support services make up much of the remainder of the work force. <br />There is no expectation of significant population growth nor population reduction in <br />future years. <br /> <br />The primary loss of irrigated land along the Colorado Front Range area has <br />typically been due to urbanization. The major loss of farmland is expected to be due to <br />residential conversion, with commercial and industrial accounting for only a small loss in <br />land. Power plants like the Pawnee Plant and other large industrial plants are not likely <br />to locate around Morgan County in the next 30 years. Due to the location of the <br />Jackson Lake Reservoir 'service area, Front Range-type urban development is not <br /> <br />9 <br />