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Colorado Front Range project (1980), about 10 percent of the water now consumed by agriculture each year would be required to meet projected urban needs in the Front Range by the year 2000. For the most part, urban growth in the basin is occurring on highly productive agricultural lands. Three-fourths of the urbanized lands in the state consist of soils of medium to high agricultural potential. Most of these lands lie within the Front Range. Fifteen percent of the state's nonfederal, nonurban areas under a Class I and Class II land use classification occurs within the Front Range. Class I lands contain few restrictions for any type of use. These lands occur on level surfaces, free of cobbles, and are not susceptible to wind and water erosion. Class II lands occur on gentle slopes and are moderately susceptible to wind and water erosion. Also, saturated moisture conditions could be a limiting factor for Class II lands (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973). Total farmland and cropland acreage in the State of Colorado has declined by about 5 percent over the past 20 years, while irrigated acreage has increased by 27 percent (Colorado Department of Agriculture, 1979). This 27 percent increase in ifrigated acreage is due largely to the dramatic increase in irrigation pumping from the Ogallala aquifer in the eastern High Plains of Colorado (Republican River basin). Decreasing ground water levels and increasing energy costs are already influencing crop selection. For example, wheat is now grown on some lands instead of corn, which requires more water. AS this nonrenewable ground water supply from the Ogallala aquifer becomes depleted and even more expensive to pump, much gr~ater importance may be placed on maintaininq productivity of lands in the South Platte River basin. Forty percent of all Colorado agricultural production occurs in the Front Range. Weld County alone accounts for 30 percent of the state's agri- cultural sales. In 1974, agricultural sales in Weld County were nearly $600 million, placing it third among all counties in the nation (Colorado -20- I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I