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<br />, <br />,- <br /> <br />""'... <br />'-- <br />...-l <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />\_-' <br /> <br />Social - The 1970 population in the Grand Valley area was about 54,000 <br />with a projected 1990 population of 90,000. Total change from 1960 has <br />been a 7.2 percent increase. Net migration from 1960 to 1970 has been <br />0.6 percent. The white population comprises 99 percent of the total. <br />The median age of the population is 30.4 years. Farm population in 1970 <br />totaled 3,898. This is a 42.7 percent decrease since 1960. Farms <br />totaled 1,323 in 1970; a 21 percent decrease since 1954. <br /> <br />Oil shale development in the area is expected to have a significant <br />impact on the population and local economy. This new industry will <br />account for a major part of the expected population increase. <br /> <br />The city of Grand Junction (1970 population 20,170) lying near the <br />center of the irrigated area is the major municipal, commercial and <br />industrial area in the Upper Colorado River Basin. In addition to <br />agriculture and retail and wholesale trade, mining, recreation, tourism, <br />government construction and manufacturing are major sources of earnings. <br /> <br />Per capita income for Mesa County in 1970 was $2,658 with projected 1990 <br />per capita income of $4,894 and 2020, $12,493. This compares with a <br />1970 state per capita income of $3,118. Families with income less than <br />poverty level was 4 percent in 1970. The median income of families in <br />1970 was $8,065. Civilian labor force unemployed in 1970 was 5.4 percent <br />with a state unemployment rate of 4.2 percent. <br /> <br />Median years of school completed by persons 25 years and over in 1970 <br />was 12.3. Completing four years of high school or more is 59.1 percent. <br />Only 4 percent of this age group had completed less than five years of <br />school. <br /> <br />In Mesa County there were 17,640 housing units in 1970. The median <br />value of an owner-occupied single family unit was $13,L13 with 72.4 <br />percent of the homes being owner-occupied. Lacking in some or all <br />plumbing facilities were 4.7 percent. Average occupancy per housing <br />unit was three. <br /> <br />Status of Water and Related Land Resources Programs <br /> <br />Numerous studies, demonstration projects, and programs have been imple- <br />mented to improve the utilization and management of the natural re- <br />sources of the Grand Valley. These are cooperative effort programs <br />involving the local people and state and federal agenci,~s. In the <br />recent past, emphasis has been directed toward means to reduce the salt <br />loading of the Colorado River from the Grand Valley watershed. <br /> <br />Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey <br />Protection Agency (1971) have set the <br />on salinity control in Grand Valley. <br />contribution (salt pickup) from Grand <br />an inflow-outflow analysis. <br /> <br />(1964) and the Environmental <br />stage for the pre[;ent emphasis <br />The basis for evaluating the salt <br />Valley to the Colorado River is <br />