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<br />About 7 percent of this land has sandstone within 30-54 inches of the surface, the <br />rest has sandstone 54 inches or deeper. The irrigable lands in the Dove Creek area <br />are low in soluble salts and eKhangeable sodium. <br /> <br />Bureau of Reclamation Analysis indicates that the irrigation of 18,000 acres in <br />the Dove Creek area will add little to the downstream salinity problem of the Colorado <br />River. A salinity control progran has been proposed in the Supplemental Service area <br />of M:mtezuma Valley. The Bureau of Reclamation will address any salinity problems in <br />the Towaoc area that should arise. <br /> <br />Land forms in the area are characterized as a high rolling plains with sloping <br />hills, dissecting streams and occasional steep-walled canyons. Elevations range from <br />6,000 to 6,900 feet above mean sea level. Soils in the area, formed fran windblown <br />deposits, have water intake rates estimated at 0.5 in/hr. The slopes of the cropland <br />have an undulating topography that are generally ooderate (1-12 percent) with the <br />majority in the 3-6 percent range. Using the SCS classification, the soils are <br />predaninately Class 3, with Class 4 and an occasional Class 6 inclusion. <br /> <br />The potential for erosion on these soils is quite high. The high water <br />erosion hazard is the result of undulating slopes that approach 12 percent slopes <br />in places. The inherent erodibility of these wind blown deposits is also high (K <br />factors as high as .43). <br /> <br />The physical and chanical properties of oost of the arable soils in the <br />Project pose little or no limitations to the growing of irrigated crops. <br />However, in many of the upland drainageways saline-seeps have developed as a <br />result of dryland fanning. With irrigation, these seeps may increase. <br /> <br />Social and Economic Characterstics 1/ <br /> <br />The study area occupies part of M:mtezuma and Dolores Counties in the <br />southwest comer of Colorado. Montezuma and Ikllores Counties' are sane of the <br />least populated counties in the State with 16,510 people in Montezuma County and <br />1658 in Ikllores County (1980 census). The average of 7.9 and 1.6 people per <br />square mile respectively is low canpared to the State average of 28. Of the <br />inhabitants, 7,095 live in the city of Cortez, with other concentrations in <br />Dolores (802), Mancos (870), the Ute t-bmtain Tribe at Towaoc (1,138), Dove Creek <br />(826) and in Rico (76). <br /> <br />Over the past 50 years the population in Montezuma County has increased fran <br />7,798 to 16,510 people. During this time there have been significant variations <br />in population although the area has remained generally rural. Dolores County <br />increased until the 1960's men the population decreased. It has stabilized <br />since then. <br /> <br />Initial growth was directly related to mining. Agriculture did not becane <br />significant until after 1890, men irrigation water was first delivered into the <br />Valley. Until 1950, most of the population growth was a result of the expanding <br />agricultural industry. Growth was relatively unifonn and gradual until the <br />decade of 1950-60 when oil exploration caused a sharp increase fran 9,991 to <br />14,024 during this 10-year period. Following 1960, oil explorations dwirxlled and <br />the population declined sharply, although it remained above the 1950 level. <br /> <br />'1:./ 1980 Census of Population and Housing, Colorado, Bureau of Census. <br /> <br />-6- <br />