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<br />Land Use und Ownership <br /> <br />1'.) <br />00 <br />~ <br />-..l <br /> <br />Of uLL categories of land use, agriculture 'accounts for about 85 <br />percent of the area. About 60 million of the Region's 72.6 million acres <br />are used [oC' grazing; 1. 5 million acres are irrigated; and dry cropland <br />occupies 0.5 million acres. Forests and woodlands cover over one-third <br />of the R~Hlon (about one-third of which is classified commercial forest <br />land). ^pproximately I percent is devoted to other categories such as <br />water anll uC'ban use, while about 4 percent is barren land. <br /> <br />~t~~. <br /> <br />The Federal Government controls 60 percent of the land in the Region, <br />and most of that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Individuals <br />and corpoC'ntions own 20 percent; 15 percent is managed by tribal trusts; <br />and the T~mainder, 5 percent, is controlled by individual States. <br /> <br />PRESENT W^"\'ER USES AND HYDROLOGIC. CONDITIONS <br /> <br />At pr'>sent, the Upper Basin's streams and rivers are essentially the <br />only SOurc" of water supply drawn upon to satisfy the needs of various <br />activiti~s. Ground water is also found in the Upper Basin, but is used <br />very littl~. . <br /> <br />Surface Water Uses <br /> <br />;:~~\;; <br />'..::.;:.-. <br /> <br />As estimated by the Upper Basin States, in-basin consumption and <br />out-of-b"sln exports account, under present (1975-1976) conditions of <br />developm~nt. for depletions averaging 3.14 maf per yearl (exclusive of <br />evaporation from Colorado River Storage Project reservoirs2). Nearly 70 <br />percent of this amount is attributable to agriculture. Slightly less than <br />25 percent is attributable to exports out of the Upper Basin, while the <br />balance 'is distributed among the remaining uses (see table 3.2), <br /> <br />It is 'important to understand that these depletions are annual averages <br />under present (1975-l976) conditions of development (except for New Mexico <br />as noted Ln table 3.2). There are, however, significant fluctuations in <br />depletions from year to year even though the level of development (as <br />measured, For example, by the acres devoted to irrigated agriculture) may <br />be said to be constant over a short period of years. <br /> <br />1. By way of comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's most recent <br />estimates of average annual depletions under present conditions of develop- <br />ment amount. to 3.02 maf. These depletions were for the water years <br />1971-19 75. <br /> <br />2, Flamlllv. Gorge, Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, Crystal and Lake Powell are <br />the Colora,to River Storage Project (CRSP) reservoirs. <br /> <br />:xx <br />