WSP06216

• File Number: 8407.500
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications - Missouri River
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 5/1/1980
• Author: MRBC
• Title: Missouri River Basin Water Resources Management Plan - Part I - Chapters I-VI
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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wilderness areas within the national forest system have been preserved, and

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recently a number of grassland wilderness areas were set aside as national

refuge or monument lands. Several national parks, including Glacier,

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Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain, provide extensive outdoor recreation.

Since the passage of the national wild and Scenic Rivers Act, increased

attention has been given to qualifying rivers within the basin as wild and

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scenic or recreational. Federal efforts have been supplemented by State and

private efforts to acquire outstanding natural areas. In some cases the

private effort has been significant in filling in voids in Federal and State

programs. Cultural, historic, and archaeological resources have also received

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Federal protection and interpretation, and several outstanding sites have been

acquired.

SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

population

In 1975, the population of the basin was estimated at 9 million, or about

4.3 percent of the national total. Although the basin's population has slowly

increased since 1940, its proportion of the u.S. population has declined,

reflecting a decline in small-scale farming and agricultural employment.

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Fifteen Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA's) are currently

designated in the region. Their locations are shown on figure 2-3. They

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contained nearly half of the basin's total population and 75 percent of its

,-,rbCln inhabitants in 1975. All metropolitan areas in the basin have

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"~2"" ienced population increases since the 1930' s.

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Two trends can be expected to influence future settlement in the basin.

First, population is expected to increase in those urban areas near energy

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development sites. A second is the increased preference of persons not engaged

in agriculture to settle outside of metropolitan areas.

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