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<br /> <br />. , <br /> <br />to> <br /> <br />Description <br /> <br />The Pacific Southwest is a predominantly arid area, covers about 18.2 percent <br />of the conterminous United States, and is comprised of all of the States of <br />California and Arizona, almost all of Nevada and Utah, much of Wyoming, <br />Colorado, and New Mexico, and a small portion of Oregon and Idaho. <br /> <br />Although most of the area has a mean annual rainfall of less than 20 inches, <br />less than 10 inches of rainfall occurs over an extensive portion of the area. Of <br />the 352 million acres in the area, 57 percent is in Federal ownership, 8 percent <br />is Indian trust land,S percent is owned by the 'States, and 30 percent is <br />privately owned. . . <br /> <br />In 1965, the population was about 21,5 million, of which 85percent lived in <br />urban communities. Half of the urban population lived in southern California. <br />Half of . <br />Most of the remainder lived within 100 miles of San Francisco, California; and <br />in and around .Salt Lake City, Utah; Phoenix-Tucson, Arizona; and Las Vegas, <br />Nevada. <br /> <br />AssumEld Growth Trends and General Effects <br /> <br />The base plans of framework studies are premised on the prediction that the <br />population will inCl"eaSe to 65 million by the year 2020. A threefold increase <br />in population in a 50-year time span will greatly increase the area's present <br />demands for land, watel', food, and energy. .. <br /> <br />Complementing these increases in demands will be an increase in the burdens <br />of waste disposal resulting from the population and the production of goods and <br />services that it will desire. <br /> <br />Land Development <br /> <br />The lands used by urban communities of the area in 1965, including the lands <br />used by industry for transportation and for mineral extraction, amounted to <br />about 9. million acres or appl'oYlmately 2-1/2 percent of the land arE;a of the <br />Pacific Southwest. Increasing the population thn:efold after recognizing some <br />increase in population densit}' in the present urban areas, could incl'ease the <br />land used for urban purposes to 5 percent of the total. <br /> <br />The urban expansion is e"..pected to occur .adjacent to existing communities. <br />Much of the new land put to urban use will displace cropland, most of which <br />will be under irrigation. . <br /> <br />4 <br />