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<br />00 <br />-~ <br />o <br />o <br />o <br />o <br /> <br />. , <br /> <br />,J....., <br /> <br />B. <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT <br /> <br />I. Physical Setting <br /> <br />The Grand Valley Unit of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control <br />Project would be located in Grand Valley of northwestern Mesa County of <br />western Colorado. The Stage One development of the unit would involve a <br />small, relatively isolated area in the northwestern part of the valley. <br />The areas are shown on the General Map and the Stage One Map at the <br />front of this report. <br /> <br />Grand Junction, located at the confluence of the Colorado and Gunni- <br />son Rivers, is the largest community in Colorado west of the Continental <br />Divide and is the business and economic center of western Colorado and <br />eastern Utah. Smaller communities in the valley are Palisade and Clifton <br />to the east of Grand Junction and Fruita, Loma, and Mack to the west. <br />The population of the Grand Valley is estimated at 63,500 on the basis <br />of a special census conducted in 1977. The population of the Stage One <br />area has been estimated by the Bureau of Reclamation at 500 to 600 people <br />including the community of Mack. <br /> <br />2. Climate <br /> <br />The Grand Valley is classified as an arid region. Normal annual pre- <br />cipitation is about 8.4 inches, as measured at the Grand Junction airport. <br />Snows are light, averaging 22 inches annually, and they seldom remain on <br />the ground for long periods of time. Scattered summer thundershowers are <br />seldom valley-wide and do not contribute significantly to agriculture. <br />Extreme temperatures at the Grand Junction airport have ranged from -230 <br />to lOSo F. These extremes are rare, however, and average temperatures <br />are moderate throughout the year. The frost-free period at the airport <br />averages 19l days per year and ranges from l5l to 233 days. <br /> <br />,3. Economic Development <br /> <br />Most of the land in the Grand Valley is used for irrigated crops and <br />nonirrigated agricultural uses such as corrals, storage areas, hay stack- <br />yards, and private grazing. Lesser amounts of land are used for residen- <br />tial and commercial purposes, natural vegetation, water bodies, and water <br />conveyance facilities. Land use trends have been toward suburban develop- <br />ment, primarily in the southeastern portion of the valley. In the Stage <br />One area, land use is essentially limited to irrigated crops and grazing. <br />A nUlnber of manufacturing firms and energy development companies have <br />become established in the valley in recent years. <br /> <br />B-I - <br />