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Show PARE VII COMPARISONS AND CONCLUSIONS Recreation Over 90 percent of the impact on recreation resources is estimated to result from nonresidents of the region. The low resident population, adjacent metropolitan areas, and high quality natural resources are the major factors that combine to create this situation. There is an abun- dance of undeveloped land available in public ownership to provide land- related recreation opportunities for residents and nonresidents. However, there are areas of outstanding quality not now in public ownership that need to be purchased to ensure their protection. Also, locally, there are needs for these lands because of inadequate distribution of public lands. To provide more people the opportunity to enjoy these areas, there is need for more recreation facility development and for support- ing services. This need is related to private developments and to the presently inadequate funding and staffing of land administering agen- cies. Regionally, there are no surface water needs projected until 2020; however, there are needs locally because most of the water surface area is concentrated at a few locations. To make more existing and newly developed water areas available to recreationists, there is considerable need for more access. This may require legislation, special agreements, or the construction of more roads, as the case may warrant. Fish and wildlife Sport hunting and fishing capacity can continue to satisfy demands over future years with the exception of hunting and fishing in Arizona and New Mexico and the big-game hunting in Wyoming. Continued effective management will be essential and on-going plans and programs of the state and Federal fish and wildlife management agencies must be vigorously pur- sued to sustain the habitat capacity. Electric power A total power generating capacity installation of 43,^00 megawatts is projected under the framework plan by the year 2000 to satisfy region and export requirements. This total includes a very large increase in thermal-electric generation facilities which will consume about 631,600 acre-feet of water annually for cooling purposes. No significant increase of hydroelectric plant installation is planned beyond those presently au- thorized or under construction. Pumped storage sites are available in the region but will not be developed soon as equally good sites are available at points closer to the large loads in adjacent regions. Generation by nuclear-fired plants or other methods is considered unlikely due to com- petition with lower cost coal fuel. Water quality The quality of surface and ground water supplies would generally de- crease with the projected levels of use. However, the utility of water 105 |