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Show PART V ALTERIilATE LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT The OBERS "as Published" analysis results in a reduction of 70,700 acres of irrigated land from 1965 to 2020, as compared with an increase of 500,600 acres resulting from the "Regional Interpretation." However, it has been shown in the framework plan that an additional 86,800 acres of potentially irrigable land will be needed to replace presently irrigated land abandoned or converted to other uses by 2020 (Table 26 in Part IV). Some of the presently irrigated land not needed for production in the OBERS "as Published" alternative (70,700 acres) could be converted to par- tially satisfy other land use requirements. The remainder of the 86,800 acres of irrigated land required for other uses would be replaced by po- tentially irrigable land acreage in order to have a net of 1,550*800 acres in production by 2020, as required by the OBERS "as Published" plan. A portion of the short-supply irrigated lands would be provided a supplemental water supply under this analysis to partially offset the reduction in total irrigated acreage, resulting in an increase in on-site depletions of approximately 72,000 acre-feet by 2020, for a total of 2.2 million acre-feet attributed to irrigation, incidental use, and irriga- tion reservoir evaporation. The crop production projected in the OBERS "as Published" alternative would not provide the feed requirements to produce the livestock outputs developed at the regional level. Livestock feed and feeder calves would need to be imported for a feedlot-type production system under this anal- ysis. The "Regional Interpretation" analysis indicates that the region could produce the OBERS "as Published" projected livestock output in the target years, and studies show that land resources and water are avail- able to meet the production goals established. For this reason the "Re- gional Interpretation" of OBERS projection has been adopted as the frame- work plan for the Upper Colorado Region. State Alternative at 6.5 Million Acre-feet For comparative purposes the States have proposed an alternate de- velopment of 6.5 million acre-feet of water per annum, the quantity required to satisfy the regionally interpreted OBERS level of develop- ment. Projected on-site water depletions by irrigated land (new and sup- plemental), incidental use, and irrigation reservoir evaporation are shown by States (Table hQ) and by Hydrologic Subregions (Table ^9) the 6.5 million-acre-foot State Alternative Plan. 91 |