192 THE FUTURE OF ARID LANDS 
high flows to and through droughts. Otherwise we cannot accom- 
plish more complete utilization of our limited water. Such facili- 
ties must be planned with care so as to afford greatest yields. 
They must also be planned and built well in advance of their 
actual need to ensure full reservoirs prior to the droughts of the 
future. 
We are considering broad-scale water development, which es- 
sentially is planning for the future. The length of time required 
for orderly planning and construction of water conservation works 
should be stressed. On the Columbia Basin Project in the State of 
Washington, for example, water was first available for irrigation 
in 1952. The first report envisioning future development of this 
project was made by the Corps of Engineers in 187g—76 years 
ago. The Reclamation Service launched its first studies of this 
project in 1904. The Columbia Basin Project is one of the world’s 
largest and most expensive, but it is typical of large projects. It 
illustrates the inevitable passage of time from dreams to reality 
in matters of this sort. 
Probably every country of the world is experiencing an increase 
in population because of many factors, especially including im- 
proved medical progress and higher levels of living. The increases 
in the United States during recent decades have consistently ex- 
ceeded advance estimates. As recently as 1950 the Bureau of the 
Census was forecasting that the national population in the year 
1975 would be 1go million. Currently this Bureau is cautiously 
making its estimate for the year 1975 with a maximum and a 
minimum—a range of 198 million to 221 million persons. Whatever 
figure proves to be correct, the point is inescapable—water re- 
quirements will continue to rise. 
Population increase is a greater problem in the western states 
where water is scarcer than it is in the rest of the country. The 
rate of growth during the decade that ended in 1950 was 25.8% 
in the 17 western states, and was 14.5% for the nation as a whole. 
The disparity in population growth between the western one- 
third of the nation and the other two-thirds has become greater 
since 1950. 
