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C. Significance of management practices and uses of public land 1. Present water problems and needs. Settlement in the area has been directly related to water availability. In many instances, efforts to obtain additional water for the expansion of cities and towns, or for agricultural use, have been in vain, or curtailed by prior appropriative rights. In areas having high potential for agricultural development, laws based on the doctrine of beneficial use have often inhibited other development. Agricultural developments have, in some instances, resulted in the depletion of underground water upon which urban settlements were dependent. Public lands, on which the highest and best use is for the development of residential, commercial, or industrial uses, are subject to this risk. Many areas with potential for development are limited because good quality water is unavailable. The lack of adequate water developments for livestock and wildlife on public lands results in improper distribution of grazing animals. Additional wells, spring developments, stockponds, and reservoirs are needed in order to diminish overgrazing around existing waterholes, thereby minimizing problems with respect to erosion, runoff, and sediment damages. Additional detention dams would also provide water for livestock and wildlife, as well as alleviate erosion. These practices, together with completion of the adjudication of range privileges, would promote more efficient utilization of existing range forage and improve watershed conditions. 19Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 13,682,688 byte