The larger cities in the basin are located predominantly near agricultural lands or in mountain recreational communities. Population of many counties in the basin increased about 5 percent from 1990 to 1992. Eagle and Summit Counties had the largest increases, of about 12 and 13 percent, respectively. Tourism and recreational activities are a major industry in the study unit. Mining activities past and present are an important land use and have included the extraction of metals and energy fuels.
Urban land is one of the smaller land uses in the mostly rural basin.
Agriculture is the traditional land use in the study unit in counties such as Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa, and Montrose. Little crop production is possible without irrigation because of the semiarid climate. Concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, and zinc exceed State water-quality standards for localized reaches of these streams. Coal mining in the area can affect water quality by increases in dissolved solids, particularly sulfate, and increases in trace-element concentrations. Uranium mining was once active in the basin, and mining and milling wastes pose serious threats to ground water from radionuclide contamination.