urbanize

The residents of this new California were urbanized people who probably felt more threatened by bug spray than by the more abstract prospect of the state’s $14-billion annual ag business being laid waste by Medflies.

Many cities have pushed back, arguing that so many more homes will more rapidly urbanize their suburban communities.

“These failing sites are located within urbanized areas of the watershed, likely reflecting higher bacteria levels from various sources such as animal waste and human activities,” the report states.

Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey and Lakeshore Park in San Mateo are both enclosed by urbanized channels and harbors, which reduces water flow and allows bacteria to linger.

Those 30 million acres don't include urbanized land, which Lark says is unlikely to ever return to cultivation.