OCR Text |
Show basin the number is about two farm families per thousand acres of proposed reservoir site land. At this stage in the program it is impossible to tell how many of the 5,000 farm families living in pro- posed reservoir sites will have to relocate. It can be assumed that all families living on land subject to any substantial degree of flooding will have to move. Some land which will be flooded only at rare intervals will be bought or otherwise controlled by public agencies. It is likely that many of these lands can be farmed, so some families may be able to remain near the reservoir sites. This would be especially true if control over the perimeter of the reservoirs should be obtained through easement rather than through Federal ownership. It is as- sumed that agricultural production might be re- duced by about 80 percent in these reservoir areas. If a similar reduction were assumed for numbers of families, it would mean that at least 4,000 farm families would have to move. This represents less than 1 percent of the total farm families in the basin. Although the reservoirs are widely scattered, the relocation of this number of families can create acute problems. Of the total number of displaced families, some will move to town and seek employ- ment in industry. Some farmers will take this occa- sion to retire. But a large number will want farms. Past experience shows that most families will try to relocate near their old homes. Pressure to buy or rent farms near the reservoir sites, therefore, will probably make relocation difficult and expensive. According to present plans, somewhat less than half of the proposed reservoirs, in terms of acreage to be inundated, would be completed by 1955. A third more would be finished by 1960, and nearly all by 1965. The anticipated rates of inundation by proposed reservoirs are shown at the top of the next column. Reservoir construction is expected to be more rapid in the upper than in the lower areas of the basin. In the upper watershed, reservoirs contain- ing about 79 percent of the reservoir-site land are planned for completion by 1955. In the western plains the percentage is 61, in the eastern plains 38, and in the lower basin it is 4. Most of the reservoirs in the latter area are unscheduled. The figures at bottom of next column indicate the esti- mated acreage to be flooded at different periods in the proposed reservoirs. Agency Before 1955 1955-59 1960-64 1965 or later Total Thousand acres to be flooded Corps of Engineers l..... Bureau of Reclamation... 703 351 617 265 307 195 0 25 1,627 836 Total............. 1,054 882 502 25 2,463 Percentage of total flooded acreage Corps of Engineers...... Bureau of Reclamation... 43 42 38 32 19 23 0 3 100 100 Total............. 43 36 20 1 100 113 proposed Army reservoirs in Kansas and Missouri, including 550,000 acres, are unscheduled and await further study. Reservoirs containing half of this acreage are assumed to be completed in 1955-59 and the others in 1960-64. 231 Be- ..g,,- 1Qfi(V_ 1965 Area fore „ *°r or Total 1955 59 64 later Thousand acres to be flooded Upper watershed........ 135 24 4 9 172 Western plains.......... 647 374 33 5 1,059 Eastern plains.......... 247 209 190 2 648 Lower basin............ 25 275 275 9 584 Total.............1,054 882 502 25 2,463 Percentage of acres flooded Upper watershed........ 79 14 2 5 100 Western plains.......... 61 35 3 1 100 Eastern plains.......... 38 32 30 ..... 100 Lower basin............ 4 47 47 2 100 Total............. 43 36 20 1 100 |