| OCR Text |
Show will be needed to serve the reservoir sites. Under present conditions highway departments are re- quired to spend considerable sums as each reservoir is built. The net effect of the water resources program, under present operating conditions, upon the highway program may be to cause the postpone- ment of much needed improvements in certain other areas of the State, increase maintenance costs, and, by depleting highway funds, interrupt the long- range program of highway system construction. In carrying out the comprehensive plan for the basin, the interrelations between various phases of the program must be recognized. Plans for the use of water for power and downstream naviga- tion must consider upstream consumptive uses for irrigation and other purposes. (See problem A-2.) The design of the channel for lower river naviga- tion must take into account the amount of water anticipated and the regulation to be provided by proposed reservoirs. Levee design along the Mis- souri River must consider the effects of upstream and tributary reservoirs and their expected rate of construction. (See problem E-2.) Consid- eration of these interrelations may affect the se- quence of project construction. Other instances in which consideration has or should be given to existing developments in plan- ning occur in the following: (1) Irrigation developments may destroy part or all of the usefulness of wildlife refuges, as in the Souris River valley, or in the case of the Arrow- wood Refuge in the James River area. Compen- sating action must be planned. (2) Because of the possible effects of proper land management on the rates of sedimentation in streams and reservoirs, existing land management measures should be taken into account on all proj- ects. The existence of a large construction pro- gram should also be considered a reason for early application of watershed management measures. (3) Existing highways require relocation, often costly to build and to maintain, when reservoirs are constructed. Highway bridges may require ex- pensive redesign where navigation is developed. (4) Power developments, in view of legal pref- erences for public distribution systems, must be planned so far as wholesale marketing facilities are concerned to take account of existing public power systems. The present State of Nebraska distribu- tion systems, for instance, may be prime customers of energy produced at Federal plants in the basin. CONCLUSEONS In initiating new programs for the basin, account must be taken of all existing improvements related in any way to the construction or operation of water resources projects. New projects should be in- tegrated insofar as practicable with existing facili- ties so that the most economical and most effective over-all development results. Because of the great size and complexity of the lb>asin, the problem for comprehensive planning for the Missouri, even in this one aspect, is very large. It should be taken as one reason for effective, unified management of the total basin program in succeeding years. 2. The Proper Rate of Construction of Flood Control Facilities The Problem In what order and at what rate should flood con- trol facilities be constructed in downstream areas? The Situation In any program including a number of units, the priority of construction is important. This is particularly true where two or more units contrib- ute to meeting the needs of an area, or where a unit serves two or more functions. The rate of constructing flood control fa-cilities is also related to budgetary decisions on allotments for the various development functions. These decisions must also consider the needs and desir-es of local interests. The Missouri Basin, particularly downstream, illustrates the problem. For example, at and below Kansas City on the main stern, flood control will be provided by a combination of several projects. Control of the main stem above Sioux City will be achieved by five major reservoirs recommended for early construction because of their multiple-pur- pose aspects and their key position in the basic pro- gram. Major Kansas River floods will be con- trolled by reservoirs scheduled for that basin and by local protection works. Downstream, below the Grand, Osage, and the Gasconade Rivers, local protection works will supplement reservoirs on those streams. Analysis has indicated that the local protection projects at the Kansas cities are justified until more adequate protection is assured by the upstream works. On the agricultural levee project, studies show that with control of the upper Missouri, the risk of 260 |
