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Show Although the semiarid lands produce most of the sediment, how, why, and where have not been determined. Some comes from surface erosion and some from stream degradation and channel cutting. Consequently, a program of sediment control measures should not be long delayed. De- tailed erosion surveys of the area are essential. These should differentiate between the various types of erosion, and relate them to geology, soils, source, and causes. Soil surveys should be conducted with these ero- sion surveys. Management of public land is handi- capped by lack of adequate soil information. To be most helpful, soil surveys should be accompanied with detailed vegetation surveys. Knowledge of the soils in this basin is of peculiar interest because many of them are the source of salts that seriously impair water quality. Soils information on many other lands is needed to help guide the watershed management program. Sedimentation surveys of the many reservoirs in the basin are essential. They are needed not only for the great reservoirs, but also for the many stock ponds and small developments, including those for ponding mining debris. Such surveys should be repeated at periodic intervals. Surveys.-Other forms of land surveys are needed. Cadastral surveys have not been made of huge areas, and knowledge of property lines is only hazy. Many important resource developments have been Iiandicapped by a lack of definite and reliable land surveys. Timber sales on national forests and Indian lands have been delayed, mining claims have been "located" without specific knowl- edge of location, grazing and cutting on Federal public lands have been in trespass, water has been filed upon without knowing specifically whether related to public, private, State, or Indian land. Topographic maps are badly needed by numer- ous agencies for many purposes. They are espe- cially needed in some of the mountain areas that are currently being heavily used, as a basis for transportation planning and road construction, as well as for water development. Of the approx- imately 97S potential quadrangles in the basin, only 151, or- 15 percent, have been mapped to a desirable standard. About 40 quadrangles are currently un.der survey. Geologic and soils maps are almost absent. In such a min&ralized region, knowledge of the min- eral resources is essential. While general informa- tion on the extensive coal and oil shale deposits is available, less is known of the manganese and mag- nesium deposits. A geologic map is therefore needed which would also provide much needed data on soils, and help in planning various types of mineral developments. Because of the close relation between mineral processing and water resources, an appraisal of the mineral resources is desirable. This would involve such matters as the location of significant ore bodies, the consumptive use of water in the ex- tractive and conversion processes, the potential power demands, and the possible sites at which these processes are likely to develop. Geological surveys of the mineral resources should therefore be carried out in close coordination with develop- ment agencies. Vegetation.-In the biological field, several im- portant lines of research are needed. These in- clude such items as the consumptive use of water by various types of vegetation, particularly that encroaching upon sediment deposits. In addition, data on evapo-transpiration losses are needed for all types of cover. Methods of controlling unde- sirable riparian vegetation as well as such invading species as juniper, mesquite, and cactus are needed. Methods of reseeding depleted range lands espe- cially for sloping lands and for the drier portions must be worked out. Standards of range utiliza- tion, trends of range recovery, range management methods for semidesert conditions, and the like must be developed. Methods of soil stabilization for the wide variety of soil and erosion conditions must be found. Data on the influence of cover, both as to density and composition, on water yields, water quality, and water behavior should be ob- tained. Management practices for various vegetal types should be determined. Fish and wildlife.-Other needed biological re- search relates to fish and wildlife. Data should be collected on the effect of reservoirs and their man- agement on the fish resource, the current and po- tential fish carrying capacity of streams and lakes, and the effects of erosion, the sediment load, and water quality on fish life. The importance of beaver in the basin has never been adequately de- termined, yet beaver may be very helpful from the standpoint of sediment and water control in many small tributary streams. There is need for more information on big-game populations, especially on their life habits and forage requirements. Fac- tors responsible for the creation of big-game herds should be discovered, as well as the effect of game overpopulation on disease and winter kill. Because of the damage to the range as well as to the water 416 |
