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Show Chapter 1 Region and Regional Problems1 The Potomac River Basin, the drainage area which contains the National Capital, is the home or residence of nearly 2.3 million people. Its land and water resources should be protected and uti- lized so as to contribute their utmost to the basin's economy, and to the Nation. They should not be allowed to deteriorate, to endanger life and happi- ness, but each should do its share to make life more enjoyable, and assist in regional and national de- velopment. As in other basins the regional resources have been freely used: The timber has been cut with- out regard to future production, the soil farmed without regard to its loss by erosion and the effect on siltation in the streams, coal mined without re- gard to the tons of sulfuric acid wasted in the streams and the destruction of game fish. Some communities and industries have discharged their wastes into the rivers without consideration of those using the water downstream. With man's assistance Nature can cure this situa- 1 The original draft of this study was prepared during 1950 by the Committee on River Program Analysis of the Commission. The following persons served on the Com- mittee, participated in the planning or review of the re- port, and contributed data to it: George Adkins, Federal Power Commission. D. V. C. Birrell, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. James Bowman, Tennessee Valley Authority. David Campbell, Department of Commerce. Edwin R. Cotton, Director, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. Lyle Craine, Department of the Interior. Raymond H. Davis, Soil Conservation Service, De- partment of Agriculture. H. Dean Fravel, Jr., Bureau of Public Roads, De- partment of Commerce. S. H. Gale, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. William E. Holy, Public Health Service. K. C. Lauster, Public Health Service. tion. Through man's efforts also, the river can be made a better servant of the region. Although it is in the midst of a populous, long-developed, and productive area, the Potomac today is one of the least used streams in the country. It can be trans- formed into the valuable artery that the region de- serves. But the transformation can be made only with the guidance of a clear definition of develop- ment objectives. And that definition requires un- derstanding of the individuality of the region, the river, and their history. The Land and Climate Like many of the other river basins draining into the Atlantic, the Potomac is small. Many tribu- taries of tributaries to the Mississippi are larger. The Potomac's 14,500 square miles, however, cover all of the District of Columbia and parts of four States (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Penn- E. N. Munns, Forest Service, Department of Agri- culture. Victor Roterus, Department of Commerce. G. E. Tomlinson, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior. Frank L. Weaver, Federal Power Commission. Wesley Calef, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee secretary. Edward A. Ackerman, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee chairman. The study is based on information available between May and October 1950, including special basin reports submitted to the Commission by interested Federal agen- cies. Following preparation of the original draft by the Committee on River Program Analysis, the study was edited and revised by Edward A. Ackerman, John C. Beebe, John M. Carmody, Patricia Howse, E. N. Munns, and Evelyn S. Myers. Individual committee members or the agencies where they are employed therefore may or may not be in agreement with particular conclusions here presented. 577 |
