OCR Text |
Show Chaffer 4 Policy Problems and Their Relation To Plans for Development Among 10 of the basins studied by the Commis- sion the Potomac is the only one in which an im- portant beneficial program has been refused be- cause of conflicts in point of view among residents of the basin as to the purpose and form of develop- ment. Nowhere in the country is the weighing of special interest against general welfare, or the bal- ancing of regional and local desires against national benefits, more difficult. Nowhere is an understand- ing appraisal of the intangibles in resource develop- ment more clearly needed. Thirteen problems are worthy of consideration in appraising the present Potomac Basin situation. They have been divided here into four groups, as follows: A. Protection of Basic Resources 1. Need for land treatment programs in a com- prehensive plan of water use. 2. Need for pollution control (except mine wastes). 3. Need for control of acid mine wastes. 4. Need and responsibility to maintain and en- hance fish and wildlife in water resources develop- ment. 5. Need for stream flow regulation. B. Apparent Conflicts in Beneficial Use 1. Conflict between plans for storage reservoirs and interest of local groups in preventing land in- undation. 2. Conflicts between water development and highways. 3. Conflicts between water developments and park, parkway, and recreational uses. C. The Character and Rate of Development 1. Basic data deficiencies. 2. Conservation and use of ground water. 3. Development of recreational opportunities in reservoir areas. 4. Evaluation of present planning, implementa- tion, and operation of elements in a comprehensive program. D. Distribution of Responsibilities 1. The place of State and local agency participa- tion in planning, programing, financing, and operation. A. Protection of Basic Resources 1. Need for Land Treatment Programs in a Com- prehensive Plan of Water Use The Problem The relation between the treatment and manage- ment of watershed lands and other elements of a comprehensive program to develop the water re- sources of the Potomac Basin. The Situation Agriculture and forestry are important segments of the economy of the Potomac Basin. Approxi- mately half of the 9.4 million acres within the basin are in forest, with crop and pasture land occupying 29 and 16 percent, respectively, of the total water- shed. There has been little change in the ratio be- tween forest and cleared land during the last 50 years. The farms of the tidewater section below Great Falls are predominantly tobacco and truck, while those above Great Falls are devoted to the produc- tion of grain crops, hay, fruit, and livestock, with much dairying. Dairying becomes increasingly im- portant as population increases, as health author- 591 |