| OCR Text |
Show tion of policy and the formulation of plans, and would provide those responsible for river basin programs, as well as the public at large, with a basis for judging the specific purposes and the relative desirability of various possible programs of water resources development. Statement of Objectives Because past expressions of congressional policy have been directed at meeting specific problems, there has not been a statement of na- tional objectives in the whole field of water re- sources. Irrigation policy is directed primarily at reclaiming arid lands in the West, just as flood control policy is aimed at reducing national losses of property, life, and economic activity. As the various policies have merged into multiple-pur- pose projects, it has become apparent that the objectives for all of them should be restated for the Nation as a whole. These objectives may be set forth as follows: 1. The safeguarding of our heritage of useful resources against deterioration from careless use or neglect, thus preventing the ultimate decline of our productivity at the very time when we require an expanding base. Included are all phases of soil conservation, flood management, control of ground waters, control of surface water quality, and sound forestry. 2. The improvement of this heritage and its higher utilization in order to provide, through increasing production of land and water re- sources, a broader base for a steadily expanding national economy, with its contribution to na- tional security. This objective covers manage- ment of our water resources to transform them from ineffective or destructive into beneficial agents, watering arid land, supplying municipal and industrial needs, improving channels for water transportation, and generating hydroelec- tric power. 3. Opportunity for farms, urban homes, com- mercial establishments, and industries to make full use of electric power, through a marketing policy for Federal power aimed at encouraging maximum use at the lowest possible rates. 4. Coordination of water and land resources undertakings with specific plans to meet needs of national security. 5. The development of balanced regional economies, with particular emphasis on those which are characterized by low economic oppor- tunity, offering maximum opportunity for farm- ing coupled with nonagricultural rural employ- ment. 6. Provision of expanding cultural opportuni- ties, including all phases of recreational develop- ment from wilderness areas to wisely designed, artificial multiple-purpose reservoirs. 7. The protection of the public health, par- ticularly through pollution abatement and con- trol, mosquito control, and all necessary provi- sion for an abundance of high-grade municipal water supply. 41 |
