OCR Text |
Show Chapter 12 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply ADEQUATE DOMESTIC and industrial water supplies are essential to the health and welfare of our people. Sixty percent of the population of the Nation lives in cities. Any plan for the con- servation and development of the water and land resources of the Nation must, of necessity, take into consideration the water requirements of these urban people and of industries. Plans for con- trol and development of water resources should no longer be made by single groups, whether they be local, State, or Federal. They must plan to- gether irrespective of how construction and operation are arranged for and handled. The domestic and industrial water supply of all cities and communities, whether it be surface or underground, has its origin in rainfall and run- off on land and water surfaces in whole or in ma- jor part from outside the areas of such cities and communities. If all of the water that falls as rain or snow within the boundaries of these urban areas could be captured and held-an imprac- ticable proposal-it would not be sufficient for the needs of the people and the industries in those areas. Their necessary water supplies are af- fected by forest and range, by farming operations, diversions of water, by sewage, and by wastes from other cities, communities, and from indus- tries. These effects may relate to the quantity of water available at flood flow, average flow, and low flow; and they have a special bearing upon the quality of raw water. In earlier development of cities, when most of the population of the Nation was rural and our cities were small and had little industry, there was relatively little competition for available water supplies except in the arid and semiarid West. With the rapid growth of cities, spurred by accelerated industrial development, the com- plexity of water and land use posed additional problems of conservation and distribution. The formation of great metropolitan areas and group- ing of communities have not only accentuated the dependence of many communities upon already exploited water supplies, but have repeatedly forced a search for new sources. Industries may be served by water from the city water department or utility or they may de- velop their own water supply from surface or ground water sources. About 25 percent of water for industrial use is purchased, while 75 percent of the water needs of industry is de- veloped by industrial plants largely from ground water sources. Some urban areas and cities are already re- ceiving benefits to their water supplies through Federal multiple-purpose water developments. First and most noteworthy in this list is the serv- ice rendered in that respect by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, which was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation through the pro- visions of the Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928. Twenty-eight communities with a population of over 3,500,000 are dependent, in whole or in part, upon the Colorado River aqueduct of the Metro- politan Water District of Southern California, made possible by construction of the Hoover Dam. 175 |