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Show viding recreation opportunities, including prob- lems of Federal-State-local relationships, methods of planning, financing, and constructing recrea- tion facilities, and possible modification of enacted legislation. Recreation encompasses many aspects but, from the standpoint of recreation phases of water resources programs, a national recreation policy should include the following components: 1. The relationship of the Federal Government to all phases of recreation in the national life. 2. The extent of Federal participation in rec- reation in cooperation with all levels of gov- ernment. 3. The criteria which will be applied in ap- praising proposed recreation developments. 4. Designation or establishment of the bureau or service which shall have primary responsibility for reviewing recreation projects and making recommendations to Congress. 5. A general framework within which Federal expenditures for recreation in water resources programs can be evaluated in relation to total Federal expenditures for recreation. The essence of these proposals is to provide a basis for evaluating annual and long-range Fed- eral expenditures for recreation. Only in this way can all recreation programs, including recre- ation features of multiple-purpose water pro- grams, be compared on the basis of national interest. A national recreation policy should re- late to the entire field of recreation, and Federal participation in recreation developments in v* ~i.er resource programs should proceed in the light of such over-all policy. Recreation in Water Resources Programs Recreation in its broad aspects encompasses a wide field of which water recreation uses are an important phase. Management, development, and control of water resources must take cogni- zance of many beneficial water uses, among which is recreation. So these two programs merge, each impinging on the other, to cause conflict or to promote more effective contributions of each to the other. Large man-made lakes offer important water recreation opportunties in those sections of the Nation which lack natural water bodies. The chance to swim, to row or sail a boat, to fish or hunt waterfowl-these are new-found pleasures that come with large water impoundments in arid and semiarid regions. But man-made lakes may be important, too, in areas which boast natural lakes, for they serve to reduce the congestion which has developed around long-existing water bodies in densely settled regions. The series of reservoirs developed by the Muskingum Water- shed Conservancy District in Ohio has provided outstanding recreation benefits for surrounding populations. As this Nation embarks on an extensive pro- gram for managing its rivers for many purposes, we should recognize both the assets and limita- tions of large reservoirs for recreation use and so adapt the planning that maximum over-all bene- fits will be realized from this program. The characteristics which make any lake, whether natural or artificial, desirable for recre- ation use include the following: 1. Its waters should be relatively pure and clear. This condition is most readily obtained by constructing dams across small streams which are unpolluted by industrial or agricultural activities above the site, yet of sufficient flow to avoid stag- nation. 2. Its levels should be fairly constant during the recreation season. Marked fluctuation in water levels will expose long reaches of muddy slopes which are not attractive to recreation seekers and sometimes preclude provision of suitable swim- ming facilities. 3. Its outline and setting should be pleasing. The shores should be of definite slope to avoid marshy, mosquito-breeding spaces; yet there should be sufficient comparatively level upland to permit the placing of necessary facilities. 4. Fishing possibilities should be good. The streams which feed a lake may be the natural habitat of sport fish or the reservoir may lend itself to a program of fish management. Most 251 |
