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Show mitments will contribute to stability. A well- defined Federal investment program, with elements of flexibility, can allow for expansion and contraction in periods of depression and inflation. A Framework of Principle In its attempt to reappraise Federal water re- sources policy, the Commission has sought to carry forward the tradition which has made our rivers an increasingly important part of the life of the people. As a result, the restatement of the policy which the Commission proposes below will be found constructed of building blocks pro- vided by acts of Congress and by administrative decisions of the able people who have directed the Nation's great water resources agencies. This proposed reformulation of water resources policy is constructed on a simple framework of principles. These express: The importance of clearly defined regional and national goals which water resources programs will be designed to achieve.-These objectives will be simply stated in terms of specific contri- butions which water resources can make to the welfare of the American people. The necessity of planning for a river basin as a whole instead of having a patchwork of plans by separate agencies for separate purposes.- This will assure the most harmonious develop- ment of the water resources of the basin, enabling them to make their greatest contribution to the welfare of the people. The motto must be "one river, one plan." The importance of a simple procedure for de- termining whether the money to be invested in a river basin program will be well spent.-This procedure will take into account more than the obvious benefits which a program confers on the irrigator, the property owner protected against floods, the consumer of low-cost power, or the user of water transportation. It will give full weight to the broad economic and social benefits which flow out from water resources projects to increase the prosperity and strength of the region or the Nation. The necessity for a system of repayment de- signed to treat alike all who enjoy the advantages of Federal investment.-This will seek reason- able repayment, either through direct charge or assessment, for the opportunity which water re- sources programs offer for private gain, but will recognize that the great contributions of such pro- grams to the general welfare warrant the assump- tion by the Federal Government of the remainder of the cost. The need for placing the annual financing of water resources undertakings on a river basin pro- gram basis and for recognizing the annual renew- able resources investment program as a stabilizing factor in the economy.-Such resources programs will embody the soundest estimates of what the Nation must invest to maintain its basic resources against deterioration and to expand the use of such resources to meet its growing requirements. The importance of providing those who pre- pare the plans for the Nation's river basin pro- grams with all the knowledge which is required to assure good plans.-We cannot afford to have these all-important programs designed in the absence of sufficient information about the re- sources of water and land, geological formations, conditions of climate, or the important economic trends which establish the regional needs that the development must serve. The necessity for applying sound management principles to our watersheds, to the ground waters which replenish our supplies, and to the floodwa- ters which, harnessed, confer a host of blessings.- This will mean the use of the waters of our river basins to quench man's thirst, afford him the opportunity for cleanliness, water his deserts, carry his produce, provide the force to generate his hydroelectric energy and the condensation necessary to operate his steam electric plants, make possible his modern industries, and provide opportunities for relaxation and leisure. The importance of utilizing all of these services which water resources offer in such a way as to contribute to the continued building of a strong Nation.-This will involve the vision of great region-building programs offering our increasing population broader opportunities for enterprise |