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Show indices.9 Many of the critical unemployment spots have been concentrated in the manufacturing com- munities, indicating that the economy needs definite revitalization. To this end, the maximum use of water and related resources of the Connecticut Basin can contribute importantly. Planning ground work exists for some elements of a comprehensive program. A prime need for further development of the water resources of the basin is provision for upstream storage. This stor- age will help regulate stream flow and firm the generating- capacity at existing downstream instal- lations. It will also lead the way to redevelopment of several existing power plants and to the develop- ment of a number of potential power sites that would be impractical or uneconomical without up- stream storage. Planning should take into account the St. Lawrence and Niagara sources of power. But hydroelectric power in the basin is generally of the character that should be used as supplemen- tary to steam or other base-load power. Steam within the region or base-load hydro power from outside the basin must be depended on to meet the bulk of fufure industrial and domestic power needs from the standpoint of energy, with Connecticut hydro having its greatest importance for capacity purposes. In view of this, there is opportunity for close collaboration between public and private producers in meeting the power requirements of the basin and the region. Upstream storage will also aid navigation, pol- lution abatement, and flood control, the first two purposes through low flow augmentation. All these water uses will need additional developments car- ried on in phase with each other. Planning for navigation and flood control is well advanced, al- though the possibilities of flood zoning need further exploration. Pollution abatement planning needs more basic study to permit effective program prep- aration, because the tourist industry is of equal importance with agriculture as an income producer in the region, full advantage should be taken of recreational possibilities of upstream reservoirs and in connection with all water and watershed plan- ning. Similarly, provision should be made for fish and wildlife in the comprehensive program. Although, forestry and agricultural programs are being developed in the basin, these are now pri- marily directed towards the production of forest and agricultural products rather than to water * Total income payments to individuals, per capita in- come, numbet r of manufacturing production workers per 1,000 population, contribution per capita, and population. 502 resources. Management of the watershed lands in order to integrate fully their use and treatment with water resource needs therefore requires fur- ther study. In this, the part that recreational uses will play needs further attention. A comprehen- sive program of forest resource development is needed in order to enable that resource to reach its fullest capability in the economic life of the basin. Ground water supplies, particularly important to the key industry of the basin-manufacturing- need to be appraised as to their continued avail- ability and to their proper rate of use in consonance with the surface water supplies of the river. Preparation of a comprehensive program has been retarded by lack of local initiative for such development, and by traditions of local determina- tion as to the extent and character of public works. Conclusions Because the basin and the larger region of which it is a part need revitalization of their economic base, there is great need for bringing to full develop- ment the water and related resources of this basin. Some of the basic work has been done, but there still remains much additional planning to bring about maximum use of the basin's resources. The preparation of a complete program is necessary to provide momentum, which has been conspicuously lacking. In such a program there will be oppor- tunities to include consideration of multiple-purpose reservoirs. The timeliness of such an effort is attested by the recognition of the unity of the basin by downstream States in their present actions to find a basis of cooperation with upstream States regarding compensation for taxes lost by inunda- tion for vital water storage. A Federal program in the basin must recognize this deep-seated desire for self-solution of problems and should provide fully for bona fide local participation in the program. 3. Potential Hydroelectric Power in the Regional Power Supply The Problem The place of the potential hydroelectric power in the basin in the future regional power supply. The Situation The market area for hydroelectric power pres- ently developed in the Connecticut River Basin |
