OCR Text |
Show provide means whereby migratory fish may again reach the upper basin, adding to its economic re- sources. Should satisfactory measures not be de- veloped, the migratory fish resource will continue to give way to major water resources developments. Elements of a full plan also provide for release of sufficient water from reservoirs to maintain an adequate flow at all times in fishing waters. They also include the installation of other measures and practices, such as hatcheries, designed to increase the supply of game fish throughout the basin and especially in the upstream reservoir areas. An im- portant phase not only in this basin but in New England generally is the public acquisition of fish- ing grounds. Navigation Full development of the river for foreseeable needs will provide a channel of 16-foot depth from Hartford to the mouth. Provision is also needed for commercial navigation between Hartford and Holyoke. Navigation also requires safe mooring areas for small boats in the river and safe harbors in adjacent Long Island Sound. Rate of Development The rate at which development should proceed cannot be foretold because it is dependent upon unpredictable events. Future economic conditions, defense needs, and new processes or devices will determine the rate of progress. Any plan, however, should be sufficiently flexible to meet such situa- tions and to take full advantage of changing needs and techniques. Some general statements are pos- sible for the Connecticut Valley. 1. Hydroelectric power installations should be developed on a fairly rapid basis to insure incre- mental increases in available power potential suffi- cient to satisfy peaking demands, to aid, in con- serving fuel and transportation, and to reduce, to every extent possible, the power rate handicap of industry and home. 2. The flood control part of the program should proceed in coordination with the provision for power at as rapid a rate as possible under the handi- caps of land inundation objections and various legislative provisos. 3. The pollution abatement aspect of the pro- gram should proceed as rapidly as possible in the interest of public health, water supply, recreation, and fisheries. Where necessary, assistance in pollu- tion abatement should be included as a purpose of flood control reservoirs. 4. As dams are constructed in the main stream, provision should be made for all practicable facilities for passing migratory fish. 5. Navigation opportunities on the lower river should be provided to Holyoke at a rate consistent with the development of a multiple-purpose pro- gram. Provision for safe harbors for small boats along the coast will be included. 6. Recreation facilities should be installed in all possible water projects as they are constructed, in- cluding not only facilities within the project but also special improvements for recreational use. In acquiring reservoir land, sufficient land should be obtained to provide for an orderly recreational development in cooperation with States and mu- nicipalities. Public access to rivers, beaches, or bodies of water having high recreational values should be provided. 7. Preventive measures should be undertaken at the earliest practicable time to forestall further en- croachment upon the flood plain where flood pro- tection for settled areas is not contemplated. 8. Watershed management programs, including conservation of croplands, pasture areas, and the extension of public ownership of forest lands, should be intensified immediately in areas of high watershed values to prevent further land deteriora- tion as in the White and Green Mountain areas. They are needed in headwater areas where recre- ation is a major form of land use. 9. Collection of data needed for further devel- opment of the basin should progress as rapidly as possible. Among these are water sampling surveys in polluted tributary streams and in the main river, and completion of the fisheries investigations. Ground water surveys are needed in the lower por- tion of the drainage. Cadastral and topographic surveys are needed in New Hampshire and Ver- mont. Soil, geologic, and biologic surveys are needed on a basin-wide scale. The collection of hydrologic data should continue on a moderately expanded basis. Research is needed and should be undertaken on many elements of the program, especially in the management of the forest in rela- tion to the water resources. Stages in Attaining Full Development Achievement of full water use in the basin will be a large program. It will therefore be under- taken in stages. 517 |