OCR Text |
Show Basin will provide expanded opportunities for recreation to the many people of the basin. The program will provide recreation facilities at many places within convenient traveling distances for thousands of people. It will provide vacation areas in more remote sections for those who care to travel farther and spend more time. Overcrowded conditions which exist at areas now maintained by States, counties, and cities will be alleviated. State and local agencies will have im- portant responsibilities in planning for establishing and maintaining recreation facilities included in the program. Rate of Development The rate at which an over-all program of water resources use should proceed in the Ohio River de- pends largely upon the region's basic economic needs, future defense requirements, and the avail- ability of funds for carrying out the program. In general, accomplishment of the plan should be scheduled so that those elements providing the greatest benefit in the shortest period of time have precedence. Any plan, however, should be flexible enough to meet changing conditions. Many water resources projects have been built by private, local public, and State agencies. The Federal Government has constructed many projects for navigation, flood control, and related uses and has initiated work on additional key water-use structures. These elements constitute a basis on which planning for the future can proceed. Future development must, therefore, take into account projects existing and under way, and its rate must be conditioned on budgetary requirements for the completion of projects now initiated. In addition to carrying to completion those proj- ects and measures presently in progress, others would be inaugurated as rapidly as possible to meet pressing needs. These will include flood protection measures where the hazards are severe and inade- quately met, measures to ameliorate the present serious pollution, rehabilitation, and extension of navigation facilities to meet increased water trans- portation demands, construction of hydroelectric power plants and transmission systems, watershed management in critical areas where serious deterio- ration is in evidence, and preservation and enhance- ment of fish and wildlife and recreation resources. All these will be within the framework of the pro- gram for ultimate water resources development. The program for ultimate development of the basin's water resources is one of continuing accom- plishment in keeping with changing conditions. Beyond the units now in existence and under con- struction and those to be provided to meet press- ing needs, it is impossible to predict which and how many future projects should be undertaken in a given period. The whole program must remain flexible to allow for advancing knowledge of func- tional coordination and for changing conditions of the regional economy. Furthermore, the program must be prosecuted to maintain proper balance be- tween the several beneficial purposes with a con- tinuing view toward over-all ultimate objectives. The Future Region The progressive development of the water and land resources of the Ohio Valley will permit con- tinued expansion of the economic structure of the area. Both agriculture and industry are well estab- lished. The valley is blessed with an abundance of water and yet there are times of shortage. Con- trol and use of flood waters will increase the de- pendable low river flows at least fourfold. This will mean more than water for electricity and machines, and the creation of an environment on lakes, rivers, ponds, and land which will enrich the life of all the people. Industrial expansion and opportuni- ties for employment must be balanced with im- proved public health and recreation facilities. The stimulation of all activities will not be confined to the Ohio Basin alone but will extend from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Atlantic Seaboard to the western plains. The Ohio River system will be increasingly im- portant for navigation because of its location at the crossroads of the Nation's commerce. Deep waterways connecting the Ohio to the Great Lakes and to the Gulf of Mexico, along with a deeper and steadier Mississippi River, will facilitate effi- cient transportation between inland ports and the coast. The protection of this future will require con- stant vigilance to provide water for all purposes. The responsibilities for pollution abatement, flood control, land management, malaria control, and all river operating functions must be met before full use of the river can be obtained. Local citizen groups including business men must be encouraged to share in the responsibility and communities must be brought together in the common interest. 701 |