OCR Text |
Show Appendix 1 Request for Analyses of River Basin Program The Commission, early in its study, sought the cooperation of various agencies of government hav- ing expert knowledge of various phases of water- resources problems in their relation to basin devel- opment. This was done by means of the follow- ing letter, sent to the head of each of the agencies. The response of the Federal agencies furnished much of the basic material from which the 10 river basin studies were prepared. March 20, 1950. Hon. Nelson Lee Smith/ Chairman, Federal Power Commission, Washington, 25, D. C. Dear Mr. Chairman: In order to provide a basis for testing proposed policy conclusions against a wide range of conditions the Commission needs to obtain as soon as possible separate analyses of pres- ent plans looking to the comprehensive develop- ment of the water resources of certain of the coun- try's important river basins. Those selected for analysis include (1) the Columbia, (2) the Central Valley of California, (3) the Colorado, (4) the Missouri, (5) the Arkansas-White, (6) the Ohio, (7) the Connecticut, (8) the Delaware, (9) the Potomac, (10) the Tennessee, (11) the Alabama- Coosa, and (12) the Rio Grande.2 As a basis for such analyses we will appreciate it if you will prepare for us reports on the present plans of the Federal Power Commission for devel- opment of the water resources, including related land uses, of each of the above-named rivers to the extent that their development and use in any part comes within the jurisdiction of your agency. In order to meet the requirements of our work as at 1 Letters similar to this were sent to the Secretaries of the Interior, Commerce, Army, and Agriculture, the Sur- geon General of the United States Public Health Service, and the Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority. 2 In the course of the study, the Delaware and the Arkansas-White river basins were omitted from the list. present outlined, we would like to have the report for each river basin in approximately the following form. Part I.-The essential physical and economic facts about the Commission's program in the par- ticular basin, including constructed projects, proj- ects under construction, projects authorized, proj- ects not yet authorized but for which definite plans are approaching completion, and other projects in contemplation. This should afford an inte- grated picture approximating your agency's part in the full development of the water resources of each basin. It should include not only what is presently planned, but also, as far as possible, what should be planned in the picture to complete the program for each basin. This part should also include, to the extent avail- able, a summary of the important economic data for each project including cost to construct, annual cost, annual benefits broken down to reflect the several purposes on which the project was justified, annual revenue, actual or anticipated, from differ- ent groups of beneficiaries, and peculiar need for the project in the region. It should include any facts as to the relation of these projects to each other and to the programs of any other Federal agencies authorized to participate in the develop- ment of the water or land resources of the basin. Part II.-Brief statement of principles and prac- tices in the particular basin with regard to the esti- mating of project benefits and costs. This should include the principles and standards used in (1) identification of the benefits and basis for such identification; (2) determination of the amount of benefit for each type of benefit; (3) identification of beneficiaries (individuals, groups, or levels of government) and allocation of benefits among such beneficiaries; (4) measurement of costs; (5) allo- cation of costs; (6) determination as to which of the beneficiaries should make repayments and the formula for repayment in each case; and (7) gen- eral project formulation. 799 |