OCR Text |
Show Introduction Much of the basic information on the Nation's Natural Resources used in this publication was accumulated under research projects sponsored by Committees of Congress during the seven year period - 1947 to 1953 - when the author of this report was Senior Specialist in Natural Resources in the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress. Several of the basic features of those earlier projcts have now been brought to a stage for inclusion in this number V of the Series on The Physical and Economic Foundation of Natural Resources. It has become evident that the most important requirement for a sound natural resource foundation for this nation is the establishment of an adequate program for the management of its water resources. The sum total of all our research projects down to the present provides tor determination of only fragments of the complex physical and economic factors required for such a program of management. There has also been special neglect of the organization required for the centralized and responsible overall appraisal of the interrelation of the essential features of the required program. Unfortunately there is not yet available in published form the physical and economic results of water consumption, especially on our extensive Federal Public Domain Watersheds. ( Included in this report) Neither is there available accurate measurements of water in several of the stages of its earthly cycle. Still unexplored also are many of the subsurface facilities for water management in our mountains and valleys. |