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<br />. <br /> <br />business expands. These would appear to be the major guides <br />to planning in urban areas, while the significant planning problems <br />will be in finding ways of coping with agricultural runoff. <br /> <br />If the United States and large segments of the world become <br /> <br /> <br />dependent on the agricultural output of U. S. farmers, then the <br /> <br /> <br />demand for agricultural water will drastically alter the water <br /> <br /> <br />quality situation. It would, however, require significant shifts <br /> <br /> <br />in the present water appropriation laws to allow such shifts to <br /> <br /> <br />take place. Within the present hierarchy of users, agricultural <br /> <br />water needs in the South Platte basin have low priority. It is <br /> <br /> <br />probable that federal assistance would be required to capitalize <br /> <br /> <br />the more irrigation-intensive agriculture that is likely to flow <br /> <br /> <br />from the increased demand for foodstuffs. F~deral assistance <br /> <br /> <br />would be necessary since some interest rates and capital availability <br /> <br /> <br />for agricultural development are generally insufficient for a <br /> <br /> <br />gigantic leap in production. <br /> <br />SEVERE ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE AND WATER QUALITY PLANNING <br /> <br /> <br />In the event of a severe economic downturn, revenues to the <br /> <br /> <br />Federal, State, and local governments would decrease because of a <br /> <br /> <br />decline in economic production, profits, and incomes. Thus, there <br /> <br /> <br />would likely be less intensive development of wastewater treatment <br /> <br />facilities than in the present economy. Enforcement of the water <br /> <br /> <br />quality standards also would be difficult, since these standards <br /> <br /> <br />represent costs to manufacturers and agriculturalists. Enforce- <br /> <br /> <br />ment would require expanded government employment to monitor and <br /> <br /> <br />enforce the standards. The monitoring function might increase in <br /> <br /> <br />the case of a sustained and deep depression, principally as a func- <br /> <br />tion of Federal employment programs. Asking hard-pressed <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />25 <br />