Laserfiche WebLink
<br />. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />001086 <br /> <br />Section 5 lists those rivers designated for potential addition to the <br /> <br />NWSRS. Twenty-seven rivers were designated for study in the Act, and any <br /> <br />future proposed additions to the NWSRS must first be studied under this section <br /> <br />according to the requirements of Section 4. The section also deals with the <br /> <br />timing requirements of the studies and specifies that the studies shall be <br /> <br />pursued in close cooperation with the appropriate state agencies and shall be <br /> <br /> <br />carried on jointly with such agencies if requested by the state. All planning <br /> <br /> <br />for the use and development of water and related land resources must give con- <br /> <br /> <br />sideration to wild and scenic river designation as potential alternative uses <br /> <br />of the water and related land resources involved. Before a river can be approved <br /> <br />or disapproved for inclusion in the system, the Secretary of Interior must request <br /> <br />and consider any comments or recommendations made by the Secretaries of Agricul- <br /> <br />ture and Army, the Chairman of the Federal power Commission and the heads of <br /> <br />any other federal agencies that would be affected by wild and scenic river desig- <br /> <br />nation. <br /> <br />The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act provides that the federally- <br />managed land component should not exceed an average of 320 acres of land per <br /> <br />mile of river (Sec. 3,b), or in other words a strip that averages one-fourth <br /> <br />mile wide on each side of the river. Acquisition of land for NWSRS that is not <br />already in federal ownership is treated in Section 6. Not more than an average <br /> <br /> <br />of 100 acres of land can be purchased in fee title (Sec. 6,a), and if 50 percent <br /> <br /> <br />or more of the entire acreage is in public ownership, then fee title to the <br /> <br /> <br />remaining private land cannot be acquired unless the owner is willing to sell his <br /> <br />property. However, condemnation is not precluded when it is necessary to clear <br /> <br />title or to acquire easements that are reasonably necessary to give the public <br /> <br />access to the river (Sec. 6,b). Lands that are within an incorporated city or <br /> <br />town cannot be acquired from an unwilling seller provided that zoning ordinances <br /> <br />-4- <br />