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002261 . . -I Now let's look to the future. First, in the matter of upstream storage. There will be 5,250,000 acre-feet of active storage capacity in the Upper Snake River Basin when Palisades is completed. This is sufficient to control the flow of the Snake in years of normal runoff. In abnormal years there is a IQt of water still unused and, by the sa.me token, there is some possibility of flood damage. This surplus runoff if properly conserved would be invaluable in dry years. There is also the possibility of diverting this surplus to the Snake River plain in years of plenty to recharge the underground ,~ter. The water users in Idaho are only beginning to realize the real potential of the underground water storage system. In California, Arizona, and other parts of the Pacific Southwest, ground water has been a major source of supply for many years. The ground-water table there has dropped to alarming levels. Here in Idaho, where pumping has been relatively minor until recent years, these shortages can be prevented if proper means are taken to recharge the underground table in years of plentiful supply. These major purposes of storage and diversion of surplus water for consumptive use in dry years are so important there should be no thought of storage for simple flood control alone. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Geological Survey have made preliminary examinations of more than 50 storage possibilities in the Upper Snake Piver Basin. There are several which have considerable promise. Aoong these are the Burns Creek site below Palisades dam on the South Fork of the Snake, and the Johnny Counts site just below the mouth of Hoback Canyon, also on the '3outh Fork of the Snake River. Ye expect to proceed as rapidly as funds permit with these investigations. Coming downstream, there are nearly 2,000,000 acre-feet of storage space available. ~1e are looking not so much for additional storage sites but for the 7