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<br />387 i
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<br />MISSOURI RIVER BASIN
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<br />the control of floods and the improvement of navigation, but also for
<br />full development of irrig,"tion, hydroelectric power production, and
<br />all other beneficial uses of wat.er. The crit.erion for t.he design of the
<br />plan and of its compouent part.s, should be. whether it will secure
<br />that'mfl.lloO"cment of the waters of the !\1issollri River which is most
<br />beneficial t";, the resillcnts of the basin.
<br />The report of the Board of Rivers and Harbors, in accordance with
<br />the general congressional aut.horizotion to the Corp~ of .Eng!llccrs, is
<br />directed principally toward flood control and I1llVlgatlOn Improve-
<br />ment. A report on the 1\'1i88011ri River Basin, bosed on over 5 years
<br />of intensive investigations, is currently being prepared by the Bureau
<br />of Reelamation for completion this spring. That. report, likewise
<br />in accordtwce with t.he general congressional authorizn.tion to the
<br />Bureau of Reclamation, is directed primarily toward the development
<br />of in'igation, hydrocleetrie power production, and ot.her beneficial
<br />uses of water. I bclieve that you will agree that a truly compre-
<br />hensive plan can be developed best tbrough integmtion of these two
<br />approaches.
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<br />GOVERNING PRINCIPLES
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<br />The development of such a comprehensive plan involves adjustment
<br />of lllany factors of flood cont.roI, navigation, irrigation, hydroelectric
<br />power production, and numerous other functions of water conservation
<br />and management. These adjustments in a unified program can be
<br />accomplished satisfactorily only if cert.ain principles are recognized
<br />as fundamental in the control and utilization of the waters of the 1,
<br />1\1issouri River. Likewise certnin principle!; of administration are
<br />indicuted to assure effect.ive, coordinated, and economical plnnning
<br />and execu tion of t.he program. I lUll taking this occasion to express
<br />the vic\\"s of the Bureau of Re.clamation on these matters, since they
<br />are the basis of my speeific comment. on the plan that you have
<br />presented. I also reeommend that these principles be incorporated
<br />into ,,,,'hutevcr aut.horizing legislat.ion mn.y he enllctcd by the Congress.
<br />If these principles govern, und if the specific comn",nts I make later
<br />in this letter are satisfied, then there remains no rensOIl why the work
<br />proposed by the report of the Board of Rivers nnd Harbors, as thus
<br />modified, would not fit the comprehensive plan fol' t.he basin. There
<br />would then be no ueeessity for delnying the first phase of construction
<br />for further integration with Inter reports. Projects of the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation, as authorized by Congress, likewise would be integrnl
<br />with the comprehensive plan. The principles fire ennnciated below:
<br />1. It is recognized that. a sound program for t.he river subbasins oC t.he r..HssoLlri
<br />comprehends a wide \'ariety of functions, inch]{ling hut not limited to flood con-
<br />trol, navigat.ion, irrigation, restoration oC surface and ground wat,cr leyels. hydro-
<br />electric production, pollution abatement" .fi~h alld wildlif~ prcseryation and
<br />recrea.tion. In many, if no~ all, portions of the entire Missomi watershed some,
<br />mnny, or all of t.hese fUllct.ions are closely interrelated. In pract.ice. programs for
<br />the comp011ent 8ubblLsin~ will he developed in several stages each of which should
<br />include provision for suitable features necessary for t.he interrelated functions such
<br />as flood control, narigatioll, irrigation, power production, etc., that are then
<br />present.
<br />2. In conformit.y with that principle, just.ification procedure should provide
<br />Cor applying the :,;UIU of all of the benefits rleriving from such an integrated basin
<br />program to all uf "he fcaLlIl'C:i illcluued in it. The fiunl allocat.ion of proportion-
<br />ate cost.s among t.he variolls multiple benefit.s that will accrue from any'one feature
<br />or group of feat.ures should, therefore, be made joint.ly and r~ported to the Con-
<br />gress in concert. by the Corps of Engicwcrs, the Bureau of RccJnmntion, Bnd the
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