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<br />MISSOURI RIVER BASIN
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<br />90 additional reservoirs and related irrigation works. Those studies
<br />indieate also that. an additional 952,000 kilowatts of hydroelectric
<br />powcr ,can be developed through ntilizing hcad crelLted at some of the
<br />new reservoirs. I -:" .
<br />In 1940 the value of all crops produced in the 7, arid and semiarid
<br />'States' of 't.he basin was $444,192,000, Our studies indicate that
<br />tlnough full irrigation developmen.t of the basin additional crol's with"
<br />value 61$100,500,000 per anlllUll eilll bc prod need , Thesignifieance
<br />of this. to tbe 4,699,781 peoI!le who )i.ve in ~he.Stal.es that :arc arid and
<br />semiarid fit least 111 purt, m the JVIISSOUfl RIver BaSIn, IS not found
<br />entirely in thc fact that t.h6, nIlllual increase would bc nearly e'lual to
<br />one-fourth of their entire agricultnral incomc in 1940. The increase in
<br />stabilit.y that would be provided would be the major considemtion.
<br />The ettccts of droughts, whieb in the past decadc caused a net loss of
<br />302,314 in t.hc population of the basin. would be materi"lly ameliorated
<br />wIlen such droughts j'eoceur, fiS they will in t,he future. Our esti-
<br />mates are that more than 350,000 persons would find stable farm homes
<br />on the ncwJj'"iragutrd land alone. It is ohviously importHnt, when
<br />these facts are considered, t,hat the-irrigation possibilities be realized.
<br />Much of tho water t!fat will bc used in some pllrts of t.he hasin in
<br />the irrigation of lands must be liHed by pumps to the canals. The
<br />hydroelectric power that is possible of development. mnst be closely
<br />intcgrR;ted in the irrigation plan '.or many possibilities never can be
<br />realiz'9d.. The potcntial power, Of course" will open important eom-
<br />mercial 'and industrial avenues t.hat will lead the whole area to new
<br />deveIQ"pnlents, which, in their degree, also v.il] contribute to new
<br />prosperit.y and added stability.
<br />Directly asso(',iated, also. with t,hc irrigation development will be
<br />the restoration of surface and ground-water levcls through diversion
<br />of water from the main stream and spreading it through canals. The
<br />problem of restoring Devils Lake will thus be met, and ways will be
<br />opened to at.tack the problem of, restoration of the ground wat.er in
<br />the North Dakota slLndstono strn.ta that is the source of supply of
<br />most of the domestic wells in sevcral Statcs. Divcrted water will
<br />assist also in ameliorating Jlollution prohlcms at nearly a score of
<br />cities in North Dakot.a, Sonth Dakota, und Minnesota.
<br />The Bureau of Ree!l1mntion has dcveloped an im"clltory of irrig&
<br />tion projects that is more ncarly complcte than exhibit C of your
<br />report of Sept.ember 30, 1933. House Document No. 238, Sevcnt.y-
<br />third Congress, srcond session. For the informat,ion of the corps' and
<br />those who mRY be interested in the plans for the Missouri Basin that
<br />we are developing, I am attaching our map of proposed MisS911ri River
<br />BllSin de,velopments. This map is not cpmplete as to irriglttion proj-
<br />ects of less than 1,000 acres in area. The. reservoirs showl1 to be under
<br />cOllsiderat.ion by this map, in a numbe-r of instfl.l1ces. win be useful for
<br />the production of power in addition to irrigation, and in mnll~v instances
<br />they "ill have appreciable, if not major, floodceontrol contributions to
<br />make. " . >". .~
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<br />SPECIFIC COMMEN~a:( -
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<br />In the light of the discussion that has Pl'e~ed, I offer the following
<br />comment on the report of the Board of Rfv'ers and Harbors th[l.t you
<br />have submitted:
<br />
<br />A. The authorized a.nd pr()pos~d reservoirs would provide auequ8.!.e flood con~
<br />trol, I agree, on the Republican, '~Rnss.s, Osage, and G8.scoll~de ~lVerB 8.Jld OD
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