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12 34. Plan elements addressing the subbasin's critical municipal water supply needs may not fully satisfy the growing demands, especially in the Denver-Front Range areas. Continuing long-range studies to outline alternative solutions to this problem, including limiting population growth, are needed to monitor trends and to fully utilize ongoing and proposed near-term proj- ects. 35. Recommended plan elements will satisfy most of the needs in the area of fish and wildlife preservation and enhancement. An essential element which will specifically address these and other needs, is the proposed Upper Platte River Basin Water Manage- ment Study. The timely conduct of this study, coupled with the States' continuing fish and wildlife and out- door recreation programs and the Implementation of the Platte Level B Study conciusions, are recom- mended In order to address the subbasin's fish and wildlife and outdoor recreation needs. 36. Near- and mid-term needs for comprehensive water planning will be met through implementation of ongoing and proposed plan elements. Fundamental to this end are the results of the Commission's recently completed Platte Level B Report for Nebraska and the continuing State planning programs and ongoing Fed. eral studies. Complementing these and other pro- posed studies, Commission-led subregional analyses for the Niobrara, North Platte, and South Plalte river basins are recommended to fill out the comprehensive plan for the Platte-Niobrara Subbasin. MIDDLE MISSOURI SUBBASIN 37. The plan contains numerous Soil Conservation Service watershed studies which, when completed, will deal effectively with the problems of upstream flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. Because of the magnitude of the problems, these studies and their resulting measures should be pursued as actively as practicable. 38, Several studies are recommended In the plan to develop a needed coordinated management program for the entire Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam to more fully develop the recreational potential of this corridor. Designation of the Gavins Point-Ponca State Park reach as a recreation river and associated recre- ation developments should be accomplished as soon as possible, An ongoing Commission-led flood plain management study for the reach from Gavins Point to the mouth of the Missouri River will provide a consist- ent program for the five States to attain unified, effec- tive flood plain management. These and other main stem studies and developments such as the recent bank stabilization authorization should be coordinated closely in order to ensure compatible, complementary, and integrated planning and development by all agen- cies and States with intel'ests in the use and man- agement of the Missouri River main stem. 39. Determination and development of the full naviga- tion potential of the Missouri River is an important planning objective In the Middle Missouri Subbasin. Such development will be addressed by several State, regional, and Federal agencies. Plan. formulation for maintenance of the navigation channel and for port development should be closely coordinated. 40. Within the next eight years, almost all of the Mid- dle Missouri Subbasin will have been studied through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's cooperative studies programs, and management plans will have been developed for the Missouri River main stem through the implementation of several plan elements. Consolidating the results of these and other study ef- forts will be the purpose of a Commission- led sub- regional analysis covering the entire subbasin. To en- sure timely implementation of necessary programs and projects, the subregional analysis should begin within the next seven years. KANSAS SUBBASIN 41. The plan contains a number of elements which collectively and upon imple.mentatlon will deal effec- tively with the problem of upstream and downstream flooding. These projects ai'ld programs, which include Soil Conservation Service watershed projects and Corps of Engineers flood control structures, together with nonstructural measures, should be actively pur- sued in order to limit the growing occurrence and po- tential for flood damages in the Kansas Subbasin, 42. Because of its heavy dependence on agriculture, irrigation is an important Ingredient to the area's con- tinued economic growth and stability, especially in the western and northern portions of the subbasin, Plan elements appear to satisfy near~term requirements for irrigation development and rehabilitation, and their timely implementation is essential, , 43. Declining ground water supplies in the high plains of C.olorado, Nebraska and Kansas have created a pressing need to Identify and assess alternative ways to best manage this resource. Several study efforts addressing this problem are underway, the most ex- tensive of which is being led by the Economic De- velopment Administration with active participation from the States of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Because of the severity of the ground water depletion problem, such study efforts should be encouraged to the maximum possible extent and thoroughly coordi- nated.