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2-34 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Most of the irrigation facilities and structures already developed in the Missouri Basin were built or financed through either Federal or private efforts. state programs have not yet had major impact on irrigation. Large costs associated with major project construction has been one limiting factor. Also, much of the private development that has occurred serves only one or a few farmers. Colorado and Wyoming, are initiating programs for financing water development programs by taxing mineral development. However, in Colorado, Wyoming, and other basin States, future irrigation development will continue to depend largely on Federal and private investment. The relative importance of Federal irrigation programs, therefore, will continue to be great. This is reflected not only by the basinwide and statewide irrigation programs recommended for implementation, but also in the numerous irrigation programs recommended for individual subbasins. Most of these programs 'are those of the Water and Power Resources Service. Land conservation and management has long been the function of a group of u.s. Department of Agriculture programs whose significance in the Missouri River Basin is well recognized. These programs, which involve primarily the Soil Conservation Service and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service are directed not only at preserving the soil base but also at reducing the introduction of sediment into streams. Efforts to preserve the soil, therefore, serve also to improve water quality, which is increasingly important in the Missouri Basin. Water supplies are both sparse and of poor quality in many rural areas where much of the Missouri Basin population resides. One pressing water resources need, therefore, is to improve municipal and domestic water supplies in rural areas. One of the most effective tools for addressing this need is