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<br />- <br /> <br />--..........- <br />O(j33~ <br /> <br />Special Activities <br />Flood Plain Management <br /> <br />One of the first areas of special interest addr~sed by Ihe Commission <br />was the need fOf improved managemen! of the Missouri River flood <br />plain. In 1973, the Commission formed the Middle and Lower Missouri <br />Flood Plain Commillee 10 address the problem of flood plain enero,]eh. <br />menf and recommend a process [0 develop management alternatives. <br />The Committee developed and approved a two-phase program in <br />fale 1976 to create an adequate and comprehensive information base <br />and to develop ahernative flood plain management procedures. Phase <br />I of the program was initiated in 1977 through a pilot study which <br />addressed land use issues related to alternative f100dway widths along <br />the Missouri River from St. lmeph 10 Kansas Cily, Missouri. This was <br />followed by lhe Missouri River Flood Plain legal and lnstitulional <br />Framework Study from 1978-1981, which was an analysis of slatutory <br />and case law pertaining to the management of flood halard areas <br />along Ihe Missouri River. Upon receipl of federal funds in 1980, Ihe <br />Commission initialed Phase 1/ of the program which included assembly <br />of a land resources data base and preparalion of a compatible flood <br />plain management program. After it was determined in early 1981 <br />Ihat the Commission would be terminaled, the study was reduced in <br />scope in order to complete Ihe land use inventory, a levee inventory, <br />and an analysis of river stage Irends. After the Missouri Basin Slates <br />Association was formed, il was agreed to complele the study by pub- <br />lishing the land use inventory in the form of an atlas and prepare a <br />final report which would recommend a compatible flood plain <br />management program. <br /> <br />Energy and Water <br /> <br />Another area of concern to the Commission was the potenlial of energy <br />development and the accompanying impact on the basin's waler and <br />land resources. In 1977, the U.S. \Vater Resources Council conlracted <br />with the Commission to conduct an assessment of water availability <br />for emerging coallechnologies under Section 13(a) of the Federal <br />Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974. Com. <br />pleled in 1979, the assessment showed projected levels of energy <br />development could be accommodated from the standpoint of coal <br />and waler availability. Distribution of water, however, would be Ihe <br />problem. New storage, interbasin transfers, changes in present water <br />use. or ground water developmenl would probably be required to <br />assure a water supply at desired locations. <br /> <br />As a followup to this assessment, Ihe U.S. \Valer Resources Council <br />asked the Commission to assess the availability of water and the potential <br />impacts of a proposed coal gasification plant in Mercer County, North <br />Dakota on water resources of the area. The assessment was com- <br />pleled in 1980 and showed Ihal water supplies were available for the <br />project and for Ihe needs of an increased populalion crealed by the <br />project and thai impacts on water resources of the area would not <br />be significanl. <br />In addition to addressing Ihe concerns of Woller availability for energy <br />production, the Commission was concerned with the impdct of energy <br />development on communities in the region. In 1978, wilh support <br /> <br /> <br />29 <br /> <br />- <br />