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<br />UUlJ~~J <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />CHAPTER I <br />INTRODOCTION <br />Revisions in this plan of study may be necessary as the hydrology study <br />evolves. The plan of study is not intended to be a rigid procedure manual; <br />rather, it is to serve as a flexible guideline for the effective completion of <br />the various tasks and assignments in the study. <br />Background and Authority <br />Authority for the study is contained in the Water Resources Planning Act <br />of 1965 (P.L. 89-80, 42 U.S.C. 1962, as amended). <br />The Missouri River Basin Commission submitted a proposal to study to the <br /> <br />U.S. Water Resources Council on June 28, 1978, entitled, "Missouri River Basin <br /> <br />Hydrology Study." A chronology of events leading up to that submittal is <br />detailed under the heading "Problems and Needs." <br />Funding for initiation of the study was received in time for a FY 1980 <br />start. <br />Study Area Description <br />The Missouri River Basin includes all of the State of Nebraska; most of <br />Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and wyoming; about half of Kansas and <br /> <br />Missouri; smaller parts of Colorado, Iowa, and Minnesota; and parts of southern <br /> <br />Alberta and Saskatchewan Provinces in Canada. The Missouri River and its <br /> <br />tributaries drain 328.5 million acres within the United States and about <br />6.2 million acres within Canada. <br />Topography--There are three major physiographic divisions within the <br />basin: (1) the Rocky Mountains; (2) the interior plains; and (3) the interior <br />highlands. The Rocky Mountains are an area of exceptionally rugged topography <br />along the western boundary of the basin with many peaks surpassing 14,000 feet <br /> <br />(mean sea level) in elevation. This 35 million-acre mountainous area is <br /> <br />-1- <br />