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<br />. <br /> <br />002S2g <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />- 11 - <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />moded phases and provide for emerging needs. This calls for a technically <br />qualified staff large enough .to carryon the necessary activities. In <br />most states this would mean that not only would clarifying basic legisla- <br />tion along the lines outlined above be necessary, but also larger staffs <br />would be called for. <br /> <br />Water Supply Projects <br /> <br />As problems of municipal and industrial water supply become <br />more pressing, states may be required to participate more directly in the <br />development of water supply facilities. More and more communities, es- <br />pecially in metropolitan areas, are finding that they have to go fairly <br />far afield to get a dependable water supply, This may mean that any <br />feasible total project is beyond the capacity of a single community or <br />that it would be much more economical for several communities to develop <br />a common source. Likewise, industry in some areas is experiencing more <br />difficulty in finding an adequate, dependable supply of water with high <br />enough quality for the intended uses, Though traditionally, municipal <br />and industrial water supply has been primarily a local government or pri- <br />vate responsibility, as demands for water increase and as the locations <br />of the demand become more concentrated, the resources of localities and <br />private industry may prove inadequate. <br /> <br />Some Missouri Basin States have had considerable experience with <br />the construction of water supply projects. The Montana Water Conservation. <br />Board, created in 1934, has constructed more than 200 projects for irriga- <br />tion and municipal water supply and sewage disposal. The North Dakota <br />Water Conservation Commission conducts a program of maintenance and re- <br />construction of small dams throughout the state. The North Dakota Com- <br />mission and the Wyoming Water Development Division carryon grant and <br />loan programs for local construction projects. <br /> <br />The North Dakota Commission is a public corporation, and in both <br />North Dakota and Montana the construction agencies can issue bonds or bor- <br />row money in addition to using appropriations. On the other hand,in some <br />states there are constitutional prohibitions limiting state participation. <br />In Kansas, state funds cannot be spent on internal improvements, and in <br />Minnesota, state debt cannot be contracted for that purpose. <br /> <br />The Missouri Basin Survey Commission particularly emphasized the <br />construction functions of the state agencies. They felt that within the <br />framework of the total regional development program, the state projects <br />fill a void between the large-scale federal projects and the relatively <br />limited activities of individuals or local agencies. It is, of course, <br />in this very area that some of the emerging problems are developing. The <br />Commission went on to urge that all of the Basin States consider the pos- <br />sibility of undertaking programs of construction and development of small <br />or intermediate projects either through the granting of broader statutory <br />authority to existing agencies or through creation of new agencies pos- <br />sessing more comprehensive power to activate programs. <br /> <br />There are a number of courses of action open to states that wish <br />to assist in the provision of adequate supplies of water for municipal <br />and industrial as well as agricultural uses. . Local units need adequate <br />