CHAPTER SIXTEEN— CONGRESSIONAL DECISIONS ON 



WATER PROJECTS 



I. Introduction 



The subject of this chapter is the development of information per- 

 tinent to decisions by the Cong:ress as to whether to authorize particu- 

 lar water projects. This perennial task has been a vexing one for a 

 number of reasons : 



( 1 ) Water is a flowing resource ; therefore, it is in dynamic mo- 

 tion. This implies that the mathematics and the analytical prob- 

 lems of water are inherently complex and difficult. 



(2) Water touches man's existence at many vital points, con- 

 stituting both property rights and aspects of human survival and 

 welfare. In this way, it generates many and deeply felt political 

 issues. 



(3) Water projects are large and costly, but are localized in 

 particular communities; expenditures for such projects are a 

 significant tax on national resources, but their impact is primarily 

 restricted to regions where they are sited. 



(4) Water, and the relations between man and water, are af- 

 fected by many changes in the human condition : population num- 

 bers, political organization, and technology. Water problems thus 

 need to be redefined and new solutions found for them by each 

 new generation, invariably in a more complex setting. 



Philosophically, it does not matter whether water is considered the 

 ultimate resource, or whether soil, water, and air — taken together — 

 comprise the ultimate and essential elements for human survival. Wa- 

 ter is certainly central to man's existence and welfare. Life itself be- 

 gan in the water. Without water, human survival is impossible. Man 

 himself is composed of some 70 percent water, and every living crea- 

 ture is more than half water. The surface of the earth is 71 percent 

 water. Water is essential to sustain man — to support agriculture, for- 

 ests, and animal life. The hydrologic cycle provides rain for the land, 

 purifies the air, nourishes the rivers that flow back to the oceans, and 

 replenishes the ground waters that underlie much of the surface of the 

 land. 



Water projects provide civilized man with many benefits; they im- 

 pose some hazards: and they also alleviate some hazards of nature. 

 ( See illustrative table. ) 



EXAMPLES OF WATER PROJECT BENEFITS, HAZARDS OVERCOME, AND HAZARDS CAUSED 



Hazards or costs Hazards or costs that may 



Project benefits alleviated by projects be caused by projects 



Transportation Floods -_. Permanent inundation. 



Irrigation Erosion Project costs. 



Power. Waterlogged land. Losses of local tax revenues. 



Municipal water supply. Low flow Losses of scenic values. 



Recreation.. Dislocations and removals. 



Economic stimulus Microclimatic impairment. 



Additional habitat in reservoirs for water- 

 fowl, etc. Degradation of wild environment and wild- 

 life habitat. 



(426) 



