V-33 



CATEGORY FOUR 

 PLANNING, COORDINATING, AND LICENSING PROGRAMS 



These are the Government agencies whose functions lie generally in 

 the field of planning, coordinating or licensing. Their activities 

 as they relate to or affect the estuarine zone are briefly described. 



The Water Resources Council 



The Water Resources Council, established in the Water Resources 

 Planning Act of 1965 (PL 89-90) awards planning grants to the States 

 for their comprehensive planning in the development of water and 

 related land resources, including estuarine resources. This planning 

 considers that the Nation's estuaries and coastal areas are inseparably 

 related to their watersheds and to the rivers which supply them with 

 fresh water. These watershed relationships determine the characteris- 

 tics of estuaries and coastal areas and influence their usefulness to 

 man. Among the many objectives of such planning is a consideration 

 of appropriate regional institutional arrangements necessary to 

 implement the comprehensive plans. It also advises the President on 

 national water policy, maintains a continuing assessment of national 

 water supply needs, and coordinates the activities of Federal water 

 resources agencies. The Council also oversees the execution of con- 

 gressional ly authorized comprehensive water and related land resources 

 planning projects for specific river basins. Existing Federal-State 

 river basin commissions under the aegis of the Council are organized 

 and functioning in 15 of the 30 coastal States, and alternative Federal' 



