118 OUR USE OF THE LAND 



the federal government has taken over the regulation of water' 

 power sites. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has agreed that 

 the government may generate electricity at flood control dams 

 and sell that electricity. Since floods affect navigation, flood 

 control projects are a part of the federal control of water. 



To administer these various water'use activities the federal 

 government has divided the work among various departments. 

 The Coast and Geodetic Survey supervises the charting of 

 harbors and coastal navigation, the War Department dredges 

 the harbors, builds levees along rivers like the Mississippi. 

 The Inland Waterways Corporation created by Congress in 

 1924 uses federal money to operate tugs and barges on the 

 Mississippi, the Warrior'Tombigbee'Mobile Riverway, the 

 Illinois River, and the Missouri River to transport goods. 



Since the development of railroads, the inland waterways 

 have become less important. It does not follow from this that 

 the federal regulation of water has decreased. Quite the re' 

 verse is true. The federal government is increasing its activities 

 to control floods and develop power. 



POWER 



The fact that water'power was a concern of the federal gov 

 eminent was first clearly established when President Theo' 

 dore Roosevelt withdrew from homestead entry the water' 

 power sites on public lands. The federal government had had 

 an indirect part in producing water-power when it permitted 

 water users on federal reclamation projects to sell the electric' 

 ity generated at the reclamation dams. Congress took a direct 

 interest in power, however, when, stirred by the conservation 

 policies of Theodore Roosevelt, it confirmed the President's 

 closing of government'owned water power sites by passing a 

 law preventing private individuals from taking up water'power 

 sites on government land. Since that time government has gone 

 a long way toward more complete control of power. In 1920, 



