To Help Control Floods 



613 



the Soil Conservation Service, carry 

 out the Federal responsibilities for the 

 work programs. The preparation of 

 the subwatershed work plans consti- 

 tutes the first step in the operations 

 phase. The work plans show what is to 

 be done, where and how it is to be done, 

 who will do it, what it will cost, and 

 who will pay for it. 



In preparing and carrying out the 

 work plans, the Department cooper- 

 ates closely with other public agencies. 

 The programs contemplate local par- 

 ticipation in installing and maintaining 

 the various measures and practices. 

 This involves furnishing equipment, 

 material, labor, financial aid. 



On the private lands, the Depart- 

 ment furnishes the technical assistance 

 and the information needed to de- 

 velop the program. It lends, operates, 

 and maintains equipment. It provides 

 material and, sometimes, labor. It 

 furnishes storage for materials and 

 supplies. It cooperates with States, soil 

 conservation districts, and the other 

 legally acceptable organizations and in- 

 dividuals in carrying out the job. 



Actually, many of the measures are 

 installed by landowners and operators 

 themselves in cooperation with soil 

 conservation districts and with assis- 

 tance from the Department of Agri- 

 culture and other Federal and State 

 agencies. The kind and amount of as- 

 sistance is based on what is needed to 

 achieve the flood-control objectives 

 and on the direct and indirect public 

 benefits to be derived. The Depart- 

 ment itself undertakes the job on lands 

 under its administration, such as the 

 national forests. It assists in applying 

 flood-control measures on public lands 

 under the administration of any other 

 Federal or any State agency in the 

 same manner as on privately owned 

 lands, thus assuring proper integration 

 of the work all over the watershed. 



MORE THAN 600 WATERSHEDS have 

 been authorized for preliminary ex- 

 amination and survey. The Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture has made prelim- 

 inary examinations of 164 watersheds, 



and completed 18 survey reports. The 

 Congress has authorized improvement 

 programs on 1 1 watersheds. Work has 

 started on all of them. 



Both the Forest Service and the Soil 

 Conservation Service are responsible 

 for making watershed examinations 

 and surveys within assigned areas and 

 for the technical and administrative 

 determinations involved. They are also 

 responsible for carrying on the oper- 

 ations called for by the approved pro- 

 grams. 



In the Forest Service the investiga- 

 tions are undertaken through the forest 

 and range experiment stations in the 

 field and under the Division of Forest 

 Influences Research in Washington. 



The operation phases are carried out 

 through the several administrative 

 regional offices and under the Division 

 of Watershed Management. 



In the Soil Conservation Service, 

 both investigations and operations are 

 carried on through the regional offices 

 in the field and under the Division of 

 Water Conservation in Washington. 



Policy, coordination, and other de- 

 partmental responsibilities are handled 

 by the Office of the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture. 



The Department's flood-control pro- 

 gram bears an important relation to 

 the work of other public agencies. Co- 

 operative arrangements are worked 

 out and maintained from the begin- 

 ning with other Federal agencies, and 

 with State and local agencies at the 

 field and the Washington levels. Such 

 voluntary correlation during the de- 

 velopment of the programs facilitates 

 later clearance of final reports before 

 their submission to the Congress. 



WATERSHED PROGRAMS cannot alone 

 prevent floods nor can they alone pro- 

 tect the major river valleys from dis- 

 astrous floods. Properly installed and 

 steadfastly maintained, however, they 

 will greatly lower the number of small 

 floods and the damages to the flood 

 plains of smaller tributaries. They will 

 materially reduce sedimentation in res- 

 ervoirs and in streams and rivers of all 



