(3) Increase the value of the recreational experi- 

 ence at Lake Zoar. 



Section III— Summary of the Planning 

 Process 



1.3.1 introduction. 



The planning process consists of a series of 

 steps that identifies or responds to problems and 

 opportunities associated with the Federal objective 

 and specific State and local concerns, and culmi- 

 nates in the selection of a recommended plan. The 

 process involves an orderly and systematic ap- 

 proach to making determinations and decisions at 

 each step so that the interested public and deci- 

 sionmakers in the planning organization can be fully 

 aware of: the basic assumptions employed; the 

 data and information analyzed; the areas of risk 

 and uncertainty; the reasons and rationales used; 

 and the significant implications of each alternative 

 plan. 



1.3.2 Major Steps. 



(a) The planning process consists of the follow- 

 ing major steps: 



(1) Specification of the water and related land re- 

 sources problems and opportunities (relevant to the 

 planning setting) associated with the Federal objec- 

 tive and specific State and local concerns. 



(2) Inventory, forecast, and analysis of water and 

 related land resource conditions within the planning 

 area relevant to the identified problems and oppor- 

 tunities. 



(3) Formulation of alternative plans. 



(4) Evaluation of the effects of the alternative 

 plans. 



(5) Comparison of alternative plans. 



(6) Selection of a recommended plan based upon 

 the comparison of alternative plans. 



(b) Plan formulation is a dynamic process with 

 various steps that should be iterated one or more 

 times. This iteration process, which may occur at 

 any step, may sharpen the planning focus or 

 change its emphasis as new data are obtained or 

 as the specification of problems or opportunities 

 changes or becomes more clearly defined. 



1.3.3 Specification of the Problems and 



Opportunities Associated Withi the Federal 

 Objective and Specific State and Local 

 Concerns. 



(a) The desire to alleviate problems and realize 

 opportunities should be specified for the planning 

 area in terms of the Federal objective and specific 

 State and local concerns. The problems and oppor- 

 tunities should be defined so that their definition 

 does not dictate a narrow range of alternatives. 



(b) The problems and opportunities should be de- 

 fined in such a way that meaningful levels of 

 achievement can be identified. This will facilitate 

 the formulation of alternative plans in cases in 

 which there may be financial, environmental, techni- 

 cal, legislative, or administrative constraints on the 

 total alleviation of a problem or realization of an op- 

 portunity. 



(c) The problems and opportunities should be 

 stated for both current and future conditions. De- 

 sired conditions for the future should be explicitly 

 stated. 



(d) The problems and opportunities should reflect 

 the specific effects that are desired by groups and 

 individuals as well as the problems and opportuni- 

 ties declared to be in the national interest by the 

 Congress or the Executive Branch. This identifica- 

 tion and detailing of problems and opportunities is 

 the process of making explicit the range of prefer- 

 ences and desires of those affected by resource 

 development. It should be understood that the ini- 

 tial expressions of problems and opportunities may 

 be modified during the planning process. 



1.3.4 Inventory and Forecast of Water and 

 Related Land Resource Conditions. 



The potential for alleviating problems and realiz- 

 ing opportunities is determined during inventorying 

 and forecasting. The inventory and forecast of re- 

 source conditions should be related to the prob- 

 lems and opportunities previously identified. 



1.3.5 Formulation of Alternative Plans. 



Alternative plans are to be formulated in a sys- 

 tematic manner to insure that all reasonable alter- 

 natives are evaluated. Usually, a number of alterna- 

 tive plans are identified early in the planning proc- 

 ess and become more refined through additional 

 development and through subsequent iterations. 

 Additional alternative plans may be introduced at 

 any time. 



