FUTURE NEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENT 275 



Generally these ground-water reservoirs are recharged during 

 floods and then drain out slowly, so that even under natural 

 conditions they are of value in flood control. If water were 

 pumped out of them, the recharge during floods might well be 

 greater and their value in flood control enhanced. The possi- 

 bilities of manipulating the storage in these ground-water res- 

 ervoirs as an element in flood control have not been thoroughly 

 explored, although notable achievements in coordination of 

 flood control and ground-water recharge programs have been 

 made by several state and county agencies. 



RECOGNITION OF WATER RESOURCES AS A VITAL FACTOR 

 IN ECONOMICS 



Although many of the enterprises of civilization have just 

 grown haphazardly, there are some industrial plants, residen- 

 tial areas, even cities on sites that were selected after a 

 thorough study of transportation facilities, labor market, ac- 

 cessibility to raw materials and to consumers, climate, tax 

 rates, or other economic factors. In the past the water resources 

 have not generally been considered among these factors, 

 particularly in the humid regions where water supplies were 

 abundant. In recent years, however, enough areas have been 

 confronted by water shortages that water has assumed real 

 significance as a factor in economic planning, whether by an 

 industrial firm, a municipality, or a state or Federal govern- 

 mental agency. Eastern firms contemplating branch plants in 

 the West soon acquire a whole dossier on water supplies, 

 regulations, and rights. And even in the most humid states a 

 large user of water must be assured of adequate supplies before 

 selecting a site for operations. 



Many communities are already using practically all the 

 water resources available locally and some have tapped the 

 resources of surrounding areas in order to meet their progres- 

 sively increasing needs. A few areas are finding no untapped 

 water resources within economic reach, and they must of neces- 

 sity get along with what they have. To them it becomes very 

 important to make the most use of the limited water resources 



