Civil Works Organization Vital to National Defense. . How Water Resources Projects Come into Being. . . 12 14 14 20 THE SOO LOCKS connecting Lakes Superior and Huron pass about 100 million tons of cargo a year. New Poe Lock, second from the right, will accomodate carriers with twice the cargo capacity of any which are now sailing the Great Lakes system. WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS AND PROGRAMS OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has been the Federal government's principal water resources development agency since 1824. Through its Civil Works program, the Corps carries out a nationwide comprehensive water resources planning, construction, and operations effort in cooperation with all other interested agencies of government and a wide range of civic at all levels Federal, State, and local 11 and private interests. The Civil Works program is directed toward the coordinated development of the water resources of the Nation in a manner which will lead to the satisfaction of all water-related requirements, both immediate and long-range. These include flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power generation, municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supply; water quality control, recreation, and the conservation of fish and wildlife. The maximum practicable preservation and enhancement of the esthetic and ecological values of natural environments, and emphasis on structural harmony with natural settings, are increasingly important considerations in all phases of planning and construction. Special emphasis is being placed on flood plain management services in support of a national effort to help reduce the growth of flood losses through appropriate State and local regulation of the use of floodvulnerable areas as a supplement to structural flood control measures. The Corps has a major role in a nationwide comprehensive planning undertaking now in progress which will eventually provide an up-to-date inventory of all the country's water resources, and the general framework of a development program to meet, insofar as possible, all future water-related requirements. These investigations are being carried forward under the top-level guidance of the Water Resources Council as a team effort involving all interested Federal, State, and local agencies. Additionally, a special study of the so-called Appalachian region, which stretches along the mountainous spine of the Atlantic States from Alabama to Pennsylvania, is being made under Corps leadership for the purpose of formulating a program for the most effective utilization of the water resources of this severely depressed area to induce healthy economic development. Another noteworthy special study is directed toward meeting the long-range water supply needs of the tremendous and growing urban concentrations in the Northeastern United States. Among a wide range of related functions, the Corps plans and constructs projects for the prevention and repair of beach erosion and the protection of coastal areas against hurricane floods and tidal surges. It is investigating ways and means to preserve and enhance the scenic beauty of Niagara Falls, where the American Falls have been seriously deteriorating during the last quarter of a century. At the request of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, it provides engineering assistance to localities affected by major natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes, serving as an engineering and construction agency for the restoration of damaged or destroyed essential public facilities. The Corps also supplements the resources of DRY FALLS The deteriorating American Falls at Niagara after the water was temporarily shut off by a cofferdam in June 1969 to facilitate determination of what measures might be required to preserve and enhance the beauty of this world-famous natural wonder. The increasing accumulation of fallen rock at the base has marred the spectacle of an uninterrupted veil of water. |