Show an y 04 0 4 1 1 41 ai chih W N FW q X ek V 17 ONE OF MANY dams and reservoirs already constructed in the missouri valley basin is the gibson dam on the sun river in montana the top of the great wall is about feet above the river bed eighty nine more such projects are planned possible benefit and the ultimate goal should be the greatest procurable economic returns and human benefits for the entire region arguments on rule even agricultural interests are divided on the pros and cons of regional authorities as opposed to operation by established federal agencies for instance in agricultural sections where there is plentiful rainfall along the lower missouri and water resources are adequate opposition is voiced as subsidized competition by the extension of irrigation public opinion is joined in industrial areas with the railroads in opposing the development of new competing waterways one basic objection to operation by the reclamation bureau has come from large land owners and ranchers of the west and northwest under the law governing the bureau of reclamation this agency cannot propose irrigation for more than acres of land for any one person abnot another her objection is that all reclamation projects must be self liquidating over a period of approximately 40 years in contrast the statutes governing TVA give 60 years or more for liquidation and a regional authority likely would not be hamstrung by the limitation of acreage proviso in a recent pronouncement however harry W bashore commissioner of the reclamation bureau said aid we continue to stand on the basic policy that the bureau will support the principle of relatively small family farms as one of the foundations of american agriculture and rural social life on new land which is brought under irrigation for the first time we shall insist that the undeveloped property be parcelled par celled in lots of not more than acres forms shrink in size during thelast the past 20 years the average size farm or ranch in the states of the missouri basin have in increased rather than diminished in size due largely to the decrease in in population for instance in 1920 the average size farm in montana was acres in wyoming was acres and in nebraska it was acres by 1940 the farms had increased to acres 1866 acres and acres respectively dust bowls droughts floods have driven farmers and ranchers from the plains states during the past decade net loss of population in in the period from 1930 to 1940 in the seven plains states was in the missouri souris area of north dakota a strictly rural farm area per cent of the population moved out equal to 1000 families of five each the financial loss entailed by this shift of population in in at least four of these states is reflected in abandoned farms abandoned towns and unused properties it is further reflected in increase of size and congestion in the three larger cities of the basin denver omaha and kansas city these benefits expected the agreed plan of the reclamation bureau and the army engineers is intended to do these things 1 provide navigation and flood control on the river from its mouth to sioux city a distance of about miles by construction of levees and revetments to provide a channel 6 feet deep and leet feet wide 2 construct 89 reservoirs and dams with a combined capacity of acre feet of water an acre foot is water a foot deep over one acre this is more than the annual average flow ot of the river at its mouth these reservoirs are to be constructed to withhold water along the main tributaries tributa ries including the yellowstone the big horn the belle fourche the cheyenne the north platte the republican the smoky hill and along the main stream 3 irrigation of 0 acres ot of new land and furnishing supplemental water to additional acres to increase crop values approximately annually on farms of about 90 acres each 4 to increase the population of the basin by about from irrigation development alone 5 to increase the assessed valuation of properties approximately 6 to furnish adequate and safe water supply and sewage facilities for 19 cities and towns along the river 7 to construct 17 hydroelectric plants which will provide kilowatt hours of electricity to be sold at an annual value of 8 to create additional recreational facilities through formation of new lakes and parks and the protection of fish and wild life 9 to introduce proper land use soil erosion conservation contour treatment and reforestation states in the missouri basin watershed include approximately two thirds of montana from the source of the missouri in the southwest corner of the state north dakota south dakota nebraska wyoming including roughly the northeast halt half from a line bisecting the state from the northwest to the southeast corner approximately the northeast quarter of colorado the north half of kansas a tip of the southwest corner of minnesota a strip along the west boundary of iowa and the northern part of missouri from a line reaching from the ozarks in the southwest in a northeasterly direction to st louis needs of the people in these widely scattered areas of long distances are divergent those living along the lower river want flood floo d protection at one se season asoli and supplemental water for navigation at others in the western and northwestern section the people want protection from local floods water for irrigation water for sanitary and domestic uses and power for various purposes the comprehensive plan which has been agreed upon is intended to store water to prevent floods and water the land in time of drought the great river will be made to serve the people to live within its basin and thus decrease its destructive power will pay tor for itself construction cost of the plan is estimated at approximately 1325 which is to be self liquidato ing from the sale of water and power over a period to be determined only of this cost has been authorized the entire nation has a stake in maintaining the agricultural productivity of the plains states for even in the drought period of 1930 1939 these seven states montana the dakotas wyoming colorado kansas and nebraska produced per cent of the nations wheat per cent of the rye per cent of our barley per cent of our oats and 10 per cent of our corn droughts the dust bowls and the lowering of the ground water level by the rampaging river has permitted wheat yields to reach 20 bushels to the acre only 5 times 1879 1882 1883 1895 and not again until 1942 in many of those intervening years the yield has been below 10 bushels to the acre and thousands of acres of seeded land have been ja abandoned year in and year out but at last the government has developed a comprehensive plan aimed at the relief of this agricultural arsenal of the nation from cut bank mont mant in the northwest to st louis in the southeast from denver in the southwest to devils lake N D in the northeast the harnessed missouri will extend its benefits budnot until after the 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