From a steep mountain stream in its upper reaches, the Missouri becomes, in the lower reaches, one of the great alluvial rivers of the world, carrying a heavy silt load and, in its wild state, winding at will through a broad, flat flood plain. The valley through which it flows changes in a corresponding manner. In the mountains of western Mon­tana the slope is steep, averaging 5.4 feet per mile above Fort Benton. There-are numerous gorges and waterfalls affording sites for high-head hydroelectric power development. Agricultural activity is limited to narrow tracts under the canyon walls.

Below Fort Benton the Missouri River enters the Great Plains, through which it flows in a well-defined “U"-shaped valley with rolling uplands extending from the tops of the bluffs on either side. Throughout this section of the river, which extends to the vicinity of Yankton, S. Dak., there , are occasional areas of alluvial land along the valley floor, or on terrace benches, which are well adapted to crop farming. Stock farming is carried on in the uplands, with dependence for winter feed upon the valley farms. However, in some areas there are extensive bad lands, characterized by extreme gullying and severe surface erosion. Under present practices such areas are largely wasteland. Through this entire Great Plains Region, the slope of the river averages 1.1 feet per mile.

In the vicinity of Yankton, the Missouri River enters the Central Lowlands, and flows through a distinctly different type of valley. The valley walls recede, leaving a broad, flat, alluvial flood plain which is very fertile, and well adapted to highly diversified agricultural activity. Drainage in the uplands is better defined, and the-hills also are well adapted to crop farming through wide areas. This general condition extends to the mouth of the river, although in its lower reaches it flows along the north edge of the Ozark Plateau, a region of more rugged topography and greater relief. The slope from Yankton-to the mouth averages 1.0 foot per mile.

The most important headwater tributary of the Missouri, the Yel­lowstone River, rises in Yellowstone Lake among the mountains of Wyoming and, behaving much like the main stem, flows in a northeast­ward direction down out of the mountain canyons into the Great Plains to its mouth just below the Montana-North Dakota state line.

The next large tributary, the Platte River, is formed by the con­fluence of the North Platte and South Platte rivers in central Nebraska; these streams rise in the mountains of central Wyoming and central Colorado, respectively. Here again the behavior of the main stem is closely reproduced. The North Platte and the South Platte flow down out of the mountains in generally eastward courses to their junction just east of North Platte, Nebr., well out in the Great Plains; thence the Platte flows on eastward toward the Central Lowlands and its entry into the Missouri at Plattsmouth, Nebr., a few miles below Omaha, Nebr.

The third large tributary, the Kansas River, is formed by the con­fluence of the Smoky Hill River and the Republican River at Junction City, Kans., which lies between the Great Plains on the west and the Central Lowlands on the east. Both of these streams rise in eastern Colorado, and flow generally eastward- across the Great Plains; from their junction the Kansas River continues in an eastward course through the-Central Lowlands to its mouth at Kansas City, Kans.

The remaining tributaries include the Milk River, an important international stream between Canada and northern Montana; the little Missouri River of western North Dakota; the minor western tributaries of North and South Dakota, the Heart, Cannonball, Grand, Moreau, Cheyenne, Bad, and White rivers; the sandhill draining Niobrara River; the James River, which possesses the dubious distinction of being the world’s flattest stream; the Big and Little Sioux rivers, which early records indicate were once thought to be one stream; and the Osage River of the Ozarks, which Kansas insists upon calling the Marais Des Cygnes.

The Missouri River Basin forms an interesting study for the historical geologist. It is believed that in pre-glacial times the upper Missouri, the Yellowstone, and the Little Missouri rivers all flowed eastward and northward to enter the McKenzie River system, which drains into Hudson Bay. The present-day Niobrara was then the head­water stream of the Missouri River system. However, during glacial times, the successive series of ice sheets cut off this northern outlet and forced the Montana and Wyoming drainage systems to find a new out­let to the south, along the face of the ice sheet. The James River Basin, the northern end of which probably drained northward in pre-glacial times, happened to drain southward as the glaciers receded, which is believed to account for its remarkably flat gradient. The present Missouri River from the confluence of the Yellowstone follows in a general way this recent course through the valley which it cut during glacial times, in spite of the fact that a more direct course to lower ground and to the sea lies to the north. These unusual relative elevations give rise to the possibility of diversion into the Souris River and Red River of the North basins, which are the remnants of the pre-glacial McKenzie drain­age system in the United States, and into the James River basin, part of which, the Missouri River captured from that system.

The lithology of the Missouri River Basin is of particular import­ance to the engineer, for it establishes the foundations upon which he must erect his structures, and the materials of which he may expect to build them. Along the western rim of the basin, in the headwaters of the Missouri itself, and of the Yellowstone and Platte rivers, the faulting and folding of the Rocky Mountains has exposed formations of all ages, from recent to pre-Cambrian. Massive foundations for large structures are available, it being generally necessary only to exercise care in the avoidance of active fault planes. Excellent material for concrete aggre­gate is practically always available within easy distance of any project site, if not upon the site itself.

Throughout the remainder of the basin, with the exception of the Ozark Plateau and the Black Hills, comparable sites for large structures are not available. Beginning near the mouth of the Missouri River there are occasional massive limestone formations which can, under favorable conditions, be used as foundations for large structures. This is particu­larly true in the adjoining Ozark Plateau. Many stream aggregates are of good quality, and crushed rock is reasonably easy to obtain. Proceed­ing up the stream, more and more shale formations are encountered, and the channel is cut in progressively younger formations. The Niobrara Chalk, outcropping in the vicinity of the Nebraska-South Dakota state line, is the last formation capable of supporting concentrated loads of large magnitude. There are no well consolidated formations along the main stem above this region, until the mountains are reached. Heavy sloughing is evident in the bluffs, and great care must be used in the selection of the foundation for any large structure, and in the design of the structure, so that the load may be distributed enough to bring it within the unit bearing capacity of the foundation materials. Available aggregates are likewise of lower and lower quality. Throughout the Dakotas, in the areas along and south of the Missouri River, there are few sources of acceptable aggregate. North of the river there are glacial deposits which yield excellent materials, but they are somewhat erratic in occurrence, and of generally insufficient quantity for large construc­tion projects. Sound quartzite outcrops at Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and there are granite outcrops in Minnesota. This same general paucity of construction materials prevails in eastern Montana, until the mountains are reached.

The Black Hills consist of an isolated upthrust dome which has been weathered to the present mountainous topography. From the point of view of foundation formations and construction materials this area compares with the Rocky Mountain region to the west.

As would be expected of so large an area, the climate over the Missouri River Basin varies widely. In the semi-arid mountain­ous headwater regions, the average annual rainfall is as low as 6 inches in some restricted areas, with a general regional average of perhaps 15 inches; Mean annual temperatures range from 40° to 43°. with a low of -61° and a high of 117°, both recorded in Montana. Winters are longhand cold; summers are short and hot, with a growing season aver­aging, as low as 100 days in some areas, and up to 120 and 130 days through most of the region. All of these values are subject to considerable-change over short distances because of the rugged terrain with consequent large differences in elevation and the effect of mountain ranges upon the movement of air masses.

Proceeding eastward and southward downstream the climate becomes moister, varying through sub-humid as the average annual rain­fall-increases gradually to a regional average of about 35 to 40 inches in the vicinity of the mouth. Temperatures change little through the Dakotas, the mean annual temperatures of North and South Dakota be­ing 40° and 46°. respectively, with a low of -60° and a high of 120°, both recorded in North Dakota. The growing season in the eastern Dakotas averages about 140 days. Further south through Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, temperatures rise to a mean annual of about 55° near the mouth, with a low in this region of -40° and a high of 118°, both recorded in Missouri. The growing season near the mouth averages about 185 days.

The stream characteristics of the basin reflect the cli­mate of the various regions. In the headwaters the streams are largely snow fed, with peak flows extending well into the summer as the snow fields of the high peaks continue to melt. Down through the wide plains areas the streams are dependent upon rainfall except for the brief spring break up, with the result that they flow full or nearly so during the spring months when the winter accumulation of ice and snow melts away, and during the spring rains, and then go nearly dry during the summer and fall. During drought years, as the decade of the thirties, many of the streams do go completely dry for extended periods, and others fade away to a few pools with intermittent flow between them. Only in those streams with headwaters in the snow fields is summer and fall flow maintained at any substantial level, and the long channels through pervious soils permit much of this flow to escape into the sub­soil. Further south and east the rainfall becomes sufficient to maintain streams during year-round flow. In many cases groundwater storage and return flow is an important factor in maintaining late summer and fall flows, and even drought period flows. An outstanding example of this is the Niobrara River which, flowing through the northern Ne­braska sand hills, seldom rises very high, but always has a dependable flow. The protracted drought of the thirties had relatively little effect upon this stream.

On the main stem there are two well defined flood periods. The first of these is referred to as the "March” rise, and is caused by the spring break up, and the melting of the snow cover on the Great Plains during the early spring rains. The second is referred to as the. "June” rise and is caused by the melting of the snow in the mountains under the late spring and early summer rains, and by the spring and early summer rains over the Great Plains. Either may be serious, depending upon the amount of snow cover in the contributing area, the rapidity of the melting, and the amount of the accompanying rains. The June rise in particular is often augmented by widespread heavy rains over the eastern plains and the lowlands of the eastern part of the basin. Several severe floods oi the lower basin have been caused by such heavy rains on the lower tributaries, runoff from which, was added to sub­stantially normal flows from the upper river.

The Missouri River Basin has a variety of mineral resources. These include copper, lead, gold, and silver in the mountain areas; more lead and some zinc along the edge of the Ozark Plateau; some petroleum in the southern part of the basin (the large mid-continent fields lie just south of the Missouri River Basin) and in Wyoming: rock suitable for construction purposes at many places through the basin, including ornamental rock, and extensive deposits of a carbonate manganese ore in southeastern South Dakota. Raw ma­terials for ceramic industry are found in many parts of the basin, and there are large deposits of lignite coal in the Dakotas. Mining is an important industry in the mountain areas, and the lead, zinc, and petro­leum of the southern part of the basin are being developed. Construc­tion materials, lignite coal, and ceramic products are generally processed for the immediate area only. No economically competitive method has yet been developed for the reduction of the manganese ore of South Dakota: this ore is, however, being studied by the U. S. Bureau of Mines with a view to developing feasible, economical procedures by which this material may compete in price with foreign manganese.

There are extensive timber lands in the mountainous areas of the headwaters, and in the Black Hills. There is also some commercial timber in the southeastern part of the basin. Elsewhere in the basin timber is of relatively little importance commercially.

Another important natural resource is simply the power of falling water, In the mountainous headwaters important blocks of hydroelectric energy are being developed, under both private and governmental agencies. Further development is planned. In the flatter regions of the basin conditions are not so favorable to the development of waterpower, but modern low head turbines with high efficiencies over wide ranges of head are capable of making effective use of the storage available at any reservoir site feasible of development on the main stem, and on many of the tributaries. The generation of hydroelectric power at such sites is planned.

The greatest single natural resource of the Missouri River. Basin is the soil. Over by far the greater part of the basin the soil is fertile and, topography and available moisture permitting, well adapted to agricultural development of many types. Well planned soil conservation procedures and irrigation developments are continually bringing greater areas into production. The soil supports not only the agricultural industry of the basin, but also the numerous industries which are based upon the processing of agricultural products for a continuously expanding range of uses.

The Missouri River Basin being an important agricultural area, it is natural that a great part of its industry should be based upon the processing of agricultural products. Such industries include meat packing, with its many related industries; the processing of dairy products; milling; the production of industrial starches, alcohols, and fibers, and the related rapidly expanding chemurgic industries; and the preparation of food products of all kinds for storage, shipment, and consumption. Other important industries include ceramics, woodworking, light manufacturing and assembly, and the fabrication of construc­tion materials. There are no heavy industries in the basin, such as the large-scale reduction of metal ores, blast furnace and rolling mill operation, and heavy assembly, although important quantities of copper ore are mined and partially processed in the mountain areas at and near the headwaters of the Missouri River.

A well-knit system of varied transportation fa­cilities covers practically the entire Missouri River Basin. Railroads cross the mountains on the west in routes West from Denver, Colo., Cheyenne, Wyo., and Billings, Mont. These cities are interconnected, and rail routes East from them expand into a network connecting Bismark, N. Dak., Pierre, S. Dak., Omaha, Nebr., and the Kansas Cities, Mo. and Kans., with St. Louis, Mo., Rock Island, Ill., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and eastern points. Connections from Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis also Extend southward to Santa Fe, N. Mex., Dallas, Tex., Tulsa, Okla., Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn., and southern points. A well-developed system of primary and secondary roads also covers the basin, supplementing and extending the facilities of the railroads, and furnishing all weather access to practically all communities. Good farm to market roads are also available through most of the basin. The Missouri River has been improved for naviga­tion as far upstream as Omaha, and some improvement has been made as far upstream as Sioux City, Iowa, an important trade and transporta­tion center. This improvement is continuing, work having been recently resumed after a shutdown to conserve critical materials and manpower during the war. The basin is also crossed by several transcontinental air routes, which are supplemented by numerous feeder lines. All larger cities have airports, and many smaller communities are providing facili­ties for air transportation.

The population of the Missouri River Basin varies in intensity with the intensity of agriculture and with the degree of industrial development. In the northwestern mountain states of Mon­tana and Wyoming the average population is approximately 5 per square mile. Proceeding Southeastward the more intensive agricultural prac­tices and the greater industrial development support a greater unit popu­lation. The Great Plains region states have an average population of approximately 14 per square mile. The cities of Denver, Colo., Pueblo, Colo., Sioux City, Iowa, Lincoln, Nebr., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Omaha, Nebr., and Kansas City, Mo.-Kans., are classed as centers of metropoli­tan areas by the U. S. Bureau of the Census. St. Louis, Mo., while not in the basin geographically, lies at the mouth of the river, and is quite important to the transportation and industry of the region.

The total population of the nine states, parts of which make up the Missouri River Basin, is, according to the 1940 Census, 12,622,184, which is approximately 9.1 percent of the total population of the United States. The average population intensity of all of the states of the basin is 12.1 per square mile, as compared with a national aver­age of 44.2 persons per square mile.

Throughout the semi-arid regions of the Missouri River Basin the use of water for irrigation is a practical necessity to successful crop farming of any sort. In many areas hay meadows are also irrigated by overflow which, if not produced naturally by spring floods, is caused by diversion dams and weirs. Irrigation procedures are also resorted to to increase yields and insure production in wide areas of the sub-humid regions, and to some extent throughout the basin. In 1939, according to the U. S. Bureau of the Census, there were 2,003,522 acres under irrigation above Sioux City, Iowa, in the Missouri River Basin, and 2,399,590 acres under irrigation below Sioux City; a total irrigated area within the basin of 4,403,112 acres. On the basis of an irrigation diversion of 3.0-acre feet per acre, this acreage would require an annual diversion of approximately 13,200,000-acre feet of water. Since approxi­mately half of this will be returned to the stream through ground water flow, this amounts to a net annual depletion of approximately 6,600,000-acre feet of water for irrigation. These figures give an idea of the im­portance of irrigation farming in the basin. On the basis of slightly over 40 acres of irrigated land per family, it may be estimated that there are 100,000 families in the basin which are to a greater or less extent directly dependent upon irrigation.

A wide variety of crops are grown under irrigation. Probably the simplest irrigation procedure is the overflow irrigation of hay lands mentioned above; such lands are also irrigated by ditch. Other irrigated crops of wide importance include sugar beets, grain, forage crops, fruit, and truck garden produce, depending upon the climate and the demand of the local area involved, or the shipping facilities at hand.

General irrigation has been practiced as far east as Williston, N. Dak., in the northern part of the basin, and Kearney, Nebr., in the more southern part. Successful irrigation ventures have been carried on further east in some areas. However, as the humid area is approached, the overhead items of ditch maintenance and water charges become more burdensome in relation to the regular additional return from irrigation farming, and irrigation is not necessary at all for long periods during which higher rainfall prevails. These conditions lead to a breakdown of proper irrigation practices on the part of the individual farmer, and a reluctance to bear the fixed charges, even though a small amount of water during a critical period will sometimes save an entire crop from otherwise disastrous loss, even in the most humid regions. Because of these attitudes, irrigation projects east of about the 100th meridian should be developed cautiously, until it is clearly established that the crops proposed, and the local conditions are conducive to profitable operations over an extended period, so that farmer cooperation is assured.

The magnitude of direct and indirect flood damages makes it im­perative that every effort be made to control the discharge of flood flows, both through the means of levees to protect against high stages, and storage reservoirs to decrease the stages. On a stream having the alluvial plain characteristics of the Missouri River it is not feasible to build levees high enough to protect against upstream discharges without condemning excessive valley widths for the floodway. For this reason, reservoir capacity to reduce such discharges to controllable volume are required. On the other hand, such reservoirs cannot protect against intense rainfall and resulting high runoff which takes place in down­stream areas. Since there are no suitable reservoir sites below the vicinity of Yankton, S. Dak., levees for the protection of valley lands below this point are indicated.

In the design of hydroelectric power developments on a river such as the Missouri, it is necessary to take full account of the several water use requirements. The height of the power pool must not be allowed to encroach upon the storage capacity required for adequate flood control. The requirements of the power demand must not be permitted to interfere with the meeting of normal irrigation requirements. Navi­gation flows, representing a heavy investment in plant and facilities which is worthless without water, must be maintained. Domestic water supply and sanitary requirements must be met.

In the upper, semi-arid regions of the Missouri River Basin the supply of domestic water is a critical problem. In many cases such supplies are obtained from ground water, or from the collection of rainwater. In other cases, however, rivers may be used as a source of supply. When rivers are available for domestic water supply this use has widely recognized pri­ority on the water available. Since the population in these areas is in general sparse, sewage disposal problems are not ordinarily difficult, and what little discharge there is into the streams is not generally a serious problem.

In the lower part of the basin both of these problems become very important in some areas. The large cities along the main stem all secure their water supplies from the Missouri River, and all discharge their sewage into the stream, with relatively little if any treatment. In order to maintain a stream of sufficient purity that water supplies taken from it will not require excessively expensive treatment, and in order to prevent the creation of a serious nuisance below sewer outfalls, it is mandatory that a certain minimum flow be maintained at all times. Because of the greater activity of microscopic organisms at higher tem­peratures, and the resultant higher biochemical oxygen demand at such temperatures, this minimum flow is higher in the summer months than in the winter. The maintenance of this flow at the appropriate seasonal minimum is a health problem of great importance.

Recreational facilities also suffer severely. The outstanding example is Devils Lake, in eastern North Dakota, Formerly having an area of approximately 93,500 acres, with an area of 50,000 to 55,000 acres in the early 1900’s, this body of water fell steadily for many years. During the drought years it reached a low of approximately 4,350 acres, at the same time falling in level more than 30 feet from known elevations. During this process the water became so heavily mineralized that aquatic life was practically exterminated, only a few very simple forms of algae persist. The mud flats around the shrunken lake developed a strongly disagreeable odor and, upon drying, became the source of clouds of alkali dust which killed vegetation for considerable distances back from the shore.

All of these problems have led to the development of a very strong feeling in this area in favor of diversion of water from the Missouri River for delivery into these streams. A variety of methods of doing this have been proposed. One group of plans would divert from the Missouri River in eastern Montana or western North Dakota by gravity and pump into the Souris River in western North Dakota, rediverting from this stream to the James and Sheyenne Rivers, and to Devils Lake. The Sheyenne River being a tributary of the Red River of the North, the requirements along the latter stream would be capable of fulfilment by adequate diversions into the Sheyenne River. Another group of plans would divert from the Missouri River in central North Dakota by gravity and tunnel from a high dam and reservoir, or by gravity and pump from either a high dam and reservoir or from a low dam and reservoir, the latter being in some plans little more than a control weir. Diversion flows from these proposals would be into the headwaters of the James and Sheyenne rivers, and water for the Souris River and Devils Lake would be taken from the canal system and the Sheyenne River, respectively.

All of these diversion schemes are based upon the unusual relative elevations noted under the General Description above. Because of their important effect upon low water flows during periods of protracted drought they must be considered in any truly comprehensive plan for the development of the Missouri River Basin water resources even though, of all the streams involved, only the James River is a tributary of the Missouri River. Return flows through the James River would be of little significance in these diversions.

Other diversions into the lower James River valley have been proposed for irrigation purposes. However, the behavior of such proj­ects would be similar to any large irrigation development, so that they are little different from equivalent valley irrigation in their effect upon long range planning.

The U. S. Engineer Department began to be concerned with the Missouri River shortly after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the explorations of Lewis and Clark in 1804-06, since these events were soon followed by early, primitive navigation on the stream. As the area developed, navigation improved. In 1832 the improvement of critical points along the river was initiated. In 1884 the Missouri River Commission was organized, with jurisdiction over the work of the Engineer Department in the basin. Although the Commission never had the funds to carry out its program in full, the principles which it formulated have been followed closely in subsequent improvements up to the present time. The Missouri River Commission was discontinued in 1902, and the work of carrying out navigation improvements reverted to the District and Division organization of the Engineer Department which, with various modifications of jurisdictions of the several offices, has been maintained to the present, The work of this early period was in general limited, to the dredging of critical bars, the improvement of harbors, and the pulling of snags. These operations were carried on from the mouth of the river to Fort Benton, Mont. Funds were never made available for a systematic improvement of the entire river during this period.

The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation was set up, originally as the Reclamation Service, by the Reclamation Act of 1902, for the specific purpose of reclaiming the arid and semi-arid regions, of the western United States through the construction of reservoirs, canals, laterals, and other appurt­enances. Provision was made for the use of certain public funds, set up in the Reclamation Fund, which would be repaid by the districts to be organized to take over the operation of the completed projects. The operations of the Bureau of Reclamation are by statute limited to the states lying in whole or in part west of 98th meridian. Early operations consisted of the development of supplemental water for existing projects, the coordination of such projects, the development of new projects, and the development of new areas. Through these activities the irriga­tion of important new areas has been possible.

The "308” reports are a series of reports covering most of the rivers of the United States. They were authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1927 and take their designation from the fact that they were all listed in House Document No. 308, 69th Congress, 1st session. The specific purpose of these reports was to study each watershed "with a view to the formulation of general plans for the most effective improvement of such streams for the purposes of navigation and the efficient development of the potential waterpower, the control of floods, and the needs of irrigation—”. Following the disastrous floods of 1927 on the Mississippi River, the Flood Control Act of 1928 di­rected that the "308” reports covering the Mississippi River system in­clude special consideration of flood problems on that stream. The "308” reports for the Missouri River and for its tributaries contain a basin-wide plan for the accomplishment of these objectives, based on the information available at that time; the last "308” report relating to the Missouri River Basin, the main stem report which summarized all the tributary studies, was submitted to the Congress in 1933. While pre­pared by the U. S. Engineer Department, these reports included im­portant data developed by cooperating agencies which included the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Power Commission.

The "308” reports do not include a description of the presently authorized plan, as has been erroneously implied by some of the dis­cussions recently published with reference to the development of the Missouri River Basin. The extensive studies made for these earlier re­ports have been utilized in the more recent studies, and many of the individual projects recommended before have been found to be suitable for inclusion in the present plan. This present plan may be described as an up to date, extensive revision of the "308” plan to meet current and future needs as determined by the U. S. Engineer Department and the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in view of recent developments, and in cooperation with other interested agencies, including the Federal Power Commission, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the U. S. Public Health Service, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In order to coordinate the activities of the various Federal agencies interested in the development of the nation’s water resources; there have been in effect for several years certain agreements. The first of these was often referred to as the Tri-Partite Agreement. It was entered into by the U. S. Engineer Department, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1939 for the specific purpose of providing for a regular; exchange of data on the projects in which more than one agency was interested so as to coordinate the studies of the several agencies and avoid wasteful duplication of effort. Periodic meetings of the repre­sentatives of the three agencies were provided for. In 1943 this agree­ment was superseded by the so-called Quadri-Partite Agreement, entered into by the same three agencies and the Federal Power Commission. This agreement, operating in the same manner as the former, is in effect today, with regular coordinating conferences of the four agencies concerned.

As the developments of recent years indicated that extensive action was required to utilize properly the po­tentialities of the Missouri River, various studies were undertaken look­ing toward the planning of such action. One of these was in response to a Congressional directive for a review of previous reports for flood control from Sioux City, Iowa, to the mouth (resolution of the Com­mittee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, adopted May 13, 1943), to determine whether any revision was advisable. This request was prompted by the serious floods of early 1943. House Document No. 475, 78th Congress, 2nd session, the so-called “Pick-Plan”, was the re­sult. This report recognized that in order to ensure adequate flood protection, consistent with other beneficial uses of the river, it would be necessary to construct a series of levees along the main stem of the Missouri River from Sioux City to the mouth and, in order to prevent excessive levee heights and floodway widths, reduce the flood crests by a series of upstream reservoirs, the storage capacity and head of which might also be used to provide domestic and sanitary water requirements, irrigation and navigation flows, and hydroelectric power. This plan was presented as a basic framework, including the main stem and principal headwater reservoirs only. These structures or their equivalent were considered to be mandatory to a full utilization of the tremendous natural resource which is the Missouri River. Detailed plans for tributary development were not included for two reasons. Such plans were not within the scope of the report as indicated in the Congressional directive, and it was considered that, having the main stem reservoir system established, an expanding economy of the area, might be anticipated, so that long range detailed plans would of necessity be subject to consider­able revision, as the principal features of the plan were constructed. After review and comment by interested agencies, this document was submitted to the Congress by the Secretary of War on December 31, 1943.

While the U. S. Engineer Depart­ment was engaged in the preparation of this plan of main stem develop­ment, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation was also engaged in studies look­ing toward an overall plan for the Missouri River Basin within its field of action. Since any comprehensive plan must consider all water uses, this plan also considered large storage reservoirs on the main stem, and levees below Sioux City, Iowa. In the tributary areas the studies of the Bureau of Reclamation permitted a more accurate forecast of the prob­able future trends of irrigation development. Based on this information the plan prepared by this agency was considerably more detailed in so far as irrigation projects were concerned. Power developments at head­water reservoirs were also provided for. As might be expected from the plans of two agencies working on different phases of the same problem, there was substantial agreement on overall objectives, with minor dif­ferences on some specific features. Including more of the tributary projects, and extensive irrigation development, the plan of the Bureau of Reclamation called for considerably more work to be done; the plan of the Engineer Department contemplated somewhat more extensive development of the main stem. Different plans were provided for the supply of water to the diversion area of the eastern Dakotas. After review and comment by interested agencies, the plan of the Bureau of Reclamation, sometimes referred to as the “Sloan Plan”, was submitted to the President by the Secretary of the Interior on May 1, 1944, and was presented in the Senate on May 5, 1944. It was printed as Senate Document No. 191, 78th Congress, 2nd session.

During the summer of 1944 these two plans were widely discussed by the various Federal agencies, State agencies, and local interests concerned. On October 16-17, 1944, repre­sentatives of the two author agencies met in Omaha, Nebr., and, after a careful study of the points of difference between the two plans, pre­pared a combined plan including the common features of both and reconciling the differences. The report of this conference, with further comment by the Chief of Engineers and the Commissioner of Reclama­tion, was presented in the Senate on November 21, 1944, and subse­quently printed as Senate Document No. 247, 78th Congress, 2nd session.

Public Law 534: The plan of development described in this docu­ment was approved, and initial phases were authorized, by the Flood Control Act of 1944, Public Law 534, 78th Congress, 2nd session, ap­proved December 22, 1944.

The plan so authorized was primarily a flood control, irrigation, and power plan. The needs of navigation were provided for, but no specific proposals were included. The recom­mendations of the U. S. Engineer Department with regard to navigation had been previously presented to the Congress by the Secretary of War in 1938 and were printed at that time as House Document No. 214, 76th Congress, 1st session. This document recommended the provision of a 9-foot channel for open river navigation from the mouth of the Missouri River to Sioux City, Iowa, by the continuation and extension of the methods in progress on the 6-foot channel through this reach, systematic work on which was first authorized for the lower river only in 1912. These improvements consist of channel stabilization, the con­struction of suitable control works to confine the low water flow, re­vetment of banks, and such supplemental dredging as may from time to time be required to maintain the project depth at critical points.

The construction of the 9-foot channel so recom­mended was authorized in the River and Harbor Act of 1945, Public Law 14, 79th Congress, 1st session, approved March 2, 1945.

An important provision of both the Flood Control Act of 1944 and the River and Harbor Act of 1945 should be pointed out. These acts specifically provide that in the preparation and submission of any report on a proposed improvement, such report shall be submitted to the Governor of the State, or States concerned for comment. A period of 90 days, shall be allowed for the submission of such comment. This is to be done as one of the last steps prior to the formal submission of the report to the Congress by the preparing agency. This supplements the established policy by which subordinate offices determine the desires of local interests through the means of public hearings as one of the first steps in the preparation of the report, and work with such public and private agencies as have any responsible interest in the conception and design or the improvements involved. While numerous instances from the past operations of the agencies concerned might be cited to demonstrate the efforts of these agencies to cooperate fully with local interests and agencies, this provision removes certain past legal restrictions, establishes a systematic procedure for full cooperation, and furnishes a further assurance that the desires of the people most concerned in the proposed improvements will be heard.

The storage capacity of these reservoirs would be used for flood con­trol, silt control, the development of hydroelectric power, and irrigation. Irrigation uses contemplate 460,900 acres of new lands, and the pro­vision of a supplemental water supply for 208,700 acres of land now being served with an inadequate water supply. The development of hydroelectric power would be accomplished at the Canyon Ferry project listed above, and at power plants located at Lyons and at Portage.

The storage capacity of these reservoirs would be used for flood control, silt control, the development of hydroelectric power, and irrigation. Irrigation uses contemplate 509,560 acres of new lands, and the pro­vision of a supplemental water supply for 204,500 acres of land now being served with an inadequate water supply. The development of hydroelectric power would be accomplished at the Mission, Yellowtail, Boysen, Kane, Hunter Mountain, Thief Creek, and Sunlight projects listed above, and at power plants located at Bald Ridge and Tongue River.

It should be reiterated that the capacities given are tentative, especially for the main stem reservoirs. Final storage capacities will depend upon final pool elevations which are to be determined, or have been recently determined, on the basis of more detailed plans and cost estimates. Studies to develop this information are now in progress, and agreement has been reached on the elevation to which Garrison Reservoir is to be constructed. This main stem reservoir system was selected to most ef­fectively serve the present and ultimate requirements of flood control, irrigation, navigation, hydroelectric power, and other uses. Other uses include the diversions into the watersheds of the Souris, Sheyenne, and James rivers and Devils Lake for the provision of domestic and municipal water supplies, stream sanitation, conservation, and irrigation. Hydro­electric power will be generated at ail of the main stem dams, and at several of the diversion structures. The dam and power plant at Big Bend will be substantially a run-of-river project to utilize the head between Oahe Dam and Fort Randall Reservoir. The dam and power plant at Gavins Point will serve primarily to reregulate releases from the Fort Randall power plant, with incidental power generation, so as to permit flexible operation at Fort Randall without damaging surges being released downstream. The irrigation uses, including the diversion area projects, contemplate the development of 2,292,000 acres of new land.

The storage capacity of these reservoirs would be used for flood control, silt control, the development of hydroelectric power, and irrigation. Irrigation uses contemplate 212,980 acres of new lands, and the provision of a supplemental water supply for 11,300 acres of land now being served with an inadequate water supply. The development of hydroelectric power would be accomplished at the Heart Butte project, and the development of pumping power is planned at the Angostura project.

The storage capacity of these reservoirs would be used for flood control, silt control, and irrigation. Irrigation uses contemplate 1,284,060 acres of new lands, and the provision of a supplemental water supply for 21,804 acres of land now being served with an inadequate water supply. The possibility of additional new irrigation lands and of power develop­ment at some of these projects has also been noted.

The storage capacity of these reservoirs would be used for flood control, silt control, and other beneficial uses.

The plan also contemplates, as a complement to the reservoir system for the protection of the lower river, the construction of a levee system from Sioux City, Iowa, to the mouth. These levees have been tenta­tively specified to have a 10-foot crown width, both in agricultural and urban areas. Agricultural levees would have side slopes of 1 on 3 on the river side, and 1 on 5 on the land side, with a 2-foot freeboard above the design flood, after settlement. Urban levees would have side slopes of 1 on 3 on the river side and 1 on 4 on the land side, with a 3-foot freeboard above the design flood. This cross section is subject to modi­fication where local conditions impose special problems; through areas of high property value, reinforced concrete flood walls will be provided in lieu of levees. The width of floodway and the height of the levee system, will be designed so that, supplemented by the system of reser­voirs described above for the main stem and the lower tributaries, pro­tection will be provided against all past floods of record. Appropriate interior drainage facilities will be included.

As a third item applicable to this lower reach of the river, the plan contemplates the improvement of the stream for navigation. A 9-foot channel with a bottom width of 300 feet is authorized, and work is under way. While authorized under a separate act, the improvements in connection with this channel are important to the flood control works, for they consist in large part of structures to stabilize the river. Such structures are necessary in any event to prevent the loss of levees through meandering of the river.

1. House Document No. 475, 78th Congress, 2nd session; Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting a letter from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated December 31, 1943, submitting a report, together with accompanying papers and illustrations, on a Review of Reports on the Missouri River, for Flood Control along the Main Stem from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mouth, requested by a Resolution of the Committee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, adopted on May 13, 1943. March 2, 1944.—Referred to the Committee on Flood Control and ordered to be printed with two illustrations.

2. Senate Document No. 191, 78th Congress, 2nd session; Conserva­tion, Control, and Use of Water Resources of the Missouri River Basin in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri (Report by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes on Bureau of Reclamation’s Plan for Basin Development) April 1944. May 5 (legislative day, April 12), 1944—Ordered to be printed with illustrations.

3. Senate Document No. 247, 78th Congress, 2nd session; Report of a Committee of Two Representatives each from the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, and Bureau of Reclamation, appointed to Review the Features of the Plans presented by the Corps of Engineers (House Document No. 475) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Senate Document No. 191) for the Compre­hensive Development of the Missouri River Basin. November 21, 1944.—Ordered to be printed.

4. Flood. Control Act of 1944, Public Law 534, 73th Congress, 2nd session, approved December 22, 1944.

5. River and Harbor Act of 1945, Public Law 14, 79th Congress, 1st session, approved March 2, 1945.

(Obtainable through the Superintendent of Doc­uments, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.)

1. Flood Control Plans for the Missouri River, by R. C. Crawford, Brigadier General, Division Engineer, Missouri River Division, Omaha, Nebraska; Civil Engineering for October, 1944, Vol. 14, No. 10, P. 413.

2. Regional Development of the Missouri Basin, by Harry W. Bashore, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D. C.; Civil Engineering for November, 1944. Vol. 14, No. 11, P. 461.

3. Flood Abatement by Headwater Measures, by Howard L. Cook, Office of Water Utilization, War Food Administration, Wash­ington, D. C.; Civil Engineering for March, 1945, Vol. 15, No. 3, P. 127.

(Copies of Civil Engineering may be obtained from the publishers: American Society of Civil Engineers, 33 West 39th Street, New York 18, New York.)