agencies do this work on Federal lands which they administer with appropriate contributions being made by the local people who receive benefits. Engineering supervision is provided over flood prevention and agricultural water management construction work, either directly by the Federal Government or by advancement of funds to local organizations for employment of engineers. Technical assistance is provided to accelerate the planning and application of land treatment measures in the watersheds to prevent erosion and protect the structural work of improvement from flood and sediment damage. 3. Installation on a cost-sharing basis, of improvement measures on 54 currently active "pilot" watersheds which serve as demonstrations of the effectiveness of complete watershed treatment in preventing erosion and reducing floodwater and sediment damage. 4. Program evaluation studies in selected watershed protection projects to determine the effectiveness of structural and land treatment measures installed. 5. Surveys and investigations of the watersheds of rivers and other waterways in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as the basis for the development of coordinated programs. 6. The making of loans to local organizations to finance the local share of the costs of carrying out works of improvement for flood prevention and for the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water. PROGRAM ASSIGNMENTS The Soil Conservation Service has general responsibility for administration of the work of the Department authorized under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act and for the formulation of guiding principles and procedures. It assists local organizations with (a) the development of watershed work plans, and (b) the application of land treatment measures and the installation of structural works of improvement on non-Federal land in authorized watersheds. Some works are also installed on Federal lands by arrangement with the administering agency. It also makes surveys and investigations of the watersheds of rivers and waterways and cooperates with other agencies in the planning, development, and coordination of works and programs. The Forest Service participates in the development of watershed work plans and in the installation of watershed improvement measures. It concerns itself with (a) all national forest and other lands in the authorized watersheds that are administered by the Forest Service, (b) all range lands in or adjacent to national forests and used in conjunction with such forests under formal agreement with the landowners, and (c) certain specialized technical assistance on oher forest lands in the watersheds. It also provides specialized assistance in forestry aspects of coordinated river basin programs. The Burean of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs participate in the planning and installation of works of improvement on lands under their jurisdiction. The Agricultural Research Service assists with the development of criteria to be used in the economic evaluation of work plans and measures installed in small watershed projects. It also makes special economic analyses of specific watershed projects and of river basin resource development proposals. The Farmers Home Administration has responsibility for administration of section 8 of the act relating to loans to local organizations. Funds are made available from this appropriation to the United States Weather Bureau and the United States Geological Survey, either by transfer or reimbursement, for precipitation and runoff data needed in watershed program evaluation, planning, and design work. EXAMPLES OF RECENT PROGRESS INVESTIGATIONS AND PLANNING Agency participation Allocations of funds to the cooperating agencies for 1957 and 1958 and proposed for 1959 for investigations and planning watershed protection projects are as follows: Amounts include approximately $40,000 each year for reimbursable work performed by the U. S. Weather Bureau. Development of watershed work plans Local interest continues to grow in small watershed projects. During the 1957 fiscal year 165 new applications for watershed projects assistance were received by the Administrator from local sponsors, bringing to 712 the total received as of June 30, 1957. These applications cover 55,585,400 acres of watershed lands in 47 States and Territories. The Administrator approved 96 additional applications for work plan development during the fiscal year. As of June 30, 1957, a total of 268 applications for 20,531,200 acres of watershed lands had been approved for work plan development. A total of 91 watershed work plans had been developed by the end of the fiscal year. The following table shows the status of project applications and planning under Public Law 566 as of June 30, 1957, and estimate for 1958 and 1959. Watershed planning assistance had been authorized in 46 States by June 30, 1957. Planning parties have been approved for 42 States and planning personnet assigned to the other States on a part-time basis in accordance with their planning workload. The United States Forest Service has assigned personnel to work with the watershed planning parties in those locations where the forestry program of a watershed requires such planning assistance. Multiple-purpose works of improvement Section 2 of Public Law 566, as amended August 7, 1956, authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assist local organizations to plan and carry out multiplepurpose water and land-management projects in watershed areas of not more than 250,000 acres. Assistance from the Department in varying kinds and amounts is available in accordance with the purposes served by the project. Under the amended act local people may now include in their watershed plans all phases of water resources development to assure the best and most effective conservation use and control of water to meet their needs. In the case of flood prevention works of improvement, the cost of construction is borne by the Federal Government. The cost of irrigation and drainage works is shared equitably between the local people and the Federal Government. Where works include such purposes as improved municipal and industrial water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife improvement, pollution abatement by streamflow regulation, and saline water intrusion control as an integral part of the total plan for the protection and improvement of the land and water resources of the watershed cost of such features must be borne entirely by the local people. Local organizations have shown much interest in the multiple-purpose project approach to their watershed problems. Six of the thirteen projects approved for operations between January 1 and June 30, 1957, included purposes in addition to watershed protection and flood prevention, most of which are related to agricultural water management such as irrigation and drainage. This limited experience indicates that future watershed projects will serve the local people even better than in the past through incorporating other needed water-management features with the flood-prevention and watershed-protection measures. INSTALLATION OF WORKS OF IMPROVEMENT Agency participation Allocation of funds to the cooperating agencies of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior for 1957 and 1958 and proposed for 1959 for works of improvement on watershed-protection projects are as follows: As of December 1, 1957, approval had been given to initiate operations on a total of 60 watershed projects for which work plans had been prepared under authority of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Public Law 566, 83d Cong.), as amended. Eighteen of these have been approved for operation since July 1, 1957. It is estimated that approval will be given to begin installation of watershed works of improvement on an additional 42 projects during the fiscal year 1958. There would thus be 102 Public Law 566 projects sponsored by local organizations in operation by June 30, 1958, and receiving financial assistance from the Federal Government. In addition, it is anticipated that 60 additional projects will be approved for operation in 1959. The Federal Government's commitments for all of these projects are estimated as follows: At the close of the fiscal year 1957, there were 54 active pilot watershed projects in 32 States. Operations were terminated at the request of the sponsors in three projects during the year. The schedule for completion of works of improvement and the Federal Government's commitments for these pilot projects are estimated as follows: Good progress has been made in working toward completion of the original 58 pilot watershed projects on which work was initiated. As of June 30, 1957, 1 project had been fully completed, 3 were discontinued, 19 were 90 percent completed, and 25 were from 50 to 90 percent completed. Only 10 were less than 50 percent completed. Installation of planned watershed-improvement measures is scheduled for completion on all pilot projects by the end of the 1961 fiscal year. At the close of the 1957 fiscal year, the following major structural measures were contracted for or had been installed in pilot watersheds: Floodwater-retarding structures-- Stabilizing and sediment-control structures. Channel stabilizing and improvement (miles) ---. 231 502 234 The following table shows, by State and watershed name, descriptive information concerning each pilot and Public Law 566 watershed approved for installation of a program of works of improvement by June 30, 1957: |