U.S. DEPJUlTOUiT 0? COMMERCE
Catkins! Technical lafonsstsesi Service
-260 1
COMPREHENSIVE HATER QUALITY PROJECT CHESAPEAKE
BAY - SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASINS (PROSPECTUS)
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
AUGUST 1962
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Regional Center for Envii onmental Information
US EPA Region III
1650 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
SHEET
1. Report No.
3. Recipient's Accession No.
PB-260
4. Title and Subtitle
Comprehensive Water Quality Project Chesapeake Bay-Susquehanna
River Basins (Prospectus) .
5. Report Date
Aug 62
6.
7. Author(s)
8. Performing Organization Kept.
No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Public- Health Service, Charlottesville, Va. Div. of Water
and Pollution Contol.
10. Project/Task/Work Unit No.
11. Contract/Grant No.
12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address
13. Type of Report & Period
Covered
14.
15. Supplementary Notes
16. Abstracts y^ analysis of the Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin and the Susquehanna Kiver
Basin and the factors which will determine the future of the water quality is presented
The five elements of this project are: l) determination of existing quantity and
quality of water resources; 2) determination of future water requirements and .
pollution loads; J) analysis of the existing and projected water resource status;
4) development of a water quality management programj 5) identification of research
requirements. Organization of the project is presented listing the major sub-basins
of the Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin.
17. Key Words and Document Analysis. 17a. Descriptors
I7b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms
Chesapeake Bay
Susquehanna River
*Coastal water
Ground water
Tidewater
Environmental research
17e. COSATI Field 'Group
*Water management
*Water quality
Water resources
Water distribution
Water pollution
18. Availability Statement
19. Security Class {This
Report)
UNCLASSIFIED
20. Security Class (This
Page
IJNC1. \SS1FIED
21. No. of Pages
20p
22. Price
FORM NTIS-3S IREV. 10-73) tNDORSKD BY ANSI AND UNKSOO.
THIS FORM MAY BE REPRODUCED
USCOMM-DC 6269-P74
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V
PROSPECTUS
Comprehensive Water Quality Project
Chesapeake Bay - Susquehanna River Basins
August 1962
U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare |
Putollc Health Service ]
Div. of Water Supply and Pollution Control j
Region III \
Charlottesville, Va. I
U.S. EPA Region HI
Regional Center for Environmental
Information
1650 Arch Street (3PM52)
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 2
Purpose and Scope 3
General Description U
Basic Concepts 9
Elements 10
Organization of the Project 11
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INTRODUCTION
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The United States Public Health Service, Department of Health, j
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Education, and Welfare, has long recognized the need for a comprehensive |
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water quality study of the Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin including the \
Susquehanna River Basin. There are current problems of water supply and
pollution control which adversely affect the optimum utilization of the Basin's
water resources for municipal and industrial uses, recreation, fisheries, and
other beneficial uses. In addition to pollution resulting from disposal of
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municipal and industrial wastes, drainage from active and abandoned coal mines is
a significant pollution contributor in the Project area. Increasing population
and economic and industrial development are constantly adding to these problems.
A thorough study of the current situation and the probable future development j
is necessary to the formulation of a program to insure optimum water quality
management. Such a study would not only involve the co-ordinated efforts of !
many Federal, State, and local agencies, but also public and private insti-
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tutions, and industrial and commercial organizations whose interests are \
directed to the most efficient development, utilization, and management of the 5
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Basin's enormous water resources. f
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Under its authority for developing comprehensive programs for water
pollution control, as set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(P.L. 660) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 196l !
(P.L. 87-88), the USPHS, DHEW, has initiated a comprehensive water quality j
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project for the Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin. This project is one of a !
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series of regional I/ projects designed to develop comprehensive programs for
water quality management vlilch will alleviate current problems and meet the
requirements of future years.
This prospectus describes the purpose, scope, and concepts, and out- I f
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lines the elements and general organization of the study which is designed to j \
collect necessary information and data and to formulate a comprehensive water j
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quality management program. j
PURPOSE AND SCOPE j
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The purpose of the project will be to acquire as complete a knowledge as i
possible of the water quality conditions of the Basins and the factors which I
will determine the future water quality, and based upon this knowledge, to
develop a program to improve, protect, and preserve the quality of surface,
ground and coastal water for all beneficial uses during the next 50 years.
This project will be concerned with present and projected water requirements
for domestic, municipal and industrial purposes and with the management of the
quality of water resources for public health, community growth, industrial and
commercial development, recreation, fish, wildlife, and agriculture.
The project seeks the active co-operation of Federal, State, and local
agencies and envisions the utilization of all available data which would
contribute to the study. The project will involve correlative and co-operative
studies with state governmental agencies having an interest in water resource
I/ These include the following current basin projects: Columbia River,
Arkansas-Wblte-Red Rivers, Colorado River, Illinois River and Great Lakes,
Delaware River, and Tri-State Metropolitan and Hudson River.
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development. Also, studies will be made in co-operation with Federal agencies
such as Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, U. S. Geological Survey,
Department of the Interior ^ and the Department of Agriculture. In addition,
public and private institutions will be consulted in order to utilize all
available competencies on the subject.
The resultant reports will supplement other available reports and j <
studies of such agencies as Corps of Engineers for flood control, navigation ! j
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and hydroelectric power; the Department of Agriculture for the development I
of small watersheds] and others. j
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The end result will be alternate proposals and recommendations which will j
serve as a framework to aid Federal, interstate, state, and local jurisdictions
in planning, developing, and co-ordinating future water resource management
programs. The comprehensive reports will delineate problem areas and suggest
possible solutions; project population and economic growth; predict future
water supply and related waste disposal requirements; outline water quality
objectives and propose means of meeting those objectives; point out the needs, ;
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benefits, and costs for stream flow regulation; suggest reseanch studies or j
projects necessary to increase knowledge in specific fields of interest. In i
the development of these reports, careful attention shall be given to main- 5
taining a balance between the engineering, economic, and planning aspects of <
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long range comprehensive programming. I
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION j
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The geographic area to be considered is that drained by the Chesapeake
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B&y and its tributaries, a land area of approximately 67,000 square miles.
This area includes almost all of Maryland, about 65 percent of Virginia,
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CHESAPEAKE BAY DRAINAGE BASIN
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50 percent of Pennsylvania, and about 12 percent of both New York and West
Virginia. Residing in the Basin are approximately ten million people,
two-thirds of whom live in urban areas.
The Chesapeake Bay geologically is the drowned mouth of the Susque-
hanna River and the largest tidal estuary in the United States. It ranges
from 4 to ho miles in width and stretches over 200 miles in length. The
tidal shoreline of the Bay and its tributaries totals approximately 5600
statute miles, compared to the nation's continental shoreline of only about
hQhO statute miles. About 80 percent of the Basin is drained by the
Susquehanna, Potomac and Janes Rivers.
The Susquehanna, the largest river on the Atlantic Coast of the
United States, has a basin area of 27*000 square miles. This river flows
from its headwaters in Hew York State, across Pennsylvania, to enter the
Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
The Potomac River system, beginning in the Appalachian Mountains of
West Virginia and Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, drains an
area of 14,700 square miles. This tributary provides the National Capital
Area with an excellent waterway to the Chesapeake Bay. The North Branch and
the main stem of the Potomac form the southern boundary of the State of
Maryland.
The James River rises in the Allegheny Mountains and flows in a
southeasterly direction across central Virginia draining 10,000 square miles \
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before entering the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads. j
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About 60 percent of the Chesapeake Bay Basin is woodland while approxi-
mately 30 percent is cropland and pasture. The climate is generally one of
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warm, humid summers and moderate winters. Severe storms are infrequent and
prolonged droughts are rare. Snowfall -varies from 10 inches in the Coastal
Plain to 50 inches in the mountains. The annual average rainfall of about
inches is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year and is generally
sufficient for agricultural needs.
Population within the Basin has been increasing at a rate well above
the national average. Estimates from census figures for the past several
decades are as followb:
Year
1920
1930
194Q
1950
I960
Urban
--
--
5,1463,000
6,730,000
Rural
--
--
--
3,058,000
3,^00,000
Total
6,100,000
6,600,000
7,2.5 k, 000
8,521,000
10,130,000
This population is largely concentrated in rapidly growing industrial
and metropolitan areas. Standard Metropolitan. Statistical Area Populations
within the Basin as reported by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census.
are as follows:
Area
Binghamton, N. Y.
Harrisburg, Pa.
Scranton; Pa.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Baltimore, Md.
1950
18U,693
292,241
257,396
392,241
1,405,399
I960
212,661
3^5,071
23^,531
3^6,972
1,727,023
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i222
272,359
238,336
137,270
1,464,089
96,936
15^,977
446,200
328,050
I960
235,717
202,737
139, 51^
2,001,897
110,701
224,503
577,504
408, kyk
Area (Can't.)
Lancaster, Pa.
York, Pa.
Altoona, Pa.
Washington, D. C.
Lynchburg, Va.
Newport News-Hampton, Va.
Norfolk-Portsmouth, Va.
Richmond, Va.
A unique and dominant feature of the Basin is the location of the
seat of National Government within its limits. The population and economic
growth of the National Capital Area will continue to influence the economy
to a large degree.
Manufacturing in the Basin ranges from small-scale seasonal food
processing plants to huge industrial complexes producing steel, chemicals and
electrical equipment. Furniture, metal products, textiles, glass, paper, and
leather products are all manufactured in the Basin.
Much of the nation's import-export trade centers around the Chesapeake
Bay. Located on its shores are Baltimore. Maryland, and Norfolk and Newport
News, Virginia, three of the most active seaports in the world. In addition
to intra-coastal shipping, approximately 51,689,000 long-tons of foreign
water-borne trade were handled by these harbors in ly60, or about 35 percent
of the total foreign tonnage for the Atlantic Coast.
The Basin supports a widely diversified agricultural economy. Dairy
farming predominates in northern Pennsylvania, while the Delmarva Peninsula
is noted for poultry and truck f arising. While the Coastal Plain is kno*m for
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its crops of tobacco and pear.uts; the Shor^tnao-Ja Valley of Virginia is a
leading apple producing refion.
Minerals also contribute to the econuajy of the Basin. Practically all
of the anthracite coal usea in thft United 3tatt-.? is mined in the Susquehanna
sub-basin in Pennsyl .unia. Bituminous oot. ar.d natural gas are important
natural resources of the sut-'.ar,in. Virginia is usson^ the nation's leaders
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in the production of zar* -tr.ese and soape'or-o, found in the mineral deposits or J
the James River cub-basin, ctonc- oiri san«l quarrying operations are prevalent f
throughout the entire Basin ar-.-a. i
The Chesapeake Bay supports the most pro-rue t.1 ve fishing per unit Of
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area on the Atlantic .."oast, ana contains tr.e rost extensive and prolific
oyster beds in the world, ^itu&ries inject t.he shoreline where the combi-
nation of brackish waters, suitable '-esipera'.vire. uid abundance of food makes
high reproduction and rapid t~,rowth of shellfish possible. Durinc the last
several years, however, municipal and indaslrlil pollution has resulted in
the closure of scite valuable ovi,ter beos.
The Chesapeake Bay is the most important recreational area in the
Basin. Accomplijhed yachtsmen have termed it, "the greatest inland body of :
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water in the world." Boats o: all types ana sires can be found on the Bay. j
Vacationers and sportsmen alike are drawn t.o this natural playcround during <
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all seasons of the year.
The entire Basin is rich in recreational resources including beaches,
mountains, and lakes. I-ishing for £ame fish such as striped bass, sea trout,
croaker, flounder, drum, shad, perch, and spot is .1 rbjor sport in the Bay
and its tributaries. Tourists are attracted to the many historical centers
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of the Basin, including Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Fort McHenry, Gettysburg,
and Bull Run. Campers and nature lovers can find relief irom urbanization
in the Basin's numerous National and State parks.
BASIC CONCEPTS
Water resources development is the planning and providing for +ie
optimum utilization of water for all purposes. Water supply and water
quality management is one of several of the important facets of water resources
development. Lacking a basin-wide authority or guide for water resource
development, the project envisions the need for careful co-ordination of the
efforts of many agencies in the most efficient way possible to produce a
comprehensive program to guide control agencies in the management of water
supply and water quality and to guide construction agencies in planning
facilities which will insure required reliable flows. Where necessary, this
project will provide the co-ordination for water supply and water quality
management.
There are indications that the water supply requirements in future
years will be so great that they can be met only by the most efficient, use of
all available sources including the reclamation of used water. Further
developments in desalinization of brackish water may provide yet another
source to meet these future needs.
Water quality management involves two major activities: (l) control
of polluting wastes and (2) stream flow regulation. The latter should be a
supplement,not a substitute, for waste treatment in water quality control.
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The primary emphasis must be on waste treatment. This is especially true in
tidal basins.
The difficulty of maintain."ng or restoring water quality is continually
increasing because of the growing quantity and variety of ^llutanto affecting
our water courses. New technological developments are contributing new kinds
of wastes which will have an impact on the Basin's water resources. Although
present knowledge will provide the solution to many situations, there is a
need to develop new knowledge to solve problems associated with these basins.
Therefore, an evaluation of research requirements will be considered by the
project.
ELEMENTS
Listed below are five major elements of the project. The development
of these elements will be accomplished through studies as outlined in the
organization of the project.
1. Determination of existing quantity and quality of water resources;
accomplished through inventory and field studies to col]ect data concerning
water uses, supply available from all sources, waste discharges, treatment
facilities, measurable quality parameters and related water rights of the users.
2. Determination of future water requirements and pollutional loads;
accomplished through.studies which maJte projections of population growth and
economic development, translated into forecasts of future water uses and waste
discharges.
3- Analysis of the existing and projected water resource? status; to
determine the problems and effects to be dealt with in a program for water
quality management.
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4. Development of a water quality management program; presenting
recommendations for meeting projected water requirements and satisfying water
quality objectives in the future.
5- Identification of research requirempn'ts; related to specific
existing or anticipated problems where adequate knowledge is lacking.
ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT
In the G.janization of thts comprehensive water quality project, it
has been necessary to consider the magnitude and complex nature of the
Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin. The inherent characteristics of the area can
be most effectively dealt with by subdividing the whole Basin into its major
sub-basins. The project will produce a series of reports for each of the
several sub-basins in the area. These reports will be used as the basis for
a comprehensive water quality program for each sub-basin which will then be
combined to provide an over-all program for tie Chesapeake Bay Drainage Basin.
Incremental planning is not only feasible and applicable in view of the
current project requirements and aims, but is most readily adapted to future
development of comprehensive water quality management programs for the Basin.
The major sub-basins of the Chesapeake Bay Tirainage Basin are listed
below:
1. Susquehanna River
(a) Main Stem
(b) West Branch
(c) Juniata River
(d) Chemung Pi-.vr
2. Gunpowder-1'utu.ps co-Back Pivers
3. Patuxent Piver
4. Potomac River
5. Rappahannock Rivrr
6. York River
7- James River
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8. Chesapeake Bay-Maryland
9. Chesapeake Bay-Virginia
The Chesapeake Bay-Maryland will include the shoreline, islands,
creeks, embayments, coastal waters, and snail river FJb-busins within the
Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Basin, not included in other sub-basins.
The Chesapeake Bay-Virginia will include the shoreline, islands,
creeks, embayments, coastal waters, and small river sub-basins within the
Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Basin, jot .included in other sub-basins.
The various investigations which will be undertaken in each basin study
are discussed in the subsequent portions of this statement of project organi-
zation. These investigations will be concerned with the several elements
previously outlined.
Economic Studies and Projections - These studies will establish the existing
economic base in the project area including population, employment and other
aspects ol the economy. An evaluation of the growth potential of the Basins
will provide an index for projection of the levels of population and expansion
of industry, agriculture, commerce, and recreation, in. the project area during
the next 50 years. Homogeneous economic areas may not coincide with sub-basins
boundaries so that adjustments will be made where necessary.
These economic studies and projections will be directed primarily at
determining the future need for wu.ter resource goods and services and will
take into account tbe extent to which future economic development is related
to the efficient utilization of the Basin's water resources.
Water Resource Inventories - These inventories will collect data on quantity
and quality of surface and ground water sources, quantity and characteristics
of wastes, and extent of present usage of water resources in the Basins.
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Water quantity Investigations will utilize geologic information to
determine the location, dependability and amount of available ground water
supplies. Surface water sources will be analyzed from detailed hydrologic
data to determine location, amount and variations due to seasonal effects.
Additional information will be collected concerning existing, proposed and
potential surface water storage facilities.
Another study will be concerned with information on brackish water in
the project area upon which to base an evaluation of desalinization processes
to meet the future water supply needs of the Basin.
A review of existing water rights will be made as a supplement to the
above inventories.
Water quality investigations will include inventories of source,
amount, and characteristics of wastes loads from municipalities and industries.
It will involve the collection of data regarding present and proposed sewerage
facilities. In addition, information on pollution attributable to agriculture,
commerce, and recreation will be obtained.
Information will be required on physical, chemical, bacteriological,
and other related characteristics of both fresh and brackish surface water
as well as ground waters. Existing water quality data supplemented where
necessary through field studies will provide this information.
Oceanographic data will be collected to provide a basis upon which to
p."edict the effect of the discharge of J-he wastes into the Bay and its tidal
estuaries.
A detailed inventory will be prepared to provide data on the existing
water uses and users in the Basin. This will include source, quantity, and
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quality, type of treatment, planned expansion, and proposed future source
of supply. In connection with this inventory, a tabulation will be made of
the size and location of approved and prohibited shellfish growing areas.
Field Investigations - Analysis of inventories, economic studies, and sug-
gestions from advisory committees will serve as a basis for determining the
scope and amount of field investigations required, These investigations will
be instigated to update and supplement existing information as well as to
provide additional data.
Wherever possible, these field studies will be accomplished by those
agencies or organizations most competent in the specific t?chnical field
concerned. It is intended to make the most efficient use of the resources
of all participants in the project, through co-operative and contractual
arrangements.
Existing state and local laboratory facilities will be utilized where
feasible, but the work load and nature of special studies indicate the
desirability of the project operating its own field laboratories. This is
particularly true in the case of the tidal estuary studies to be undertaken
by the project's Oceanographic Section.
Water Quality Program - A comprehensive water quality program will be
prepared based on f*3 information obtained through the analysis of economic
projections, water resource inventories, and special field investigations.
The factors involved will include predictions of future water resource
capabilities to satisfy these projected needs. The report will delineate the
various potential uses, and the program will be designed to provide an efficient
means of insuring optimum utilization of the water resources.
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Control of pollution at its source will be a primary feature of the
program and effective utilization of current waste disposal technology will
be reco:.mended as the first step in all cases. Where, after waste treatment
has been provided, needs exceed available resources, economic feasibility
studies will be made for alternate methods of preserving, protecting, and i
supplementing these resources. Alternates may include storage, flow regu- !
lation, and desalinization.
Evaluation of information will undoubtedly disclose areas where
knowledge is inadequate. From this, research needs will be identified and
probable means of implementing the necessary research will be explored, j
described, and encouraged. Fundamental research in the field of waste treat-
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ment must be advanced to provide increased efficiency and to develop means I
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for the removal of secondary pollutants such as nutrients and detergents.
In the formulation of the program, all existing poll fion control
laws and policies will be examined and changes may be suggested if they appear ;
desirable from the standpoint of basin-wide effective water quality control.
In addition, an evaluation of current sampling activities will be made
for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive monitoring program to provide
complete and continuous information for effective management of the Basin's
water resources.
Comprehensive water quality planning is a dynamic process. Continual
co-operative co-ordination is vital to the success of c .is project. Ever
changing conditions must be reflected in each element of the project. Effective
communications must be established and maintained in order that adjiisted require-
ments may be reflected in the final recommendations oi" this water quality pro-
gram for the Basin.
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