Page 5

for further study. Together the works proposed were designed to erase the existing water deficiencies in the Pacific Southwest and meet the needs of future municipal and industrial growth to about the year 1990. In both Phases, substantial emphasis was placed on the salvage of water and more efficient water use. In transmitting the report to the Governors of the affected States, you made it clear that while the report had been approved as a proposed report for transmittal in accordance with the Flood Control Act of 1944, nevertheless, as Secretary, you had made no final judgments concerning the component parts of the plan and that it was your intention to maintain an open mind on all of its details until the comments and recommendations received in the course of the statutory review were taken into account. The obvious thoroughness with which the proposed report was reviewed by the States and Federal agencies, the statesmanlike nature of the comments submitted, the constructiveness of the many suggestions received, and the prompt responses were most gratifying. The suggestions for modification and improvement of the proposed plan were most valuable. They were instrumental in decisions leading to revision of the proposed plan and preparation of this final report. The entire region endorsed the broad underlying concepts of a comprehensive regional approach, establishment of a Pacific Southwest Development Fund, and the attainment of optimum use of existing water supplies through maximum emphasis on water salvage. There was general recognition of the great potential of desalting as a major future source of new water supply. There is a common ground on which the people of the Pacific Southwest can unite in forging solutions to their interrelated water problems. Within the framework of these basic concepts and in recognition of the many constructive suggestions for improvement received, the plan presented in the Task Force report has been revised substantially. Physical works proposed for congressional authorization at this time are limited to those related to a proposed initial plan. We can be confident that timely solutions for the long-range future will be developed if a framework for regional development and the basin fund principle are established now. However, reference now to any specific plans or features which might be considered as parts of such long-range solutions would be misleading. Reference to those items has been deleted. Instead, we propose that a regional commission be established to coordinate long-range planning. 5Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 13,711,360 byte