Remarks Upon Signing Bill Authorizing the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project

It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I have today signed H.R. 2206, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct the fryingpan-Arkansas Reclamation Project.

Fryingpan-Arkansas was one of the major western water resource projects recommended in my conservation message 1 as part of our vast program of water development. This multipurpose project includes hydroelectric power, municipal and industrial water supply, flood control, irrigation, recreational opportunities, and fish and wildlife preservation and enhancement. It involves the imaginative diversion of water through the Continental Divide to help irrigate the Arkansas River Basin and give drinking water and electricity to an area covering more than half the State of Colorado. It is, therefore, an excellent example of full development of our water resources to provide maximum benefits for all of our people.

This development is the culmination of many years of planning which have sought to provide the most effective and beneficial uses of these vital water resources. There is no doubt but that this will be a sound investment in the development of both Colorado and the United States, an investment which will yield rich dividends in the years and months to come.

I want to congratulate the Members of Congress whose foresight and untiring efforts have resulted in the enactment of this legislation. They have enabled us to take another long step forward in the important task of developing and conserving the water resources of the West. This is a most important step. Water is one of our most vital resources, and I am very glad that we have taken this important and progressive measure in order to insure the beneficial use of this resource for all of our people, and I am glad to be here with the Members of Congress who have fought so hard for this program for so long.