The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1954-12-31
Delegate Daniel.
Sam W. ,Bondurant
Explain New Law

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authority that sooner or later
VirginiaS water supplies will have
to be regulated brought a prompt
call for local action during a pub
lie meeting Wednesday night in
the Prince Edward county court
/ house
Delegate John II. Daniel. Of
Charlotte c H. who is now head
ing Virginia Advisory Legisla-
tive Council study Of the Old
Dominion'S water resources. made
the prediction.
The public meeting had been
called by the board Of supervisors
10 consider possibilities of a local
program OF action designed to
safeguard. improve and conserve
local water supplies
Mr. Daniel. who was assisted
in the discussion BY State Con-
servationist Sam w. Bondurant,
set the tone for the meeting III
his statement that water is a
resource lot more valuable than
We ever thought before" His en-
phasis on before was a reference
TO three consecutive summers Of =
parching drought
Action Taken
+ The gathering of professional
ricu re and conservation
workers. supervisors. Farmville
town councilmen and a handful
of general citizenry was called
Mr.. Daniel said. SO that this area
might be Informed of a Joint
lOcal-federal program on water
resources. watershed protection
and flood control formulated
under Public Law 566, passed by
the 83rd Congress the past
August.
Several areas OF Virginia and
numerous localities in North
Carolina and Kentucky are al
ready working on lettering their
water resource conditions, Mr..
Daniel pointed out. We think
people in this area should be
made aware Of the assistance
available TO them under the new
law" he added
The new law provides that
after local impetus and local
application for assistance it is
possible to obtain the services of
a federal watershed technician to
help set up program of local
Improvement
The law also provides for fede-
! raj cost assistance with flood con-
4 troll measures. and is supple
mentcd by another law. Public
Law 597 setting up federal
lending agencies to provide funds
for improving watershed condi-
tons and conservation.
Two definite steps were taken
by the gathering after hearing
the reports: u the board of
I supervisors was requested to make
a continuing study of water con-
ditions here. and ~ the board
was requested to constitute
committee of local agriculture
a n d conservation technicianS.
with the addition Of laymen as
the board sees fit, whose work
should be to determine what the
watershed problems are here.
/ Should these studies develop
facts leading to the belief that
conditions here may be improved
and protected by certain projects,
supervisors agreed during the
session. that the matter will be
brought to public attention in a
second meeting
Mr.. Bondurant stressed the
fact that the new program is mot
a giveaway Federal plan He
said all action must be initiated
locally, and that costs. where a
particular locality benefits. must
be shared by that area.
The whole thing stresses
long tim water conservation
plan Of action locally. MI.
Bondurant said
And the blic gathering.
thinking back over three sum-
mcrS OF drought and Mr.. Daniels
remark that II am informed that
Virginia and the eastern sea
board arc developing water prob
lens similar to those which have
confronted the American South
west for many years. acted to
get local studies underway