Meramec River Basin Report, Missouri

Excerpts from the report: The Basin has a total area of 3,980 square miles--2,547,000 acres--and includes all or parts of 15 counties. The average rainfall is 39 inches and the growing season is about 200 days. Elevations range from 400 to 1,400 feet mean sea level. The Meramec River is a tributary of the Mississippi River; the confluence is about 11 miles south of the city limits of St. Louis. Woodlands make up about three-fifths of the Basin. About one-fifth of the land is cropland, one-fifth is in pasture or other uses. Almost 15 percent, including Clark National Forest, State forests, parks, recreation areas, and wildlife areas, is in public ownership. This report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is part of a comprehensive plan for development of the water and related-land resources in the Meramec River Basin in Missouri. Included in this report are the analyses of current and future water-management needs affecting erosion control, flood prevention, water supply, fish and wildlife, and outdoor recreation. The relationship of agricultural water problems and the need for economic development was also appraised. An inventory of the land resources for present and potential use is included. This report considers the immediate and projected needs for land and water resources and also the needs of food and fiber for the population within and surrounding the Basin. The use of natural resources by agricultural and forest industries, and their contribution to the present and prospective economy, is included.