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t KOESTER: How does t£>.is come about? GOVERNOR: It came about through two steps during the early part of m y administration as Governor. The first step was taken when I advocated the establishment of a state-wide policy in connection with flood control. We succeeded in having written into state law a new interpretation of the , state's r ^ p o n ^ i M l i t y in regard. to flood control and, for tho first time, &%&$&$? government joined, financially, with local commur.itiqs and the Federal government in the advance- t ment of flood control projects., Actxxally, the state is contributing !jj25,000,000 toward helping local communities catch up with flood control programs. KOESTER: What was the second, Governor? GOVERNOR: Passage of the Act cheating our State Water Resources Board, It is under this Act that we have made our real progress in building a state-wide program. The Act requires the Board to give full consideration to all beneficial uses of the State's water resources. These include irrigation, generation of electric power, municipal and industrial consumption of water and power, repulsion of salt water, preservation and development of fish and wild life resources, and recreational facilities. In this Board we have an official agency which daily concerns itself with such matters. And for the first time in history we have n Board able to speak for California in regard to water conservation matters. You may remember that to get this Board started on its work I called a state-wide water conference back in,1945 which was attended by more than a thousand people directly concerned with water problems. That was when California really accepted the challenge of the race to keep its water con­servation programs in stride with its population increases. KOESTER; The Water Resources Board represents California in Washington, doesn't it, Governor? - 7