Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall today authorized release by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation of its report recommending that federally controlled recreation lands at Allegheny Reservoir (Kinzua Dam) in western Pennsylvania be administered by the Forest Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Secretary Udall has sent copies of the report to Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara for review and comment.
The Bureau report also recommends preparation of an overall master recreation plan for the lands associated with the reservoir in Pennsylvania and New York, and formation of an advisory council composed of Federal agencies, the Seneca Nation, the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and three affected counties.
Allegheny Reservoir, now under construction by the Army Corps of Engineers, will inundate a maximum of 21,175 acres of land in New York and Pennsylvania. The summer pool will have a surface of 12,050 acres, a length of 27 miles, and a shoreline of approximately 90 miles. Seventy percent of the shoreline will be in Pennsylvania.
The reservoir lies in a scenic mountain setting where extensive public and private outdoor recreation facilities are already established. The population within 125 miles of the reservoir is approximately 11 million, more than nine million of whom reside in urban areas. Population of the area is expected to double by the year 2000.
To date, several Federal and State agencies, the Seneca Nation, and private individuals have prepared plans for the area, but no master recreation plan for the reservoir and its zone of impact has been developed.
"Orderly development of the reservoir area for public recreation use is of major importance to millions of citizens," Secretary Udall stated. "An overall plan should consider existing and planned developments of Federal, State, and local agencies and private endeavor, as well as the plans of the Seneca Nation."
Secretary Udall pointed out that Kinzua Dam will be finished in about six months. "Since recreation use of the reservoir and the surrounding area will accelerate quickly once the dam is completed, it is important to resolve the problem of administration immediately," the Secretary stated.
