WATER RESOURCES COOPERATIVE AREA: PROPOSED TOPICS FOR INCLUSION IN PROJECTS 1 A

Created: 9/18/1974

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Comment bv intelligence Advisory Group on Exchangesated4

Subject: 'Water Resource* -Cooperative Area: Proposed . Topics for Inclusion innd 4

lanning, Utilization and Management

1. Groundwater Resources

think that an exchange of groundwith the Soviets cGuldetgainand In any case would not resultstrategic technology. We are under thethe Soviets are al-.ead of the United Statesresearch, probably because their needsfield are greater.

Soviet Union has of necessityintensive research on the use of arid and An important part of this research andis the utilization of underground waters.

articles have appeared on Sovietin such Soviet journals as Problemy Osvoyeniyaof Desert Development) The Soviets claim that large fresh water

lenses underlie the vast deserts of Soviet Central Asia and feel that if cheap methods of tapping these reserves are found, agricultural production in these areas can be significantly increased. Soviet scientists have developed methods used In the Kara Kum Desert of Turkmenistan for pumping slightly saline underground water to the surfacend mixing it with fresh surface water collecteduge water catchment basins. This water is fed to sheep and cattle.

FOR REJ-EAl^E

date: 4

Ibl in;

CONflDCNTlAL

CONFIDENTIAL

2. Fishery Structures

We foresee no significant technological loss In the proposed exchange on fishery structures. However, we question the accuracy of the statements madehe proposal that "knowledge as to USSR state of the artery limited"his field, and "therefore, benefits to the United States are unknown."

Irxfornationisheries specialist who visited the Soviet Union as partater resources exchange delegation Indicates that USSR technologyhis fieldow level and consists, aside from experiments and Intentions, largely of improvised solutions. The report quite fully describes fishery structure technology on the Lo-ver Volga and Don Rivers, two of the most important areas In the USSR for this type of technology. Therefore, US experts have probably seen the best the Soviets have developed.

lastics in Construction

Waterproofing ofo comment. Polymero comment.

Original document.

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