ABSTRACT
The rise in interest in new environmentally sound solutions over the last quarter of the twentieth century coincides with a re-evaluation of older approaches that have been overlooked or undervalued in the drive for major structural solutions. The NRA/Environment Agency's declared policies of consultation and of environmentally sound, sustainable development are attempts to reverse the dehumanizing trend, without necessarily returning to the old human scale. The second problem is difficult to deal with than might appear, because the point of maximum erosive stress shifts as the depth and velocity of flow change. Simpler forms of snow reservoir may be created where the objective is to maximize the direct supply of water to agricultural fields rather than runoff. Snowmelt and icemelt combine to provide 40 per cent of the annual flow of the Canadian Prairie Rivers, which is harnessed for irrigation and public supply. Harnessing natural glacial melt water is essentially no more environmentally hazardous than harnessing any other natural runoff.
