'8TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENT } MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL. AND BATON ROUGE, LA. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR TRANSMITTING LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY, DATED FEBRUARY 14, 1944, SUBMITTING A REPORT, TOGETHER WITH ACCOMPANYING PAPERS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, ON A REVIEW OF THE NAVIGATION PROVISIONS OF THE PROJECT FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ADOPTED BY THE ACT OF MAY 15, 1928, AS AMENDED, WITH A VIEW TO DETERMINING THE ADVISABILITY IN THE INTEREST OF NAVIGATION AND FLOOD CONTROL OF INCREASING THE DEPTH OF THE NAVIGABLE CHANNEL FROM 9 FEET TO 12 FEET BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL., AND BATON ROUGE, LA. THIS REPORT WAS REQUESTED BY RESOLUTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ADOPTED ON MARCH 8, 1943, AND THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, UNITED STATES SENATE, ADOPTED ON MARCH 9, 1943 MARCH 22, 1944.-Referred to the Committee on Flood Control, and ordered to be printed with two illustrations WAR DEPARTMENT, The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting herewith a report dated February 14, 1944, from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, together with accompanying papers and illustrations, on a review of the navigation provisions of the project for the improvement of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928, as amended, with a view to determining the advisability in the interest of nav iver C tion and flood control, of increasing the depth of the navigable chanf its ret from 9 feet to 12 feet between Cairo, Ill.. and Baton Rouge, La. T kisting report was requested by resolutions of the Committee on Flood Contre modif House of Representatives, adopted on March 8, 1943, and the Coet wide mittee on Commerce, United States Senate, adopted on March 9, 19nd the e Ver Inasmuch as the proposed modification of the existing project we channe involve large requirements for materials, equipment, and manpo ost, over and since it is not essential to the war effort, the Department is of opinion that if modification of the existing project is authorized, e, struction thereof should be deferred until after the war. The Bureau of the Budget has been consulted and advises t, from a preliminary review of the report, it appears that an appra EVIEW I of the economic feasibility and justification of a 12-foot channel the lower Mississippi can only be made if similar surveys are made 12-foot channels on the upper Mississippi, the Illinois waterway, a' the Ohio River, which should fully consider also the effects of s navigation improvements on existing and proposed improvements i flood control, hydroelectric power, domestic and industrial waubject: R supply and drainage, on pollution control, and on recreation and wi River ad life resources. That Bureau states further that while there would: The Cl no objection to the submission to Congress of the proposed report This repo the Chief of Engineers, dated February 14, 1944, the authorization hief of E those parts of the improvements recommended that would be necesse Mississi Rouge, La., as recommended therein, would not bé in accord with Rested by to provide a 12-foot navigation channel between Cairo, III., and Baoted resol Further advice as to ief of Engi program of the President at this time. relationship to the program of the President of the authorization ravigation these improvements will be given by the Bureau of the Budget aft ver adopted ning the adv review and consideration of the proposed reports of the Chief depth of th Engineers for 12-foot navigation channels on the Illinois and Minois, and Respectfully, sissippi Rive determining mcreasing the ween Cairo, LETTER OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES AR opted: Ma HENRY L. STIMSON, Secretary of War WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, Respied by t ief of Engin Fiew the nav terials throu The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL, resolution adopted March 9, 1943, requested the Chief of Engines the materials and the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, riations in th stantly cha avate its cha ods within it ld spread all to review the navigation provisions of the project for the improvemat of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928. amended, with a view to determining the advisability in the interst of navigation and flood control of increasing the depth of the navigable channel from 9 to 12 feet between Cairo, Ill., and Baton Rouge, 2. In order to comply with these resolutions I asked the Mississipp DEVELOPMEN The run-off d its way t ver. Record 000 cubic fe did not gre ver Commission to make a report to me and after full consideration its report I concur with the Commission and recommend that the isting project for flood control, Mississippi River and tributaries, modified to authorize a navigation channel 12 feet deep and 300 et wide at low water between Cairo, Ill., and Baton Rouge, La., d the execution, in the interest of navigation and flood control, of channel improvement and stabilization program at an estimated st, over that now authorized, of $200,000,000. Very truly yours, E. REYBOLD, Major General, Chief of Engineers. EVIEW REPORT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN CAIRO, ILL., WAR DEPARTMENT MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION, Vicksburg, Miss., February 14, 1944. bject: Review of project for the improvement of the Mississippi River adopted by the act of May 15, 1928, as amended. : The Chief of Engineers, United States Army. This report is submitted in compliance with instructions from the ief of Engineers dated September 24, 1943, to the President of e Mississippi River Commission and in response to the following Loted resolutions: 1 Resolved by the Committee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, That the ief of Engineers of the United States Army is hereby requested to review e navigation provisions of the project for the improvement of the Mississippi ver adopted by the Act of May 15, 1928, as amended, with a view to deterning the advisability in the interest of navigation and flood control of increasing e depth of the navigable channel from nine feet to twelve feet between Cairo, inois, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Adopted: March 8, 1943. Resolved by the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, That the DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXISTING PROJECT FOR NAVIGATION AND THE The run-off from 41 percent of the area of the United States must went out of bank in flood it quickly dropped the coarser sedime way prov desig barge servic When the white man came to the valley he found it a wilderness rates. forest and swamp through which ran the mighty ever-changing riber of The French explorers found a great navigation route connecting Gulf heart of the continent with the sea. Lake! ri The early settlers soon discovered that overbank stages came late in the growing season and lasted too long to permit the velopment of a dependable agriculture. They adopted the obvi plan of building earth embankments along the banks of the river wi the ground was highest to prevent overflow of their lands. Bu these low local levees were extended and connected together, the was deprived of valley storage. Overbank stages were raised and low levees were overtopped and crevassed. Thus began the long which our people have waged for the purpose of possessing and wo ing the rich bottom lands constituting the alluvial valley and of veloping a stable, prosperous, and high order of civilization there. For 200 years the levee system has been gradually extended, rais and strengthened. The local people have spent over $247,000/ of their own money on the levees. tankers, in this m Althou While the river was an implacable enemy in that it constar threatened to inundate the valley and often breached the defers raised against it, it made settlement and development possible furnishing transportation to and from the plantations and comm ties along the river and its tributaries. The river looms large in history as a great route of trade and travel by water leading to the tre teenth century, the steamboat made its appearance. The Louisi Purchase was dictated largely by the necessity of controlling on the river and of possessing an outlet to the sea for the territ west of the Alleghenies.. The Battle of New Orleans was fought keep a foreign power from taking and holding that outlet. Durg the War between the States both sides realized that possession of river was a prerequisite of success. When New Orleans and Vi burg were taken by Union forces the ultimate collapse of the Cafederacy was inevitable. After the War between the States the pact trade flourished for some 20 years, but gradually succumbed to road competition in its various forms. By the time of World Wa the packets were practically gone and a large downstream coal tre from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky fields wasn the way out due to the discovery and development of extensive oil d gas fields in Texas and Louisiana. With the establishment of e barge in the in the p by the about 1 upriver reach Fleet su nextrica Federai on nver quently n on the the for naviga and autho expenditur authorized and the markets of the world. The need for the development alluvial va with flatboats for downstream traffic. At the beginning of the Dhannel im single gr effectively Control wo linement, avigation. The exist on the Miss s amended une 28, 193 floods of 1 The Head of avigation 3 The proje auro, Ill., an on the St. Fr he mouths Federal Barge Line after World War I, a new era of river transpirer backw tion was begun. The completion of the canalization of the Co and 0 Rock Island, utlets; and Bayous Rapid The Intracoastal |