CANADIAN RIVER NAVIGATION STUDY Mr. RABAUT. What useful purposes will be served by studying a navigation proposal on the Canadian River when we are years away from completing the Arkansas River navigation project? General FLEMING. We anticipate that we will have the Arkansas navigation system as far as the junction of the Canadian River and the Arkansas by 1970. Mr. RABAUT. By 1970? General FLEMING. The study of the Canadian River is involved in the movement from the Arkansas up to Lake Eufaula, which gets it into the Canadian River. There is a tremendous quantity of Government-owned coal in that area, and the possibility of tapping that coal field is the item that gives the project its economic benefit. Mr. RABAUT. You cannot take it any place until you get the Arkansas project finished. Is that right? General FLEMING. Yes, sir. We anticipate, however, we will get that Arkansas finished by 1970, and we would like to get this study underway right now. Mr. RABAUT. For what extent of the Canadian River will you have to make your study to get to the coal you are talking about? General FLEMING. The coal is around Eufaula. If you can get into the Eufaula Reservoir from the Arkansas, that is the first step. Then the Canadian River, and Oklahoma City is on the Canadian River. That taps a tremendous area in central Oklahoma which the Arkansas project does not. So actually it is a study of the possibility of getting the depths into Oklahoma City and tapping that area. Mr. RABAUT. Where do you figure the outlet is for this Government coal? General FLEMING. The coal in Oklahoma is a very high-grade coal; it is a metallurgical type of coal. The coal is now being sold with a premium price paid on it for transportation. It has gone as far as Salt Lake City, for example. It is a high-quality coking coal. The Government-owned coal that is in this area was acquired by the Federal Government from the Indians. It is an asset now that belongs to the Federal Government and if it could ever be tapped would be very valuable. To make navigation available for it will involve some rather tricky engineering problems which will have to be studied. Mr. RABAUT. And that is what this study is for? General FLEMING. That is right. Mr. RABAUT. How long do you figure it will take to make the study? General FLEMING. I would like to supply it for the record to firm it As an estimate, as of right now, I would say it would take about 4 years to get the data. up. (The information requested is as follows:) The estimate of 4 years for completion of the study is correct. Mr. RABAUT. Explain the need for the last three navigation studies on page 5, particularly with reference to the amount of traffic involved. General FLEMING. That is Palacios, Double Bayou and Chocolate Bayou. Mr. RABAUT. Just those three. CHOCOLATE BAYOU General FLEMING. Chocolate Bayou is a bayou about halfway between Galveston and Freeport. This proposed channel gives a way of tapping an inland area away from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and on to the waterway. The traffic on the waterway now is almost phenomenal. There is a tremendous quantity of traffic that goes up and down that area. Mr. RABAUT. We know about the traffic and it is heavy. What about this? General FLEMING. This is a tapping of it-a channel which will permit the area of Chocolate Bayou, to get on the waterway. Mr. RABAUT. What traffic is there now? Can you put the traffic of each of those three in the record, General? General FLEMING. Yes, sir. This is the Monsanto Chemical Co. plant. We will get the exact figures in there. Mr. RABAUT. Put in what traffic there is now and what traffic is anticipated. General FLEMING. Yes, sir. Mr. RABAUT. That will cover it. General FLEMING. Yes, sir. (The information requested is as follows:) A comparative statement of traffic for 1959 follows: Palacious Double Bayou_. Chocolate Bayou-- Tons 102, 273 149, 923 134, 360 The studies will develop an estimate of the amount of prospective traffic which will use the waterways. PORT ARANSAS-CORPUS CHRISTI WATERWAY STUDY Mr. RABAUT. We have not even finished the current deepening project on the Port Aransas-Corpus Christi Waterway. Why is it necessary to begin studying a further deepening before the present project has been completed, General? General FLEMING. Port Aransas-Corpus Christi is an area which is one of the biggest ports on the gulf coast. This study involves the consideration of deepening and extending a deep-draft channel on the existing project and providing a shallow-draft branch channel which will tap onto the deep-draft channel. It is a very rapidly growing area with tremendous oil plants, refineries, and other industrial complexes being developed. This study is really one of updating and anticipating the development which can be foreseen now. Mr. RABAUT. My question still is, Why is it necessary to begin studying a further deepening before the present project is even completed? General FLEMING. We anticipate, sir, completing that present project this year (1962). It is a construction project which will finish the 36-foot authorized project in fiscal year 1962. No construction has been done on the, 40-foot authorization. COW CREEK AND VERDIGRIS RIVER Mr. RABAUT. Last year you said you would complete the Cow Creek and Verdigris River studies in this current year. Why are you asking for more money in 1962? General FLEMING. We found out that this project is beyond the scope of the small project which we anticipated under Public Law 685. It covers the investigation of channel improvements upstream from the Hutchinson, Kans., local flood protection project to the vicinity of Alliance, Kans., and possibly drainage projects into the vicinity of Sterling. Mr. RABAUT. On the Verdigris you had $45,000 last year and you said you thought you were going to complete it, and now you want to have $16,000 more. Is that right? General FLEMING. Oh, on the Verdigris. Mr. RABAUT. Is Cow Creek finished? General FLEMING. Cow Creek is essentially finished. We transferred some money out of that one last year into another project, and the only thing we want this year is to finish it up for $2,500. Mr. RABAUT. And you will transfer it back? General FLEMING. Yes, sir. Mr. RABAUT. Will this $16,000 complete the Verdigris River? Mr. RABAUT. So the 1961 amount was not enough. General FLEMING. Yes, sir. The budget allowance was $45,500, but the conference allowance of the appropriation was $30,000, thus leaving $16,000 to complete. Mr. RABAUT. Incidentally, this is the second time you have failed to complete the Verdigris River study when you said you would. This time you think you will complete it with this new money? General FLEMING. I hope so. RED RIVER Mr. RABAUT. What work, if any, has already been done on the Red River, and why is it necessary to study a comprehensive flood control plan at this time? General FLEMING. There is a lot of work that has been done on the Red River, sir. Of course, the Texoma project and Texarkana and Millwood and Little River complex, and everything else. Mr. RABAUT. All right. You put in the record the amount of money that has been spent and when it was spent for studies on the Red River. General FLEMING. For studies on the Red River? Mr. RABAUT. Yes; for studies on the Red River, and what that total will be. It will probably be a little bit enlightening. We ask that question because now we are faced with a new question of a study of a comprehensive flood control plan for this again. Let us find out what we have been doing with this. General FLEMING. Yes, sir. (The information requested is as follows:) In addition to the approximately $7 million spent by all Federal agencies for the Arkansas-White-Red River interagency report, approximately $850,000 has been spent for other studies in the Red River Basin during the past 10 years. BUFFALO BAYOU Mr. RABAUT. What is the Buffalo Bayou problem in Houston? General FLEMING. Buffalo Bayou is a main drainage going through the city of Houston and this is a local protection project which contributes to the entire city. It is an excellent local protection project. This study considers the feasibility of extending the thing upstream from the present limitation. EL PASO STUDY Mr. RABAUT. Why has the cost of the El Paso study doubled? General FLEMING. The cost of the study is doubled because they have gotten beyond a reconnaissance type investigation and have found out the complexity of the problem in El Paso. El Paso is a very funny sort of problem, because you get these storms in a very dry area with an extremely high rate of runoff. It is terrific, and you get this flash flood sort of thing coming right down through the residential areas of the city of El Paso. The problem of controlling it has become more extensive as we get in and analyze it. The problem is one of improving the channels through four general problem areas, and getting through the city without any damage. The only thing I can say is Mr. RABAUT. You figure this is a solid estimate now? General FLEMING. Yes. Mr. RABAUT. And there will not be any great surprises as time goes on? General FLEMING. I think we are getting a sound estimate on it and we want to know enough about the problem. Mr. RABAUT. How much will it involve? General FLEMING. The total estimated cost is $150,000, and we have $39,000 already. We are asking this year for $40,000 more. ARKANSAS-RED RIVER POLLUTION STUDY Mr. RABAUT. Please explain the Arkansas-Red River pollution study. General FLEMING. The Arkansas River pollution study is an extremely valuable study. The Arkansas and the Red Rivers flow through an area from the Panhandle of Texas through western Oklahoma and on into Kansas which is a salt-producing belt. Some of that salt gets into the rivers by leaching as the river flows through. Other parts come in bubbling up from underground salt springs. What we are doing now is making a cooperative study with the Public Health Service which is determining the sources of pollution, and more or less the amount of pollution contributed by each one of |