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ALLEGHENY RIVER, PA.

The CHAIRMAN. We now pass to the next project, the Olean, Portville, and Allegany projects. That report is now pending before the Budget. Am I correct about that, Colonel Herb?

Colonel HERB. That report is ready to go to the Budget Bureau today.

The CHAIRMAN. And, generally, what is the situation with respect to that project, and what are your recommendations?

Colonel HERB. The authority for the project is the Commerce Committee resolution adopted December 1, 1943, requesting a review of the report printed as House Document No. 306, Seventy-fourth Congress, first session, to determine the need for flood control at and in the vicinity of Olean, N. Y.

Olean, N. Y., is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Olean Creek, in the southeastern corner of Cattaraugus County, in southwestern New York. There are no existing Federal projects. Local interests have made some improvements in this vicinity.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, as a matter of fact, they have made considerable improvement at Olean and Portville.

Colonel HERB. That is correct, sir. The plan of improvement of Olean is by a system of dikes and supplementary channel improve

ments.

The estimated total cost of this project is $4.496,000, of which the non-Federal cost is estimated at $543,300.

The CHAIRMAN. And what communities does it protect?
Colonel HERB. Olean, Portville, and Allegany, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. That is the Olean, Portville and Allegany project?
Colonel HERB. That is correct, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the population of Olean-something like 20,000?

Colonel HERB. 21,500 in 1940, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What about the ratio of benefits to cost?

Colonel HERB. Ratio of costs to benefits is about 1.0: 1.3 for Olean; 1.0: 1.59 for Portville; and 1.0: 1.03 for Allegany.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the drainage area of the Allegheny River at Olean?

Colonel DUNN. 1,165 square miles, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Go ahead.

Colonel HERB. I think that completes it.

The CHAIRMAN. Name the towns and the character of works. Colonel HERB. Protection for Olean is provided by means of a dike system and channel improvements. The plan of improvement best suited to conditions at Portville is a dike system with a flood wall, together with channel improvements. The plan of flood protection best suited to condition at Allegany is a dike system with a short section of flood wall and channel improvement.

The CHAIRMAN. And what is generally the population of Portville and Allegany?

Mr. REED. Portville is 2,500.

The CHAIRMAN. And Allegany?

Mr. REED. About 1,000 or 1,500.

The CHAIRMAN. So the total Federal cost of the Olean project is about 24 million dollars-the local contribution is about $350,000.

The total Federal cost of the Portville project is substantially one million and a quarter dollars, with a local contribution of $170,000; and the total cost of the Allegany project is $388,000, with a local contribution of approximately $25,000, so that both the Federal costs and the local contribution aggregated for all three towns, you stated, $4,496,000, and you have stated that the works generally consists of flood walls and of dikes with channelization improvements, and the general yardstick with respect to local contribution obtained, and the benefits will exceed the cost.

Colonel HERB. That is correct, sir.

(The report of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors and of the Chief of Engineers, together with the views of the State of New York, are as follows:)

The CHAIRMAN,

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
Washington, April 12, 1946.

Committee on Commerce, United States Senate,

Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: 1. The Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, by resolution adopted December 1, 1943, requested the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors to review the report submitted in H. Doc. 306, Seventy-fourth Congress, first session, with a view to determining the need for flood control at and in the vicinity of Olean, N. Y. I enclose the report of the Board in response thereto.

2. After full consideration of the reports secured from the district and division engineers, the Board recommends that projects be adopted for flood protection at Olean, Portville, and Allegany, N. Y., by means of dikes, flood walls, limited supplemental channel improvements, and appurtenant works, substantially in accordance with the plans outlined in the report of the district engineer, with such modifications as the Chief of Engineers may deem advisable, at an estimated first cost of $2,282,400 for Olean; $1,281,500 for Portville; and $388,800 for Allegany; provided that local interests furnish assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will: (1) Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for construction of the projects; (2) hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works; (3) bear the costs of sewer, utility, and highway relocations and adjustments, in accordance with the allocation of these items in the district engineer's report; and (4) maintain and operate the works after completion in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of War.

3. After due consideration of these reports, I concur in the views and recommendations of the Board.

Very truly yours,

R. A. WHEELER,

Lieutenant General, Chief of Engineers.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS,
Washington, March 18, 1946.

Subject: Allegheny River at and in the vicinity of Olean, N. Y.
To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

1. This report is in response to the following resolution adopted December 1, 1943:

"Resolved by the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, created under Section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, requested to review the report submitted in House Document Numbered 306, Seventy-fourth Congress, first session, with a view to determining the need for flood control at and in the vicinity of Olean, New York."

2. Olean, N. Y., is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Olean Creek, in the southeastern corner of Cattaraugus County in southwestern New

York. Its population was 21,500 in 1940 and the assessed valuation of property was $23,249,000 as of 1945. Allegheny, a town of 1,400 inhabitants, is located just downstream, and Portville, population 1,000, just upstream from Olean. The drainage area of Allegheny River above the town of Allegheny is 1,229 square miles. The inhabitants are engaged principally in manufacturing, production, and refining of oil, production of natural gas, agricultural pursuits, lumbering, and transportation activities. Prior to 1942, local interests constructed an extensive system of local protection works in Olean, at an estimated cost of $460,000, for protection against floods in the Allegheny River, Olean Creek, Kings Brook, and Twomile Creek, all of which flow through the city. Since the flood of 1942, which breached the dikes at several points, an additional $150,000 has been expended for repairs, extensions, and replacements of the protective works. Minor local protective works have been constructed in Allepheny and Portville. The region is served by a well-developed system of railroads and highways.

3. The average annual precipitation in the upper Allegheny River basin is 41 inches. The region is subject to severe storms, which may cause damaging floods at any season of the year. The flood of July 1942, caused the maximum recorded river stage at Olean, flooded 1,812 acres within the city, and caused direct flood damage estimated at $3,721,000 in the part of Olean north of the Allegheny River, $663,000 in Portville, and $97,800 in Allegheny. A total of 21 industrial establishments, 210 commercial properties, and 2,600 residences were affected in Olean. The flood of March 1916, was the maximum of record on Olean Creek and caused extensive flooding in the city of Olean.

4. Local interests in Olean, Allegheny, and Portville desire additional flood protection to be obtained by means of higher and additional dikes, if practical, and supplementary channel improvements. Officials of the three towns are of the opinion that the municipalities should provide local cooperation, and the executive director of the New York State Flood Control Commission has stated that that Commission would cooperate to the ultimate.

5. The district engineer finds that flood protection for Olean, Allegheny, and Portville, N. Y., by means of reservoirs or channel improvement, is not feasible and that protection against the maximum flood of reasonable expectancy is impractical. He finds, however, that a higher degree of flood protection than is provided by existing improvements is warranted. The most desirable plan for providing the justifiable additional protection consists of a system of dikes and flood walls, with limited supplementary channel improvement, as outlined in his report. The proposed works include 44,060 lineal feet of dikes and 2,410 lineal feet of flood walls, with appurtenant improvements, along the Allegheny River, Olean Creek, and Kings Brook, in Olean; 18,280 lineal feet of dikes and 420 lineal feet of flood walls, with appurtenant improvements, in Portville; and 5,990 lineal feet of dikes and 400 lineal feet of flood walls in Allegheny. The district engineer states that these proposed improvements would protect the three communities against flood stages 3 feet higher than the maximum flood of record. Pertinent cost information is shown in the tabulation shown below:

Proposed local flood protection in Olean and vicinity, New York

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The district engineer recommends that projects be adopted for flood protection in Olean, Portville, and Allegany, N. Y., in general accordance with plans outlined in his report, at costs for construction of $2,282,400, $1,281,500, and $388,800, respectively, and costs for highway and utility adjustments, land, rights-of-way, and damages of $349,600, $169,200, and $24,500, respectively; provided that local interests furnish assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will: (1) Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for construction of the projects; (2) hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works; and (3) maintain and operate all of the works after completion in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of War.

6. The division engineer concurs in general in the views of the district engineer, but believes that all benefits claimed for protection of Olean are not properly creditable, since the proposed works are largely additions to dikes built by the city in 1919. Protection against past floods attaining a stage up to 1,419.1 feet has been afforded by these existing dikes. He notes that an adjustment of the district engineer's economic analysis by eliminating credit for protection from all past floods, with the exception of the flood of 1942, and by omitting the economic charge for the remaining value of the existing works, would still provide a favorable ratio of annual costs to benefits of 1.0 to 1.3. He concurs therefore in the district engineer's recommendations.

7. Local interests were advised as to the nature of the district and division engineers' conclusions and were invited to submit additional data to the Board. Careful consideration has been given to the communications received.

VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS

8. The Board concurs in general in the views of the division engineer. It finds that the proposed improvements will provide the maximum amount of flood protection in Olean, Portville, and Allegany, N. Y., that is warranted at this time. The economic ratios are favorable. The Board recommends that projects be adopted for flood protection at Olean, Portville, and Allegany, N. Y., by means of dikes, flood walls, limited supplemental channel improvements, and appurtenant works, substantially in accordance with the plans outlined in the report of the district engineer, with such modifications as the Chief of Engineers may deem advisable, at an estimated first cost of $2,282,400 for Olean; $1,281,500 for Portville; and $388,800 for Allegany; provided that local interests furnish assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will: (1) Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements, and rights-ofway necessary for construction of the projects; (2) hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works; (3) bear the costs of sewer, utility, and highway relocations and adjustments, in accordance with the allocation of these items in the district engineer's report; and (4) maintain and operate the works after completion. in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of War.

For the Board:

R. C. CRAWFORD,

Brigadier General, Senior Member.

Lt. Gen. RAYMOND A. WHEELER,

STATE OF NEW YORK,
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS,

Albany 1, April 6, 1946.

Chief of Engineer, United States War Department, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR GENERAL: Reference is made here to the review report on the pending proposition for improvement of the Allegheny River and tributaries at and in the vicinity of Olean, N. Y.

I am informed that the report now is in your office. I am further advised that within the next few days, the House Committee on Flood Control will consider proposed projects in the Ohio River watershed and that among other reports to be considered will be the one affecting Olean and vicinity—provided New York State tentatively approves the proposal and requests such consideration.

I have been designated as the governor's agent on flood-control matters in accordance with the 1944 Federal Flood Control Act. Although I have not received a copy of the review report referred to above, I have been advised by the

State flood-control commission of the general recommendations. Local officials of Olean, Portville, and Allegany, municipalities which will be affected by the proposed improvements have adopted formal resolutions approving the projects. In view of this, I recommend advancement of the report to the House Flood Control Committee for consideration and authorization at the earliest practicable time.

Sincerely,

CHARLES H. SELLS, Superintendent of Public Works.

The CHAIRMAN. Representative Reed, we will be glad to have your statement if you are opposed or favor this project. We know you are interested in the resolution on which the report has been made. STATEMENT BY HON. DANIEL A. REED, FORTY-FIFTH DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Mr. REED. I wish to say that I am vitally interested in this. In all the tragedy of a flood it cannot be pictured with surveys and maps.

Olean is a typical American city, as brought out here, of about a little over 21,000. We have some important industries there; and Portville is another unusual village of about 2,500. I happened to drive up through Portville right after the 1942 flood, and really it was a tragedy. Here were these beautiful homes that had been flooded, and the damages were very large as is shown in the engineers' report. Some of the people had to be taken out in motorboats from the upper story windows of their small houses. They were brought in from Buffalo by train. Olean didn't suffer such tragic consequences so far as the damages to their homes were concerned, but it was very seriousboth of those towns-and also Allegany. Allegany has a fine college located there, even though it is a small town, not only a college but a school for girls.

The damage to Olean and that vicinity there, as the engineers' report show here, over a period of 56 years has amounted to over $18,000,000. You would sometimes wonder when they are subjected to these floods so frequently why they wouldn't move out. There is a good reason, and if you will bear with me just a moment-I learned a lesson many years ago when I was in Johnstown, Pa. A businessman there asked me if I wouldn't go up to the top of the ridge above the town and take a look at it. I went up with him. As we looked down on the town he said, "You know, when the flood came, the Johnstown flood, I was the only surviving member of a large family, and three of us little boys found ourselves alone after the flood with our families gone." And then the tears gathered in his eyes and he pointed to a little cemetery and he said, “My people are all buried up there." He said, "We sat down as children and debated whether we would go to Pittsburgh or Harrisburg and shine shoes for a living and get a start." And he said, finally, "When we thought it over," he said, "Father and mother, and our brothers and sisters are here," and he said, "Let's stay here." He said, "I never missed a day in all these years that I haven't tried to beautify and improve this city," and he pointed to a block that he owned there. Now, that is the typical American spirit. Floods and fires can't drive people away from their homes, and these cities here are subjected to these floods every few years, and I want to tell you it's a serious thing. They can't move out; they have built the town. I

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