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The CHAIRMAN. Reservoirs, or dams, and irrigation and power? Mr. WARNE. The types or features which the Bureau of Reclamation and the whole Department of the Interior will be working on will be dams, canals, irrigation facilities generally, power plants, transmission lines, and such power facilities as are required to transmit the power to market centers, and fish-protective works, recreational facilities, and those kind of things that are related to the reservoirs or streams on which these projects are developed.

The CHAIRMAN. And your work is in arid and semiarid regions? Mr. WARNE. Our works are not parallel to the Corps of Engineers. When you get into the field of a multiple-purpose project in an arid country there are multiple benefits, including irrigation, power, flood control, and sometimes a slight benefit on far-distant navigation that must be considered. That is the reason for correlation of the plans between the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. That was provided not only for the Missouri Basin under section 9 of the Flood Control Act of 1944, but also under section 1 in other Western sections west of the ninety-seventh meridian.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, in addition to getting water onto lands for agricultural purposes in the arid and semiarid regions, do you have a problem or not in getting it off? How do you solve that problem?

Mr. WARNE. We do not engage in drainage projects where the drainage is of the character met along the Mississippi River, for example. But on projects such as those we develop under irrigation, now and then, and more frequently than not, related problems in drainage of the irrigated land are met. Those features of the project devoted to draining the land are considered part of the irrigation work in those instances.

The CHAIRMAN. Do irrigated lands become waterlogged?

Mr. WARNE. We feel that irrigated lands should not become waterlogged. Under certain conditions they are endangered, and now and then have actually become waterlogged for want of proper drainage. On our projects, and indeed on all going and continuously operating projects in the West, the waterlogging problem is met, if possible, before it develops, through proper drainage systems.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed with your statement.

Mr. WARNE. We have arranged a number of means of coordination in this area. There is the Water Resources Committee of the Department of the Interior, on which representatives of the agencies in the Department sit as members, and the committee is the adviser to the Secretary on matters of coordinating the program in the Missouri River Basin. The Department, through the Bureau's regional director at Billings, participates in the Missouri River Basin Inter-Agency Committee, which was mentioned by General Pick, and which has as its duty the field coordination of the work in progress both in the completion of preconstruction plans and in the construction of projects. We have the Federal Inter-Agency Committee, which is a committee composed of representatives of War, Interior, Federal Power Commission, and Department of Agriculture, here in Washington, for the purpose of coordinating general activities of the agencies.

The progress of the work, we feel, has been satisfactory. The plans for the 11 units that will be under way in the next fiscal year, of course, are dependent on appropriations which are now pending in the Congress in the Interior Appropriations bill, which has not as yet been

reported to the House by the committee considering it. The recommendation was for an appropriation of $23,783,600 for the purpose of carrying on our work there in the Missouri River Basin during the 1947 fiscal year.

The CHAIRMAN. Any further statement? If not any questions by Mr. Allen.

Mr. ALLEN. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Any questions by Mr. Schwabe?

Mr. SCHWABE. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Any questions by Mr. Elliott?

Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Warne, you made a statement in response to a question by the chairman that there was full cooperation between the Department of the Interior and the Corps of Engineers; is that correct?

Mr. WARNE. In the Missouri River Basin.

Mr. ELLIOTT. You would not say that as to any other place in the United States?

Mr. WARNE. I would say most of the other areas.

Mr. ELLIOTT. I think the question was directed to the whole United States.

Mr. WARNE. There is in process at the present time a matter of correlating or coordinating the work of the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation in the Central Valley of California. That consists of review by the two agencies of each other's general reports on the Central Valley, and the review at the present time by the State of California of those two reports prepartory to their submission to the President and to the Congress.

Mr. ELLIOTT. That has been completed as far as the State of California?

Mr. WARNE. We have not received the State of California's reaction. Mr. ELLIOTT. But there is some disagreement between the Bureau of Reclamation and Corps of Engineers as to construction of projects in my own congressional district?

Mr. WARNE. I think that is right.

Mr. ELLIOTT. In other words, Congress passed a law naming those projects in the 1944 Flood Control Act to be constructed by the Corps of Engineers?

Mr. WARNE. Yes, sir.

Mr. ELLIOTT. There is interference on the part of the Bureau of Reclamation at the present time which might hold up funds for the starting of construction?

Mr. WARNE. There is difference of interpretation.

Mr. ELLIOTT. You certainly cannot interpret the law. The law definitely states that the Corps of Engineers is the constructing agency.

Mr. WARNE. I am not arguing, Mr. Elliott, and I do not believe our position is that the corps is not authorized to construct the King's River Dam, for example. There is a difference in interpretation as to the provisions under which certain of the allocations and certain of the necessary and required payments will be made under the Flood Control Act of 1944 with regard to that particular dam and several others in the vicinity.

Mr. ELLIOTT. You will admit that the constructing agency is the Corps of Army engineers?

Mr. WARNE. I think the law clearly states that.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions by members of the committee?

Does either one of your associates desire to submit a statement?
Mr. WARNE. No, sir, I believe not.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have had you gentlemen here. We will be glad to have any further communications you desire to submit to us.

Mr. WARNE. Just before I leave I would like to say that with regard to the Keyhole Reservoir and the Bixbee and Green Grass Reservoirs we anticipate in the relatively near future asking for authorization. We have not formally done that as yet, but they are on the high priority list of the Department. We are very sympathetic with the position taken by Mr. Case.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have had your statement. Are there any other advocates or opponents of any of the matters we have had the hearings about this morning desiring to be heard? If not, the committee stands adjourned until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

(Whereupon the committee adjourned at 11:45 a. m., pursuant to reconvening the following day at 10 a. m.)

FLOOD CONTROL BILL OF 1946

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1946

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL,
Washington, D. C.

GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASINS

The committee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to adjournment, Hon. Will M. Whittington (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order.

We have under consideration today, General Wheeler, you and your associates, the matter of the additional authorizations for the Great Lakes Basin and the upper Mississippi River Basin, with respect to projects and improvements previously approved where appropriations were made for the partial construction of the projects.

As I understand it, the only individual project on which we have a report that has either been transmitted to the Congress or submitted to the Budget is the Clinton River, Mich., project, local protection for Mount Clemens and vicinity. Is that correct?

General WHEELER. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Colonel Herb, with respect to the upper Mississippi and the region mentioned, as I recall, there are at present approved plans for projects estimated to cost approximately $128,000,000, and there has been authorized for the partial construction of these projects $19,300,000. Also, the works completed and underway will require an expenditure of approximately $14,800,000. So there is about $4,500,000 of authorizations that have not been allocated. Is that right?

Colonel HERB. Yes, sir; that is correct.

The CHAIRMAN. Generally, what do your improvements in that region consist of at present?

Colonel HERB. The improvements in the upper Mississippi consist of reservoirs and local protection works.

The CHAIRMAN. Reservoir where?

Colonel HERB. Well, they spread throughout the basin.

The CHAIRMAN. On what streams?

Colonel HERB. The Meramec, Bourbeuse, Big River, Kaskaskia, Salt, Wapsipinicon, Iowa, Cedar, Des Moines, Black, and Sangamon Rivers.

The CHAIRMAN. The Meramec is in what State?

Colonel HERB. In the State of Missouri, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The Bourbeuse is in what State?

Colonel HERB. The Bourbeuse is also in the State of Missouri, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The Meramec empties into what?

Colonel HERB. The Meramec empties into the Mississippi.
The CHAIRMAN. Above St. Louis?

Colonel HERB. No, sir. It flows into the Mississippi a few miles below St. Louis.

The CHAIRMAN. Those are streams that enter the Mississippi River above Cairo, Ill., and are not included in the Missouri River?

Colonel HERB. That is correct, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What local protective works generally have been authorized and along what streams?

Colonel HERB. There are levees authorized along the Illinois River, the Mississippi River the Kaskaskia River, and the Sangamon River. The CHAIRMAN. All right, Colonel Herb; you may extend your remarks.

STATEMENT OF COL. E. G. HERB, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CIVIL WORKS DIVISION, OFFICE, CHIEF OF ENGINEERS

Colonel HERB. The Mississippi River rises in northern Minnesota and flows in a general southerly direction for over 2,400 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. With its numerous tributaries it drains the great central basin of the North American Continent, an area of over 1,253,000 square miles, of which about 13,000 square miles lie in Canada and the remainder within the boundaries of the United States. The upper Mississippi River Basin is that part of the watershed of the Mississippi lying above Cairo, Ill., exclusive of the Missouri River Basin. It includes the Mississippi River, itself, and numerous tributaries, among which are the Minnesota, St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, Wisconsin, Wapsipinicon, Rock, Iowa, Skunk, Des Moines, Illinois, Meramec, Kaskaskia, and Big Muddy. The area of the upper båsin is about 171,300 square miles. The discharge of the Mississippi River at St. Louis varied from a maximum of about 1,300,000 cubic feet per second to a minimum of 24,000 cubic feet per second.

The principal industry of the area is agriculture, with a number of scattered manufacturing and marketing industries of somewhat lesser importance.

Destructive floods occur at frequent intervals on the upper Mississippi as well as on all of its major tributaries. The floods of 1844, 1903, 1927, 1943, and 1944, and others caused serious damages in the basin. With increased development of lands adjacent to the rivers, repetition of past high flood stage will be even more destructive.

In 1943 and 1944 record high stages occurred in the upper Mississippi River Basin, causing damages estimated at over $66,000,000. The 1943 flood was the greatest ever recorded on the Illinois River downstream from Peoria. In April 1944 the Mississippi River at St. Louis crested at a stage of 39.1 feet, only 2.2 feet below the crest of the historic flood of 1844 and 0.2 foot above the crest of the severe flood of May 1943. The St. Croix River in Wisconsin, and the Skunk and Des Moines Rivers in Iowa, all set new records in the 1944 flood. During these floods all levees that had been constructed by the Federal Government to final grade and section performed satisfactorily. Many private levees built to lesser standards than those which had been adopted for Federal projects failed during the flood period.

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