extent that the districts are unduly affected by rain water overflows as well as by the threat of headwater flooding from the St. Francis River. This is also true of certain levee and drainage districts nearer the St. Francis River. They feel that construction of the improved levee system will not afford them adequate relief unless coupled with improvement of their drainage systems, and hence are reluctant to participate in the cost of the necessary rights-of-way without some assurance of Federal assistance in the solution of their individual drainage problems.

One way to ameliorate the situation with respect to land requirement would be to narrow the floodway. That, of course, would necessitate higher levees, and in addition to increasing the cost of the project out of proportion to the lands saved, would result in undesirably high embankments from the standpoint of security. One of the reasons for adopting the reservoir-levée plan instead of the "levees only" plan is understood to have been the reluctance to rely upon levees of the height required by the "levees only" plan constructed of the soils available for building them in the locations affected. Another reason is understood to have been to hold the flow line as low as possible in order to reduce the overflow acreage adjacent to the mouths of the various tributary streams. This is naturally an important element in flat terrains such as is found in the sunk lands of the St. Francis Basin. It may be noted from the map that the floodway widening proposed on the St. Francis is not materially different from that required on Little River. The total acreage of levee right-of-way and easements involved in the project is approximately 58,000 acres, estimated cost about $2,000,000, of which about 32,000 acres have already been furnished and about 26,000 acres still remain to be supplied. The total acreage benefited by the project is about 1,500,000, which indicates an average charge for right-of-way and easements of about $1.33 per acre. If the several counties or other political subdivisions affected would jointly from an organization to provide the necessary right-ofway and to assess the costs thereof on the basis of benefits to the several member groups, it is believed the requirements should not prove unduly burdensome to any particular group. Such a coalition and for such a purpose has been formed in the Yazoo Basin and appears to be operating efficiently and harmoniously.

YAZOO BASIN HEADWATER

Concurrently with the authorization for control of floods of the St. Francis River the Congress authorized control of headwater floods of the Yazoo River system. The project embraces four storage reservoirs, one of each of the four major hill streams of the Yazoo system. Two of them, Arkabutla on the Coldwater and Sardis on the Little Tallahatchie, have been completed and in operation for several years. The remaining two, Enid on the Yocona River and Grenada on the Yalobusha, are scheduled for concurrent initiation this spring. The recent deficiency bill carried $4,000,000 for the Yazoo headwater project of which we have tentatively allocated $2,350,000 to Enid, and $1,545,000 to Grenada; to be followed by fiscal year 1947 funds in the amount of $1,000,000 for Enid and $2,870,000 for Grenada. Enid will cost about $11,500,000 and Grenada about $23,500,000. Both will employ continuing contracts running 3 years, which will require for

fiscal year 1948 an allocation of $7,300,000 to Enid and $14,700,000 to Grenada.

As in the case of the St. Francis Basin, the reservoirs in the Yazoo project are not sufficient to hold flows of the delta portion of the basin within the banks. The reservoirs are therefore supplemented by levees and channel improvements. Local interests are required to provide right-of-way for levees and drainage ditches and have formed an organization known as the Yazoo-Tallahatchie-Coldwater flood control district under the laws of the State of Mississippi for the purpose of providing the necessary local cooperation and assessing the costs thereof equitably among the beneficiaries.

Beginning at the head of the basin, the Arkabutla Reservoir controls the flow of the Coldwater River above the hill line, reducing flood inflows to an outflow of 5,000 cubic feet per second.

From the reservoir to Prichard, the head of the levee system, the Coldwater has been improved by 4 miles of enlargement and 20 cutoffs. Below Prichard on the main stem of the Coldwater-TallahatchieYazoo Rivers 322 miles of clearing, 9 miles of enlargement, and 42 cut-offs have been made. Clearing and enlargement of the main stem is completed but four more cut-offs remain to be made: two on the Yazoo near Greenwood at Fort Pemberton and near Fort Loring, and two on the Tallahatchie, one about 10 miles by river above Greenwood near Craigside and the other near Phillip. These will not be made until the Enid and Grenada Dams are built.

Below the Sardis Reservoir which reduces flood inflows of the Little Tallahatchie River to outflows of 3,400 cubic feet per second about 42 miles of clearing, 8 miles of enlargement or realinement, five cut-offs have been made, completing that portion of the project.

The Enid Reservoir, soon to be started on the Yocona River, will reduce flood inflows of that stream to outflows of 2,400 cubic feet per second. On the Yacona below the dam, 3.6 miles of new channel are to be constructed.

The Grenada Reservoir, to be started this spring, will reduce flood flows of the Yalobusha River above Grenada to outflows of $5,000 cubic feet per second. Below the dam, 0.7 miles of clearing, 1 mile of enlargement and four cut-offs have been completed on the Yalobusha River, which is to be further improved by 31 miles of clearing, 9 miles of enlargement, and 30 cut-offs.

Levees on the right bank of the Coldwater are continuous and completed from Prichard south to the approximate latitude of Darling except for the closure of the old course of Coldwater River near the lower end of Pompey ditch. They are intermittent on the right bank from Darling to the vicinity of Marks, and are under construction through that stretch. The system begins near Askew on the left bank and is continuous to a point near Darling. Levees in this reach are complete. The levee work involves about 42 miles of levee and 16 floodgates together with some 5 miles of drainage ditches where the levee Ias interrupted drainage. In the light of experienced flow lines, some minor modifications of grades are planned.

Between Marks and Greenwood, existing levees have been considered adequate except for 5 or 6 miles of enlargement work on both sides of the river near Lambert in the vicinity of the old mouth of the Little Tallahatchie, and a few intermittent reaches largely to repair crevasses. Twelve floodgates are also required in this reach. The recent

high water, however, has given rise to the suspicion that grades may have to be raised throughout a part of the reach. Studies are currently in progress to determine this.

The plan divorces the old Coldwater River from the present stream and requires its diversion, together with local drainage, through Cassidy Bayou. The improvement of the bayou, which is completed except for removal of a plug near its junction with old Coldwater River, has entailed about 45 miles of clearing, 19 miles of enlargements, four cut-offs, and two floodgates. The plug at old Coldwater River will be removed as soon as the divorcement of that stream is effected. The plan has also involved about 4 miles of clearing, 3 miles of enlargement, and 13 cut-offs on Bobo Bayou. The guide levees of the PanolaQuitman floodway require enlargement aggregating about 27 miles, and study is being given to the provision of protection works for the city of Greenwood at a cost of about $2,400,000.

From Greenwood to Yazoo City, where the headwater project ends, levee enlargement or construction of about 150 miles of levees, 13 floodgates, a pumping plant at Yazoo City, and 22 miles of ditches to handle interrupted drainage are required. This levee work will be initiated but not completed or fully effective until the Enid and Grenada Reservoirs are operative. A cut-off in Tchula Lake is also required. The cost to complete the project, exclusive of any adjustments found necessary, is estimated at $46,300,000. It must be realized that in such a comprehensive and involved project as this, which includes practically all known flood-control measures, minor modifications involving channel improvements and revamped levee grades may be necessary as various portions of the project are observed under flood conditions.

The flood of this winter brought water within 2.4 feet of the spillway crest of Arkabut la Dam. While the pool was at this high level, strong winds resulted in considerable wave-wash damage to the embankments of the highways crossing Arkabutla Reservoir. Highway No. 51 is carried on a rolled fill embankment with 1-on-3 side slopes, spot sodded. The embankment having been completed, the sod was in no condition. to withstand the waves, which probably attained heights of about 8 feet. As a result the fill was "benched" quite badly in some spots. One of the main causes for the damage was the exposure of the fill resulting from the clearing of all timber adjacent to it at the behest of the State sanitary commission. We obtained release from the State highway department when the road was turned over to them, but they commented at the time on its vulnerability due to exposure and reserved the right to try to work something out with us if damage resulted from early floods. We have discussed the results of this year's flood with them and both they and we have come to the conclusion that the proper course is for us to restore and resod the embankment where damaged, just as we do in the case of a levee which is damaged before the sod has formed even though it may have been turned over to local interests in good condition, and for them to induce or encourage a fringe of timber on each side of the embankment to protect it against wave wash. We have agreed to drain pockets in this timber belt which might otherwise pond water and encourage mosquito production. If a high pool combined with a high wind should recur before the shelterbelt becomes effective, we shall probably have to repeat the repairs. We also have in mind, with the highway department's permission, the

possible installation of some stretches of experimental wave-wash protection which we should like to study in connection with earth-dam construction.

The wave damage was not confined to Highway No. 51 but also damaged the county roads crossing the reservoir from Coldwater to Arkabutla in Tate County and from Hernando to Eudora in De Soto County. The Government had had nothing to do with the construction of these roads, but had merely purchased releases from damages from the two counties. The payments were based on estimates of raising the two roadways, with their existing 1-on-2 side slopes, to spillway crest elevation. The counties appear not to have carried the fills quite as high as planned, and to have used rather steep side slopes, all of which may have contributed to the damage. However, they are exposed to a long expanse of lake by the removal of timber and it is believed only equitable that the Government should see the counties whole in the premises-which was the original intent. The unprotected fresh embankments could not possibly have withstood the pounding to which the early occurrence of the high pool subjected them. Pavement of slopes with riprap would be prohibitively costly. It is believed, however, that the crossings should be constructed to proper grade, and sodded, and that the growth of tree belts should be encouraged for slope protection. The cost of treating the HernandoEudora Road in De Soto County is estimated at $242,500 and of treating the Coldwater-Arkabutla Road in Tate County, at $222,000. In both cases it is felt that if serious damage should recur before the shelterbelts afford relief, the roads should again be repaired at Federal expense. Since the Government did not build the roads, and did purchase an unequivocal quitclaim from the counties, it is felt that congressional authorization of the proposed action is necessary.

YAZOO BACKWATER

The Flood Control Act of August 18, 1941, authorized the protection of the Yazoo backwater area to a grade 1 foot below the flow line of the record flood (1927) confined. This grade corresponds to 562 feet on the United States engineer gage at Vicksburg. The protection is to be afforded by continuing the Mississippi River levee along the west bank of the Yazoo to a junction with the headwater project levee near Yazoo City. The grade of the backwater levee will be horizontal at elevation 103.7 mean sea level from the Missisippi River levee to the mouth of Big Sunflower River. This will be the fuse-plug portion. It will be overtopped at average intervals of 31 years. From that point upstream the grade will rise so that the area will not be inundated by floods of the Yazoo River which meet Mississippi River floods whose height does not require inundation of the backwater area.

The backwater levee will intercept all drainage west of the Yazoo, from an area of approximately 4,400 square miles. Pumping plants and floodgates will be provided where the levee crosses the main streams-Sunflower River, Steele Bayou, and Deer Creek, and drainage will be conducted to these points in part by landside borrow pits and in part by excavated drainage canals. A floodgate will also be provided where the levee crosses Little Sunflower River. The pumps

and floodgates are expected to prevent water levels rising above elevation 90 mean sea level at intervals of less than 5 years. The area below contour 90, or 125,000 acres, is considered as probably inundated too frequently to be profitably cultivated and is called the sump area. There are 634,000 acres benefited above the sump area. The levees of the small leveed area (Rocky Bayou) to the east of the Yazoo River will be raised so as to give it protection equal to that afforded by the west bank levee opposite. The estimated cost of the backwater project as authorized in 1941 is $11,982,000.

The Flood Control Act of December 22, 1944, authorized the Chief of Engineers in his discretion, to include in the Yazoo backwater project, improvements for the protection of the Satartia area at an estimated additional cost of $1,061,000 or in his discretion, to include improvements for the protection of the Satartia area plus its extension at an estimated additional cost of $1,952,000.

The Satartia area embraces some 26,700 acres, of which 23,800 would be protected, lying just below Satartia, Miss. The Satartia area extended includes an additional 4,500 acres of which 3,300 would be protected, lying east of the Yazoo just below the larger Satartia area. Surveys looking toward a detailed location for the backwater levees will be started in June, and studies will be made at that time with a view to deciding upon whether it is desirable to include the Satartia extension or to include the main area only.

LOWER YAZOO TRIBUTARIES

The Flood Control Act of December 22, 1944, authorized also for the Yazoo Basin, at an estimated cost of $3,752,000, the project for flood control on the Big Sunflower, Little Sunflower, Hushpuckena, and Quiver Rivers and their tributaries, and on Hull Brake-Mill Creek Canal, Bogue Phalia, Ditchlow Bayou, Deer Creek, and Steele Bayou in accordance with the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers in House Docket 516, Seventy-eighth Congress, second session. Based on current prices it is estimated that approximately $5,000,000 will be required to accomplish the work outlined in the original authorization.

The streams included are the west bank tributaries of the Yazoo system whose overflows menace the lands protected against the Mississippi and the Yazoo Rivers proper. The channels of these streams have deteriorated from willow growth, and the deposition of timber slashings, et cetera. They drain the basin east of the Mississippi River and west of Cassidy Bayou and the Tallahatchie-Yazoo Rivers from near Clarksdale, Miss., to near Vicksburg. The basin averages about 30 miles in width and is about 140 miles long, with an area of 4,200 square miles. A number of drainage canals have been constructed but they are ineffective at times because of the choked conditions of the streams which provide the outfall drainage. Annual damages that would result from overflows caused by the poor condition of the stream channels after completion of the Yazoo headwater project are estimated at about $13,000. The design of the project is to provide channel capacity to the several streams equal to the design flows generally used in standard practice for agricultural drainage in the territory. This standard contemplates a run-off of 1.3 inches in 24 hours from a square mile, or 0.6 inches from 100 square miles, or