cargoes to move without limitation; to secure terminal rates general cargoes; to make Vancouver, which is the nearest seaport the Bonneville Dam, attractive to the industries expected to use t power therefrom; and to enable the Vancouver industrial properti and terminals to compete with those of Portland on more nearly eve terms. VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FO RIVERS AND HARBORS 7. The Board concurs in the view of the district and divisio engineers that it is not advisable to change the location of the channe below the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway bridge. The onl resulting benefit would be that additional land would be afforde ready access to deep water and become more available for termina and industrial development. The same result can be obtained mor satisfactorily, when further development may warrant the cost of the improvement, by the extension downstream of the lower turning basin. There is no indication that this is required at present. It 8. The ocean-going commerce of Vancouver is not large. reached a maximum of 176,000 tons in 1928, declined to 85,000 tons in 1932, and increased to 93,000 tons in 1933. It consists chiefly of shipments of lumber and lumber products and of canned goods. Receipts, chiefly sugar, sulphur and petroleum products, are small in amount. In the report under review the Board recommended an increase in depth from 25 to 28 feet and expressed the opirion that such increase would be ample to accommodate practically all vessels which might desire to call at Vancouver for many years. As previously stated, this increased depth has now been provided under allotment from the Public Works Administration, the work having been completed in December 1933. The Board finds no grounds for changing its previously expressed opinion that this depth will be sufficient for present and prospective commerce of the character now handled at this port. 9. The only change in conditions since the previous reports that appears to require serious consideration is the recent construction of a new grain elevator and shipping facilities, located on the lower turning basin. It is estimated by the local port officials that this will result in the shipment of 300,000 tons of grain. The Board has some doubts as to the development of such a tonnage and as to any resulting benefits to the general public; but in any event it is not convinced that this development is dependent upon the provision of a deeper channel. 10. The district engineer points out that a large part of this tonnage must come from a diversion from the present grain terminals at Portland and that there would apparently be little saving to the public effected by the change from one terminal to the other, since the rail rates to the two ports from the grain-producing territory are the same. The railroad would save the cost of the haul to Portland and the switching charges there. Local interests estimate that 60,000 tons of the grain would come by barge from the upper Columbia with a saving of 50 cents per ton over the rate to Portland. Based upon present barge movements of grain on the Columbia, the Board considers this estimate of tonnage excessive and, as the distance from the Vancouver grain terminal to Portland elevators is only 8 to 16 miles of easy navigation, concurs in the view of the district engineer that the actual saving would be less than 17 cents per ton. 11. The mean annual stage at Vancouver is 5 feet above zero and for about 8 months the stage at low tide is at and above 3 feet. At low-water stages the tidal range is about 1.5 and 2.5 feet for neap and spring tides, respectively. At Portland, where the cargo tonnage handled is over 40 times that at Vancouver and the channel depth is 35 feet, there were in 1932 only 42 trips of vessels having a draft of over 28 feet and only 1 with a draft of over 30 feet; and a large proportion of the deep-draft vessels were oil tankers. In view of these facts, the Board concurs in the views of the district engineer to the effect that a greater depth than that now available is not essential for the successful movement of grain from Vancouver even though such shipments are ordinarily made during the low-water season, and that only occasional delays might occur for a few of the larger ships. In the absence of any present movement of this commodity and any demonstrated inadequacy of the existing channel, it is clearly of the opinion that an increase of depth is not justified at this time. 12. The Board therefore reports, in response to the committee resolutions, that modification of the recommendation for a depth of 23 feet as contained in the document under review, either to the extent of providing a 32-foot depth along the Washington shore or of deepening the present channel and extending the lower turning basin thousand feet downstream, is not advisable at the present time. For the Board: W. J. BARDEN, REPORT OF THE DIVISION ENGINEER SYLLABUS The division engineer recommends modification of the existing project for Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers, below Portland, Oreg., and Vancouver, Wash., so as to provide a channel 300 feet wide and 30 feet deep, at low water, from the mouth of the Willamette River to the interstate highway bridge at Vancouver, with two turning basins, each generally 2,000 feet long, 800 feet wide, and 30 feet deep at low water, all at an estimated additional cost of $140,000 for new work. No additional cost for maintenance will be involved. WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE DIVISION ENGINEER, PACIFIC DIVISION, San Francisco, Calif., April 21, 1934. Subject: Review of reports on Columbia River between the mouth of the Willamette and a point 1 mile above Vancouver, Wash. To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army. AUTHORITY 1. Review of reports on the Columbia River between the mouth of the Willamette River and a point 1 mile above Vancouver, Wash., submitted in House Document No. 249, Seventy-second Congress, first session, with a view to determining whether modifications are advisable to the extent of providing 32-foot depth in channel B along the Washington shore at Vancouver, and to the extent of deepening the present project channel A and extending the lower turning basin another thousand feet downstream along the Washington shore, were requested by the Committee on Rivers and Harbors in resolutions adopted January 2, 1934, and February 27, 1934. The report of the district engineer is enclosed. DESCRIPTION 1 2. Vancouver, Wash., is situated at the head of deep-water navigation on the Columbia River, about 104 miles from the sea and 4% miles above the mouth of the Willamette River. The locality is shown on United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Charts Nos. 6154 and 6155 and on the map accompanying the district engineer's report. In front of Vancouver the natural river width is about 3,000 feet with depths varying from 10 to 28 feet at low water. The low water flow is about 70,000 second-feet. During annual freshets, ordinarily occurring in May, June, and July, the river rises to an average crest of 21 feet, at which time the discharge is about 680,000 second-feet. During low-water stages the tidal range is from 1.5 to 2.5 feet. Two bridges cross the Columbia River at Vancouver. One is an interstate highway bridge located above Vancouver Harbor and has a lift span with horizontal clearance of 200 feet and vertical clearance of 175 feet. About 4,500 feet downstream of the highway bridge there is a double track railroad bridge with a swing draw, each opening having a clear width of 200 feet. EXISTING PROJECT 3. The existing project for the Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers as adopted by Congress provides for a channel 500 feet wide and 35 feet deep from the entrance to Portland and for a channel 300 feet wide and 25 feet deep from the mouth of the Willamette River to Vancouver. A modification of the project recommended by the Chief of Engineers and printed in the document under review provides for a channel 300 feet wide and 28 feet deep from the mouth of the Willamette River to the interstate highway bridge with two turning basins, each generally, 2,000 feet long, 800 feet wide, and 28 feet deep. This improvement has been included in the Public Works program under the National Industrial Recovery Act and the new work was completed in December 1933, at a cost of $56,984. The estimated annual cost of maintenance is $35,000. 4. Local interests of Vancouver have contributed $98,527 toward channel improvement and maintenance and are obligated for a total of not to exceed $123,000. TRIBUTARY AREA 5. Vancouver, with a population of about 16,000, is the only town on the stretch of the river under consideration. It is the trading center and shipping point for a territory devoted to lumbering and agriculture. Vancouver water front occupies the upper 7,500 feet of the project channel The port authorities have a wharf 1,325 feet. long on the upper turning basin and are constructing a grain elevator 1 Not printed. and shipping facilities on the lower turning basin. The remainder of the waterfront is occupied by privately owned wharves and manufacturing plants. 6. Vancouver is about 8 miles north of Portland, Oreg. The main lines of the Northern Pacific Railway from Portland to Tacoma and of the Seattle, Portland & Spokane Railway from Portland to Spokane, cross the Columbia River at Vancouver. The Pacific Highway also crosses the river at Vancouver and the Evergreen Highway extends along the north bank of the Columbia River from Vancouver to the east. COMMERCE 7. The vessel traffic for Vancouver Harbor for 1932 was 85,331 tons and that for 1933 is reported as 104,147 tons by the port of Vancouver. The largest tonnage of any year was 176,046 in 1928. Shipments of lumber, wood products, and paper accounted for 65,290 tons of the 1932 vessel traffic. In addition to the vessel traffic there is a large quantity of rafted logs. The record of trips and drafts of vessels for 1933 shows 203 each of arrivals and departures with drafts of from 10 to 27 feet, most of which range from 16 to 24 feet. Transcontinental terminal rates are in effect for all classes of commerce. IMPROVEMENT DESIRED 8. Local interests represented by the port of Vancouver desire that the depth of the channel and turning basins be increased from 28 to 32 feet, that the length of the lower turning basin be extended 1,000 feet downstream and that the location of the channel below the lower turning basin be moved to the Washington shore. 9. The port of Vancouver claims that the drafts of grain carriers. expected to use the new port facilities are about 30 feet, therefore a 32-foot minimum depth of channel is required. As a reason for enlarging the lower turning basin and moving the channel to the Washington shore they point out that all of the existing frontage on the channel and turning basin is now occupied, that additional facilities are required, and that no further industrial expansion can take place because of the limited frontage now available. The prospective benefits to be gained by the proposed improvements have been evaluated by the port as follows: Savings to shippers on account of terminal rates at Vancouver. $55,000 30, 000 6,000 The saving of $55,000 is based on the assumption that unless a depth of 32 feet is established and additional facilities are provided for deep-draft shipping Vancouver will lose its classification as a terminal port. The saving on grain is computed at 50 cents per ton as the additional cost of carrying 60,000 tons of grain to Portland. Enlargement of the lower turning basin is expected to eliminate or reduce the need for towing. No offers of further local cooperation have been made. SPECIAL SUBJECTS 10. Except for the question of land reclamation there are no subjects so related to the proposed improvement that they could be coordinated therewith so as to lessen the costs chargeable to navigation. 97903-34-2 VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER 11. The district engineer has made a survey including jet borings in the area of the desired improvements. On the map with his report are shown the results of the survey and the outlines of the proposed plans of improvement to meet the desires of local interests. The estimated cost for the work under these plans is summarized below: Realinement of channel below the lower turning basin at depth of 28 feet (No estimate has been made for the above improvement to depth of 32 feet.) Increasing depths to 32 feet and extending lower turning basin 1,000 feet 12. The district engineer discusses the contentions of local interest S and concludes that the present depth of 28 feet will accommodate practically all of the vessels that might desire to enter the harbor and that the total cost of delays to deeper draft vessels would be about $1,000 per year. Since the port was granted terminal rates when the project provided for 25-foot depth the district engineer sees no reason to expect any increase in rates with the 28-foot depths now provided. The possible annual savings on the barging of 60,000 tons of grain down the river for reshipment at Vancouver as estimated by the port of Vancouver are considered excessive by the district engineer, who estimates that if the grain were barged to Portland the difference in cost of transportation on a mileage basis would be about 17 cents per ton, giving a total prospective saving of only $10,200. The district. engineer states that from the standpoint of navigation, the present channel location is preferable to that along the Washington shore and he is of the opinion that the extension of the turning basin is not required at this time but that ultimately as the city grows and shipping is increased, it is probable that the whole harbor area will require deepening. 13. The district engineer recommends that no change be made in the project recommended by the Chief of Engineers as published in House Document No. 249, Seventy-second Congress, first session. VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DIVISION ENGINEER 14. I concur in the conclusions of the district engineer that the United States would not be justified in undertaking the extensive improvements requested by local interests. However, as a practical proposition, it is not believed that full use can be made of the new $1,000,000 grain terminal unless the project depth is increased to at least 30 feet at low water. The estimated cost for new work involved in doing this is $140,000, of which $75,000 is for dike construction |