Colonel PICK. The discharge at Omaha was about 193,000 cubic feet per second.

The CHAIRMAN. Were those agricultural levees overtopped in the 1943 flood in that area between Sioux City and Omaha?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir. We had just about 100 instances where the levees broke, or where they were overtopped.

The CHAIRMAN. What authority have you to rehabilitate or repair those levees constructed by the local interests, where they are unable to make the repairs themselves?

Colonel PICK. The authority is contained in section 5 of the 1941 Flood Control Act, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. So that you have authority to repair and rehabilitate levees constructed primarily for navigation and also the levees where the local interests have been unable to make the repairs, the levees having been constructed by the local interests?

Colonel PICK. Well, sir, there have been no levees constructed for navigation. The only levees that have been built out there have been built by the local people along the river; agricultural levees. Our control works in the river are pile dikes.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, we have no levees there at all, then.

Colonel PICK. We have not built any levees along the Missouri River as a Federal undertaking, for flood protection, except at Kansas City, Sherman Field at Fort Leavenworth, and Rosecrans Field at St. Joseph. The dikes constructed as part of the navigation improvement concentrate the flow into one channel in such a way that the energy of the flowing water scours the desired channel.

The CHAIRMAN. They are the permeable rather than the earthen dikes along the river?

Colonel PICK. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. So that you want to make it clear that as a part of the navigation project between Sioux City and the mouth of the river, there are generally no levees along the river?

Colonel PICK. There are generally no levees along the river that have been constructed by the Federal Government.

The CHAIRMAN. And all levees have been constructed largely by the local interests?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN, Except in the two cases that you have referred to in the Kansas City and local areas.

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, are there any other Federal works under your supervision, except those that you have generally outlined between the mouth of the river and Sioux City, now under way?

Colonel PICK. On the main river?

The CHAIRMAN. On the main system.

Colonel PICK. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, from Sioux City to Fort Peck is about what distance, by river?

Colonel PICK. About 1,000 miles.

The CHAIRMAN. The distance is about 1,000 miles?

Colonel PICK. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any improvements along that stretch of the river or has any authorization been made by Congress for navigation along that stretch of the river, directly?

Colonel PICK. A navigation project from Sioux City to Fort Benton, Mont., was adopted in 1912 and provided for the expenditure of from $75,000 to $150,000 annually for 5 years for the removal of snags and rocks from the channel during the first 5 years of the project. Since the expiration of the 5-year period a limited amount only has been expended in snagging and maintenance of structures.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you making any improvement generally along the river to restrict the waters, to keep them within the banks, and prevent them going through the country?

Colonel PICK. No, sir. The only work we are doing up in that reach in the river is up at Mandan, N. Dak., just across the river from Bismarck, N. Dak., on the Heart River, which was damaged by the spring flood this year. The levees protecting the town broke and the town was flooded.

The CHAIRMAN. And that is the only work that you are doing in the stretch between Sioux City and Fort Peck?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, tell the committee generally about the Fort Peck project, or give a general description of it, its purpose and its effect, both with respect to flood control and navigation as well as power and irrigation.

Colonel PICK. The Fort Peck Dam is an earth dam, designed to impound approximately 19,500,000 acre-feet of water. It was authorized for the purpose of holding back water during flood periods for later release during low-water periods for the benefit of navigation. Mr. O'CONNOR. And power.

Colonel PICK. And power. The dam is practically complete. No power up to this time has been developed there. There is a project on foot now for developing power there, and a portion of the total amount of power to be developed there will be developed and placed in operation within a question of 45 to 60 days from now, sir. The reservoir have never been filled. It was completed in the latter part of the period of great drought out in that part of the country, where lowwater discharges in all the streams reached record lows, but since that time, since 1938, the reservoir has been filling, and last year and this year it is filling very rapidly. By the middle of July this year we expect to have a total storage in the reservoir of about 11,000,000 acrefeet. That water will be available to produce power and to facilitate navigation on the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers.

It has been most interesting to note that had Fort Peck not been in operation this year, holding back floodwater, the high-water stage at Omaha, based on our preliminary estimates at this time, would have just about equaled the 1881 flood (highest of record above St. Joseph) at that point. The stage which was reached at Omaha was 22.45. Our estimates indicate that the gage height would have reached 2.3 feet higher at Omaha if Fort Peck had not been in the picture.

The CHAIRMAN. And the distance from Omaha to Fort Peck is what, by river?

Colonel PICK. It is about 1,230 miles.

The CHAIRMAN. All right, sir.

Colonel PICK. Now, this much is also true. It had its effect all the way downstream. For instance, at Bismarck the flood stage this year was held down 3.3 feet; at Mobridge 2.3 feet; at Pierre, where con

siderable damage occurred at Fort Pierre, it was held down 2 feet; at Omaha 2.3 feet; at Nebraska City, quite a critical place along the river, 1.5; at Kansas City 2 feet; and at St. Louis 1.2 feet.

The CHAIRMAN. In other words, the flood of 1943 would have been that much higher at the places you have enumerated if Fort Peck had not been in operation.

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The waters were detained then in the reservoir; those that originated above the dam.

Colonel PICK. The scheme of operating Fort Peck provides that when greater releases are not needed for navigation the release be limited to only that required immediately downstream for water supply and sanitation purposes-about 1,000 c. f. s.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you describe at that point the construction of Fort Peck, and tell us how the natural ordinary flow comes through or under the dam or around the dam, just for the record.

Colonel PICK. Fort Peck is an earth dam, and all flows are released through tunnels in the right abutment (except, of course, at full pool level when the spillway would come into operation).

The CHAIRMAN. What is its maximum height?

Colonel PICK. About 250 feet.

The CHAIRMAN. And the length of it?

Colonel PICK. It is about 21,000 feet which includes a dike about 10,000 feet in length.

The CHAIRMAN. How does the size of Fort Peck compare with other large dams in this and other countries of the world?

Colonel PICK. It is one of the largest in the world.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there any larger earthen dam anywhere in the continental United States?

Colonel PICK. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. It is the largest in the country?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How would it compare with the Gatun Dam in the Canal Zone, just generally?

Colonel PICK. It is much larger than the Gatun Dam.

The CHAIRMAN. When you say "much larger" you mean much higher too, do you not?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir. It is considerably higher, has considerably more yardage in it, and has a much larger reservoir capacity.

The CHAIRMAN. How far does the lake or will the lake containing the 1912 million acre-feet extend up the river from the dam? What is your estimate of it?

Colonel PICK. When full, the reservoir will have a maximum length of 189 miles, a clear width of 16 miles, and a maximum surface area of 245,000 acres.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, you may proceed with your description. How does the natural flow of the river come through, or is the water diverted there, and if so, how, just for the sake of the record?

Colonel PICK. The water is discharged through tunnels through the right abutment. No water has ever flowed through the spillway. There is a spillway there to take care of the flood conditions when the reservoir is full, but up to the present time the water has been discharged through the tunnels.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the low-water discharge of the Missouri River at this point, at the Fort Peck Dam, generally? What has been the low-water discharge?

Colonel PICK. Prior to the construction of the dam, the minimum discharge of record at Fort Peck was about 1,000 cubic feet per second. The CHAIRMAN. And that has continued.

Colonel PICK. When greater amounts have not been required for navigation a minimum release of about 1,000 cubic feet per second has been maintained.

The CHAIRMAN. That goes through the tunnels.

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Was the range in the current year 1943 of snows more excessive or larger above the dam than below it?

Colonel PICK. Yes. The actual depths, of course, were considerably greater in the headwaters regions; however, it is interesting to note that the snow which contributed mostly to the 1943 flood was almost altogether from the plains area centered in North Dakota. The watershed which feeds Fort Peck had somewhat less run-off than the watersheds of the tributaries immediately below Fort Peck, including the Milk, the Yellowstone, the Cannonball, the Knife, the Heart, and others out there on the western slopes. The maximum discharge held back by Fort Peck during this period was about 35,000 second-feet.

The CHAIRMAN. And with only that discharge you had these effects at the cities below and including Omaha?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. As well as the other Nebraska cities?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir. Last year (1942) the maximum discharge stored in the reservoir was about 66,000 second-feet. If that discharge had occurred this year and it had been permitted to be imposed upon the floodwaters which did come down the Missouri, the flood heights at those immediate points that I mentioned would have been increased in proportion to the increased discharge from the upper Missouri; in other words, instead of having 2.3 at Omaha, it is estimated that the Omaha stage would have been about 32 feet higher than that which occurred.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, the Fort Peck project was authorized some 8 or 10 years ago. When was it substantially completed; in 1938, would you say?

Colonel PICK. It was substantially completed in 1939. It started filling in 1937, but we really did not get much water in it until 1938. The CHAIRMAN. That is what I understood. Generally, what is the actual cost of that project?

Colonel PICK. The total construction cost of the project is estimated at about $124,000,000, including the cost of the power plant.

The CHAIRMAN. That includes all items such as rights-of-way, damages, floods, and other items of that kind, does it?

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir; that is the total cost.

The CHAIRMAN. What irrigation benefits now are being received from Fort Peck, if any, of the waters?

Colonel PICK. There are no organized irrigation projects being fed from the water impounded at Fort Peck. There are some irrigation projects on the upper Missouri above Fort Peck, however.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, is any of the storage there to be utilized at present or has it been utilized for irrigation since the dam was completed?

Colonel PICK. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What was the maximum discharge of the Missouri River at Fort Peck prior to the construction of the dam; the maximum of record?

Colonel PICK. During the period 1890 to date the maximum discharge was estimated to be 154,000 second-feet in June 1908.

The CHAIRMAN. But since its completion, the maximum discharge, you say, is around 60,000 second-feet?

Colonel PICK. The maximum inflow during 1 day was about 66,000 second-feet; the maximum outflow from the dam in 1 day was about 25,000 second-feet.

The CHAIRMAN. 66,000, I should have said.

Colonel PICK. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there a well-defined channel along the Missouri River now; and if so, how wide is the valley from Fort Peck down to Sioux City on the average, or, if you want to give it in stretches for the record, give us that general estimate?

Colonel PICK. The valley varies from 1 to 17 miles in width. It broadens out as you pass below Chamberlain, and in the Sioux City to Omaha area it varies from 3 to 17 miles across.

The CHAIRMAN. Is that an irrigated area from Fort Peck to Sioux City, generally, or do you have rainfall enough there for average crops?

Colonel PICK. The rainfall is very limited along that reach of the river. It is about 14 inches at Fort Peck and it increases as you go down the river, until you get down to the vicinity of Sioux City, where it is probably 27 inches.

The CHAIRMAN. And at Omaha it is what?

Colonel PICK. At Omaha it is about 28 inches.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, Colonel, the only flood-control projects that have been authorized or constructed along the Missouri River from its mouth to Fort Peck, outside of the flood-control benefits of the navigation improvements up to Sioux City, and of the Fort Peck project itself, are generally in the vicinity of Kansas City; is that not true? Colonel PICK. Yes, sir; and those at Sherman Field and Rosecrans Field for protecting the Army airfields at those two places.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, Congress has authorized the Harlan Reservoir on the Republican River tributary. Has that work been undertaken or begun?

Colonel PICK. The actual construction has not begun.

The CHAIRMAN. But the initial work has been undertaken? Colonel PICK. The definite project report on that structure will be complete within the next 3 weeks, which means that it is about ready for actual design and construction.

The CHAIRMAN. What work, if any, has been done on Cherry Creek and tributaries in Colorado, authorized in 1941?

Colonel PICK. We are preparing the definite project report on that project at this time. We are making good progress on getting this project ready for construction.

The CHAIRMAN. What work, if any, has been done on Fall River and tributaries in South Dakota, authorized by the act of 1941?