Senator ELLENDER. But will you be able to spend it from now to June 30? ANTICIPATED UNEXPENDED BALANCE General POTTER. I will end the year with $24 million unexpended. Senator ELLENDER. Why? General POTTER. Let us say $20 million of the $24 million, because I cannot spend it. The work cannot be done that fast. Senator ELLENDER. But it is not because of the debt ceiling appropriation? General POTTER. As far as I am concerned, not entirely. Senator THYE. That is what I want to get clear. It is still discretional, but your projects have not been developed to the point where you could reasonably expend that amount of money, because from the first of the year on through to the end of the fiscal year it is your discretion what you do with the money. General POTTER. Within limit. Senator THYE. So that, with the funds available and with the projects you have approved, the expenditure is within your discretion. General POTTER. Yes. May I give you my history in the Missouri River division? It is this: A general figure was given me as to what my expenditures ceiling for the year should be. I protested on one project and was given a greater ceiling. I think we went from $109 million, say, to $111 million for the division. That then was the limit that, I felt, my instructions caused me not to exceed for the year, $111 million for the division. As to whether I could spend more than $111 million, I can only say that as of now it looks like I might be able to exceed it by some $4 to $5 million, might have the ability to exceed it by some $4 to $5 million, but I could not cause the expenditure of all of the moneys I had, because contractors do have to have some carryover to carry them into the next year until appropriations are made available. Senator CASE. Where were you in 1946? General POTTER. In the Kansas City district, sir. Senator CASE. And where were you in 1948? General POTTER. I left Kansas City in April and went to Alaska, sir. I was in Alaska 1 year. Senator CASE. Do you recall that in either 1946 or 1948 or about that period the President froze funds which had been appropriated to the Army engineers for expenditures? General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. Was that in a substantial amount? General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. In other words, during that period of time there was an action by the executive branch of the Government which did exactly what Senator Thye referred to; that is to say, thwarted the will of the Congress to make appropriations; and they froze those funds and held them in the Treasury. How much did you have carried over on June 30, 1953? General POTTER. $67.9 million. Senator CASE. During the hearings of this committee a year ago, did you not report to the committee the anticipated carryover on June 30? General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. Did the committee, not take that into consideration in its appropriations so as to provide funds for a flow of work that would be within the capacity of the Engineers to accomplish? General POTTER. Yes. FORT RANDALL Senator YOUNG. When will you start generating current at Fort Randall? sir. General POTTER. March 15 is a set date for the pushing of the button, Senator YOUNG. That is behind schedule, is it not? General POTTER. Yes, it is. Our first predictions about a year half ago were November of this year. and a Senator YOUNG. That is fairly close. When do you expect to start generating current at Garrison? General POTTER. April 1955, sir. GARRISON DAM Senator YOUNG. Let me ask you a few questions about your funds for Garrison. You have some money for fish and wildlife facilities listed here? Will there be funds for that purpose? General POTTER. There will be some for tree planting and, I believe, for some access roads. Senator YOUNG. How much will there be for tree planting? I have been interested in that part of the program for a long time because we are destroying most of the wildlife habitat. We should start planting the trees to replace at least a small part. General POTTER. I might say, Senator Young, in both Randall and Garrison, the particular projects about which you are asking, tree planting, access roads, and so on, the program is worked out with the State people, not in the amount they would like, but the amounts that we can allocate are arrived at by working with the States. It is $22,000 for tree planting in 1955, sir. Senator YOUNG. I do not think that is sufficient, but it is a start. Do you plan to start construction of dikes around Williston and Trenton? General POTTER. Funds for work in the vicinity of Williston in this budget are: construction 0; land acquisition 1,555,000; and planning 414,300. This work does include some activity for subsurface investigations, bore holes and test pits. Senator YOUNG. For fiscal year 1955? General POTTER. Yes. Senator ELLENDER. Has that question been settled, as to the height of the dikes? General POTTER. The last Congress in the Senate report required the Corps of Engineers to furnish this committee with reports on the protection of Williston and the irrigation districts and plans for their construction. Those plans have been presented to the clerk of the committee and the report also. Senator YOUNG. Are there any other questions? I think you said that you planned to go ahead with the land-acquisition program above elevation 1840 under this flood-control project? General POTTER. Unless I am prevented; yes. Senator YOUNG. Are there any more questions? Do you have some, Senator Ellender? Senator ELLENDER. I just want to look at the amounts allocated to the various projects. That is all right. Seantor YOUNG. I think General Potter has completed his testimony. Would you want him to remain here until you could look at those? Senator ELLENDER. No, sir. Senator YOUNG. Are there any other questions, Senator Case? Senator CASE. There are several question I want to ask on some of the projects of the Missouri River. Senator YoUNG. Proceed. LOCAL WORKS ABOVE SIOUX CITY Missouri River, Kenslers Bend, Nebr., to Sioux City, Iowa Senator CASE. General Potter, what funds are you asking for work Senator CASE. That is the total program, just $100,000? Senator CASE. Do you have any carryover? General POTTER. There will be an unexpended balance on June 30, 1954, of about $50,000. I had $17,732 carryover on June 30, 1953. As the Senator well knows, that project is pretty well isolated above Omaha and it really does not pay to do minor jobs and have contractors move in until they can be pretty well funded. Senator CASE. I am looking at the page that carries the project for Missouri River, Kenslers Bend to Sioux City, Iowa, and I notice nothing there on the Miners Bend, but for the Kenslers and Sioux City Bends, there is shown $150,000, which apparently would be the $100,000 of new money and $50,000 for unliquidated obligations. General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. Are we now talking about the same funds? General POTTER. Yes. Senator MUNDT. On that point, you may remember we had difficulty last year. We added the Miners Bend feature and I think it was knocked out in conference by the House. It seems to me it should be cleared up at the beginning this time. When we are talking about these bends, we are talking about the whole area of the river. General POTTER. It is one project, Senator Mundt, Sioux City through Miners Bend. It was authorized at 2 different times, but we considered it 1 project. Senator CASE. The way you show it you have Kenslers-Sioux City Bends, miles 773 to 760, bank stabilization, $150,000, for fiscal year 1955. You show nothing for bank stabilization from Miners to Kenslers Bend in miles 779 to 773. Where are you going to spend the money? General POTTER. It will be in the lower bend, immediately above Sioux City. I have a map of that if you care to look at it. Senator CASE. Does it have the colors? General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. May we see that? General POTTER. Yes. Senator CASE. To complete that portion of the project between Kenselers and Sioux City Bend the figures would indicate that after this $150,000 is spent there will still be required $1,040,000; is that correct? General POTTER. Yes, sir. That is Kenslers and Sioux City Bend over here. Senator CASE. How far will that $150,000 carry you? General POTTER. These three little pieces of work extending this system to this existing revetment. ANNUAL RATE OF LOSS Senator CASE. What is the annual rate of loss there in dollars, the annual loss due to the absence of protection? General POTTER. The loss, sir, is the threat of the river breaking through incompleted work into McCook Lake and hence around Sioux City. The program you see in front of you, sir-and we do this kind of program every year to outline our work because the river does change extensively above Kensler's Bend-shows for fiscal year 1955 a possible program of about $2.8 million, and in 1956 a program of $2.3 million, and in 1957 a program of about $1 million would complete the entire project. Senator CASE. Those figures that you just gave would include Miner's Bend? That would apply to both bends? General POTTER. Yes, Miner's and Kensler's Bends. Senator CASE. With the river cutting across and going into Big Sioux. General POTTER. Joining through McCook Lake. I have a greater fear at the present time, sir, and that is this constant erosion at Miner's Bend which might cut across here. Senator MUNDT. Where would the Italian farmers be? General POTTER. Right here [indicating]. When we were there in September we stood here. Senator CASE. What would be necessary in dollars to stop that potential damage that you speak of back here? General POTTER. This program here, sir [indicating]. Senator MUNDT. The one you have marked for 1955? General POTTER. Yes. That program right there [indicating]. Senator CASE. To get the protection that will stop the damage you would need $2,200,000 in Miner's and Kensler's Bends and $650,000 on Kensler's and Sioux City Bends? General POTTER. Yes; as a start of the 3-year program. General POTTER. I believe that would be the best program to recommend, Senator, because of the fact that the river will do some work itself for which you do not pay if you do it gradually. Senator MUNDT. Supposing the money were authorized and you could start, would the fact that you were in there starting tend to stop this threat working through? General POTTER. Oh, yes. You immediately start to direct the river into a newer channel. Senator CASE. What is the potential damage dollarwise if the river should cut across in those two places that you fear it may? General POTTER. There would be the complete loss of thousands of acres of agricultural land that exist, the loss of all of the facilities newly constructed around McCook Lake, and, as you know sir, that is quite an extensive community. Senator MUNDT. You would need about a million dollars' worth of improvements at McCook Lake alone. General POTTER. I would say at least that; yes. And there would be the peril to the town of Sioux City, and I do not believe I can evaluate that, Senator. It is an enormous amount of money. Senator CASE. It would be equivalent to the damage that might come from a major flood? General POTTER. Yes. ESTIMATE OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE Senator MUNDT. Would you prepare for the record, General, a rough financial estimate of what the cost would be should this thing cut right through at Miner's Bend, chopping into this Italian farm and going straight through, with and without the possibility of cutting through Sioux City. If it went into Sioux City it would be pretty hard to estimate the area. By cutting into the McCook Lake area, it cuts up all this farmland and alters your whole river program. Some of the things you are now building would be left high and dry down in Nebraska and not on the river channel at all. General POTTER. That is right, sir. Adverse conditions in Miner's Bend would affect Kensler's Bend and it might be that the river would cut across through Sioux City, the community on the other side of the river. (The information referred to follows:) MINER'S BEND The principal area of erosion on Miner's Bend is along 21⁄2 miles of the left bank just upstream from the stabilization work on Kensler's Bend. The erosion has advanced about 4,000 feet since 1948 at the point of maximum change. If erosion continues at this rate, the river would cut through the point of land on the left bank of Kensler's Bend in 12 to 15 years destroying about 2,000 acres of land, worth at least $400,000. In about 5 or 6 years, at the present rate of erosion, the river will have a direct attack on the leadoff to the Kensler's Bend stabilization works. Such a condition would cause the flanking and ultimately the destruction of the downstream stabilization works, which have been constructed at a cost of about $4 million. M'COOK LAKE BEND The recreational area and property adjacent to McCook Lake is estimated to be worth $750,000 to $1 million. The breakthrough of the river into this old oxbow lake would destroy it as a recreational area. Once the river cuts into |