Mr. Hogan. I assume I have the privilege of revising my remarks and perhaps adding a few extensions.

Senator KNOWLAND. You may file any additional statements you want. We are glad to welcome you before the committee.

Representative JOHNSON. Thank you very much. I appreciate it tremendously.

Senator KNOWLAND. You may proceed.

Mr. GRIFFITH. The next item for discussion is the Cherry Valley Dam, and we have four witnesses.

Mr. Lloyd of San Francisco.

CHERRY VALLEY DAM, CALIF.

STATEMENT OF HARRY E. LLOYD, MANAGER AND CHIEF ENGINEER, HETCH HETCHY WATER SUPPLY

PREPARED STATEMENT

Mr. LLOYD. I am pleased to be able to appear before this committee in support of the Cherry River project. I am Harry E. Lloyd. I am chief engineer of the public utilities commission of the city and county of San Francisco. I have a prepared statement which I would like to have submitted.

Senator KNOWLAND. That will be printed in full at this point. (The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT BY H. E. LLOYD ON FLOOD CONTROL ON THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER IN CALIFORNIA

My name is Harry E. Lloyd. I am manager of the Hetch Hetchy water and power supply and chief engineer of the engineering bureau of the public utilities commission of the city and county of San Francisco, Calif. This commission, among other duties, has jurisdiction over the domestic water supply of the city. I am appearing before you in the interest of that commission and in support of the program developed by the Corps of Engineers, United States Army, for the control of floods along the lower San Joaquin River which originate on its principal tributary, the Tuolumne River, and in particular, with regard to the construction of the Cherry Valley Dam in California.

As you gentlemen may know, the Hetch Hetchy project is on the Tuolumne River and is the principal source of domestic water for the city and county of San Francisco. The river is also the source of irrigation water for the 300,000 acres of farmlands within the confines of the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts. These three agencies have spent close to $200 million in the development of the conservation features of the waters of the Tuolumne River and will expend additional sums as required in the future.

In 1940 the Corps of Engineers proposed the construction of a flood-control dam on the Tuolumne River, entirely at Government expense. Negotiations between the Corps of Engineers and local interests resulted in the program recommended in House Document No. 2 of the 78th Congress. This recommendation was accepted by the Congress and became part of Public Law 534, in December of 1944.

The law contemplates the use of 5 existing and 2 proposed reservoirs owned and operated by local interests for flood control as well as for conservation purposes. The reservoirs are to be operated for flood control in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army.

By contract No. DA-04-167 Eng.-38, certified September 26, 1949, between the United States of America and city and county of San Francisco, Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District, the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army were set forth and the monetary value of the flood-control service to be performed by local interests, estimated at $12 million, was established.

Payment by the Federal Government is being made only for the flood-control benefits received. I wish to make it very clear to you gentlemen that the Federal Government has not been asked for any money for conservation purposes.

Under the terms of the referenced contract, flood control is to be accomplished in three steps:

1. By December 1, 1949, operate existing facilities, owned by local interests, for flood control. These facilities have a storage capacity of 720,000 acre-feet. 2. By December 1, 1951, complete Cherry Valley Reservoir with a capacity of 260,000 acre-feet.

3. By December 1959, complete the new Don Pedro Reservoir with a capacity of 1,200,000 acre-feet.

The above schedules are contingent upon adequate financing, both Federal and local.

Local interests since December 1, 1949, have been operating their facilities in the interest of flood control in accordance with their contract obligations. The facilities necessary to perform step 2 are now being constructed. The small size of the initial appropriations in 1948, 1949, and 1950, has delayed the completion date of step 2 until 1955 and added materially to the cost. To date, and over a 6-year period of the estimated Federal payment of $12 million to be made, only $7,469,900 has been appropriated, of which $7,113,350 has been advanced to local interests.

By separate agreement between the Corps of Engineers and local interests, the flood control provided under step 1 has a value of $4,600,000, and under the combined steps 1 and 2, a value of $9 million. The remaining $3 million is allocated to the construction of the new Don Pedro Dam.

The value of this service as well as the necessity for step 2, namely the building of Cherry Valley Dam, was demonstrated during the devastating floods of November and December of 1950.

The existing structures captured the November flood on the Tuolumne River which reached a mean daily flow of 86,745 cubic feet per second on November 19, during which a controlled release was maintained below Don Pedro. A second mean daily peak of 47,474 cubic feet per second on December 4 was also controlled. However, by December 8, 1950, all of the existing Tuolumne River reservoirs were full, and an uncontrolled flow of 64,500 cubic feet per second was discharged into the San Joaquin River.

It was this last flow which flooded the city of Modesto and contributed to the breaking of the San Joaquin levee system below the Mossdale Bridge, resulting in damage estimated by the Corps of Engineers at $5,746,000.

Studies developed by our engineers have demonstrated that, had the Cherry Valley Dam been completed at that time, the maximum flow reaching the San Joaquin River from the Tuolumne River would not have exceeded 12,000 cubic feet per second.

As stated previously, this project differs from most of the others before you in that local interests are building the necessary structures and are providing all of the money necessary for the construction of the various features of the project in excess of the value of flood-control service.

Our contract with the Federal Government provides that city and Federal funds be spent on a pro-rata basis of the estimated $14,200,000 cost of step 2 of the project now under construction.

Dams and reservoirs, owned by local interests, and now being used under step 1 of this project, could not be built for less than $50 million at this time. The total Federal expense for the flood-control service provided in the structures built, or building, under steps 1 and 2 above, is estimated at $9 million.

Additional funds to be expended or committed prior to June 30, 1955

Total funds expended or committed prior to June 30, 1955---

500, 000 20,000 191, 200 143, 800

1,900, 000 13, 491, 500

Funds available for completion of the above construction program to
June 30, 1955

The above estimated commitments totaling $1.9 million to be made during the fiscal year 1954-55 are only for those items necessary to complete the Cherry Valley Dam and its appurtenances, but provide no funds for the Cherry-Eleanor tunnel which is necessary to round out the project.

I am informed that the Bureau of the Budget has recommended an appropriation of $1 million for this project for the forthcoming fiscal year. The city of San Francisco is the constructing agency in this case and we have attempted to adjust our construtcion program to meet such an appropriation without causing the operation of the project to be delayed for another year.

We feel that a minimum of $1,900,000 will be required to finance the curtailed construction program and request that your committee authorize an appropriation of $1,250,000 under these conditions, with the understanding that local interests will advance the funds required to carry out such a program.

Gentlemen, I know that the Corps of Engineers feel that this project is good business for the Federal Government. The local interests are satisfied. There is equity there. Each party pays for what it gets and that to me is good business. I appreciate the opportunity of appearing before this committee and shall be happy to answer any questions the committee may care to ask.

In conclusion I again urge that your committee include the sum of $1,250,000 in the budget for the fiscal year 1954-55 for continuing work on the Cherry Valley Dam as a part of the necessary structures required for providing flood control on the lower San Joaquin River of California.

PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL INTERESTS

Mr. LLOYD. I am sure the committee will remember that this project which received its first appropriation in 1948 is a little different than the other projects that are before you today in that local interests are the constructing agencies for the additional facilities that are to be built and are being built on the Tuolumne River to protect the flood flows of the Tuolumne, reaching the San Joaquin River and coming down on Congressman Johnson's area to which he just referred.

This project has reached the stage now where within the next fiscal year it will be substantially complete in that we will be able to store water. We had hoped this would be the last time that we would be requesting funds for the Cherry project itself. However, I under

stand that the Bureau of the Budget has requested $1 million for appropriation this year on this project. Our construction program, which is detailed in the filed report, calls for the expenditure of about $1,900,000 during the fiscal year of 1955.

In view of this situation, we have revised our construction schedule to the extent that the local interests will be able to advance the difference between the $1,900,000 at this time and the $1,250,000 that we are requesting this committee to approve. We will still have a small portion of the project which will require construction funds and for which we hope to come back and see you next year; namely, a diversion tunnel which will bring additional water into this particular area. Thank you.

Senator KNOWLAND. I hope the completion of this project next year will not foreclose us from having the pleasure of your company and Mr. Kusling's company before us for a number of years.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Milton Kidd.

STATEMENT OF MILTON KIDD, DIRECTOR, MODESTO IRRIGATION

DISTRICT

PREPARED STATEMENT

Mr. KIDD. I have a prepared statement.

Senator KNOWLAND. That may be included in the record. (The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF MILTON L. KIDD RELATING TO FLOOD CONTROL ON THE TUOLUMNE RIVER IN CALIFORNIA

My name is Milton L. Kidd. I am here today representing the Modesto Irrigation District of Modesto, Calif. I am a director of that organization and have served in that capacity for 19 years.

In 1944, the 78th Congress, 2d session, adopted Public Law No. 534, authorizing flood control upon the lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries, including the Tuolumne River.

In August of 1949 the city and county of San Francisco, the Turlock Irrigation District, and the Modesto Irrigation District entered into a contract with the United States of America to operate their facilities on the Tuolumne River for flood control and to construct additional facilities to aid in this respect. One of these projects was the Cherry Valley Dam and Reservoir. This was to have been completed in 1951.

The city and county of San Francisco voted $4 million in bonds to cover their part of the cost, the irrigation districts have been operating their reservoirs for flood control in accordance with the agreement.

The project is now under construction but due to the lack of Federal appropriations has not been completed. It is my understanding that it will require an appropriation of $1,250,000 for the Federal Government to fulfill its contractual obligation with the local interest.

The project is already costing considerable more than estimated due to the delays that have been encountered and in addition we are risking the loss of water for irrigation and power.

I sincerely request that your committee will appropriate $1,250,000 so that this phase of the project can be completed without further delay.

I have appeared before this committee on previous occasions and want to thank you for the consideration that I know you will give this request.

Mr. KIDD. I will point out the uniqueness of our project. We have a rural area in complete accord with an urban area on the matter of flood control, conservation and distribution of the water supplies of a river that we are jointly using. We have had a fine companionship with the people of San Francisco, and we expect to maintain that par

ticular one. We are in complete accord with the testimony offered by Mr. Lloyd who proceeded me here. We might mention, since you were kind enough to mention that the completion of the project next year might leave us not in a position to come back for some time, that we hope very soon to start the greater Don Pedro Dam, and we will have a succession of years of appearances in which you will see us all you

want.

Thank you.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I would like to introduce Mr. Crowell, president of the Turlock Irrigation District.

STATEMENT OF A. M. CROWELL, PRESIDENT, TURLOCK
IRRIGATION DISTRICT

PREPARED STATEMENT

Mr. CROWELL. I also have a written statement.

Senator KNOWLAND. That will be included in the record. (The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF ABNER M. CROWELL RELATING TO FLOOD CONTROL ON THE TUOLUMNE RIVER, CALIF.

My name is Abner Crowell and I am president of the board of directors of the Turlock Irrigation District in Stanislaus and Merced Counties, Calif. The Turlock Irrigation District supplies irrigation water to an area of 166,000 acres in diversified crops and generates and distributes power within the area. Our canals, dams, reservoirs, powerplants, transmission and distribution lines, substations, pumps, and structures have been financed by general obligation bonds and direct taxes on the land since the organization of the district in 1887.

The Turlock Irrigation District, the Modesto Irrigation District, and the city and county of San Francisco under a contract with the United States of America dated August 29, 1949, are obligated to operate their existing storage facilities in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army in order to obtain immeditely a degree of control over Tuolumne River floods. In the comprehensive plan of development of the Tuolumne River the Government pays for flood-control benefits only, possibly up to 20 percent of the final project cost.

The districts and the city and county of San Francisco have been operating their reservoirs on the river for flood control under the direction of the Secretary of the Army. These operations have been successful. During the great floods of November and December 1950 the peak of the Tuolumne River was reduced by 40 percent by holding flood water in the Hetch Hetchy and Don Pedro Reservoirs. The Cherry Valley Reservoir is expected to be completed and in operation by 1955. Inadequate Federal appropriations have delayed this project about 4 years. The districts have been operating their Don Pedro Reservoir for flood control as agreed in the contract with the Government for the last 4 years at considerable risk and expense but with no advantage to the districts. Completion of the Cherry Valley Reservoir will provide 268,000 acre-feet of additional storage and make possible an economical power development below the dam. This power is now necessary to meet the growing demands of the city of San Francisco and the districts. We are all greatly concerned over delays in the completion of the Cherry Valley project.

The final project of the comprehensive plan of Tuolumne River development, the new Don Pedro Dam, as provided in the agreement of June 30, 1949, between the districts and the city and county of San Francisco will be started about 1960 and with its completion the Tuolumne River will be fully regulated by 5 reservoirs owned and operated by the irrigation districts and the city and county of San Francisco. Contour mans of the new Don Pedro Reservoir area will be completed by Fairchild Aerial Surveys in May of this year and are expected to confirm our preliminary estimates of 1,800,000 acre-feet storage capacity.