the congressional district of Mr. Fisher is located. I am a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, an original member of the Diablo Dam (Amistad) Committee, a present director of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce Diablo (Amistad) Dam Committee. I am the authorized representative of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce. This organization represents 52 counties in the State of Texas and represents all of south Texas except a small portion at the lower end of the State. I realize the value of your time and therefore my report has been condensed to a very strong resolution passed by the 33d annual meeting of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce, its officers and board of directors, on October 12, 1959, together with supporting letters and exhibits attached thereto. The small statement that you have in your hands does not contain the program of work activities which I have here and which I wish to give you for your files. It shows that Diablo Dam as it was known then, was the No. 1 work program for the South Texas Chamber of Commerce for the last 5 years. It also shows the area represented by the South Texas Chamber of Commerce, on one of the Chamber of Commerce bulletins. (The document is as follows:) 1. Be it known that, Whereas, the principal objective of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce is the conservation of water, the storage of water, and the building of the economic resources of south Texas through the development of adequate and long-lasting sources of water supply, and 2. Whereas, the 1944 International Treaty between the Republic of Mexico and the United States of America agreed upon the construction of three international dams on the Rio Grande River for the purpose of flood control, water conservation, and the preservation of human life and property, and 3. Whereas, the construction on one (Falcon) of the three international dams as provided in the treaty of 1944 between Mexico and the United States has been accomplished, and the results of that construction have materially aided in the development of that area below that dam known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas through the providing of a constant supply of water in times of drought and through the impounding of waters which formerly flowed into the Gulf of Mexico and through the harnessing of floodwaters which in the year of 1954 caused millions of dollars in economic loss in those areas, both in Mexico and Texas above the aforementioned dam, and further would have caused additional millions of dollars in economic loss to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, excluding the loss of life in both areas, and 4. Whereas, the site has been selected for the second dam in the series of three to be located approximately 9 miles north of the city of Del Rio, Tex., near the confluence of the Rio Grande and Devils River, and detailed plans and construction procedures have been agreed upon by both sections of the IBWC on said site as the most ideal location for Diablo Dam, and 4a. Whereas, the International Boundary and Water Commission has completed the feasibility report of Diablo Dam and said feasibility report has been presented at public hearings of the Board of Water Engineers of the State of Texas, said report unquestionably justifies the need and feasibility of the construction of Diablo Dam, and said Board of Water Engineers has approved the feasibility report, and 5. Whereas, the population of the area between that point above the city of Del Rio to that point where the Rio Grande River enters the Gulf of Mexico, both rural and urban, are completely dependent upon the river as a means of life and economy, and 6. Whereas, an urgency exists to prevent a recurrence of another disaster such as that in 1954 by flooding in the Rio Grande which resulted in the loss of many human lives and millions of dollars in property damage, and records show that a devastating flood on the Rio Grande occurs on the average of every 4 years, and whereas there now exists at this date another disastrous flood rendering hardship and great loss to our fellow Texans and Mexican neighbors below Falcon Dam, and 7. Whereas, if said Diablo Dam were constructed it would alleviate and eliminate those dangers as well as stabilize our rapidly diminishing water supply in a recurring drought-stricken area by providing a large storage basin whereby orderly release of stored floodwaters would add materially to the agriculture areas along the Rio Grande; and 7a. Since construction of Falcon Dam, the water level has fluctuated from minimum to maximum, and without construction of other upstream dams, this uncertain situation will continue to prevail forever; however with Diablo, the water in Falcon can be stabilized within limits, and at all times allowance for major floods can be made; and 8. Whereas, the storage basin provided by this dam being approximately twice that of Falcon would create a new source of water by the reduction of water loss due to evaporation and uncontrolled seepage and runoff, and whereas in the October 19, 1958, flood, at $22 per acre-foot, approximately $44 million has been lost, which Diablo Dam could have saved, in addition to flood damages on both the Mexican and United States property adjacent to the Rio Grande (14,000 people homeless as of October 19, 1958, as seven villages and 80 percent of the land between the levees in the 150 miles between Rio Grande City, Tex., and a point 10 miles north of Brownsville, Tex., have been inundated by the waters of the Rio Grande); and 9. Whereas, the life of the existing dam known as Falcon would be doubled due to the retarding of the silting action which is annually lessening the economic usefulness of Falcon as a storage basin; and 10. Whereas, the communities of Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Zapata, representing the major population areas located above the originally constructed dam and below the Diablo Dam site have reached a common agreement upon the need for the construction of such dam in order to stabilize the economy of the entire river basin; and 11. Whereas, at the 31st and 32d annual conventions of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce, in session at Corpus Christi, Tex., on October 20, 1957, and Laredo, Tex., on October 20, 1958, adopted and urged earliest possible action on early construction of Diablo Dam; 12. Now, therefore, be it resolved, That, on this 12th day of October 1959 at the 33d annual meeting of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce, its officers and board of directors, its Water Resources Committee and general membership, endorse the earliest possible construction of an international dam and reservoir near Del Rio, Tex.; and an immediate appropriation and authorization for its construction by the U.S. Congress, and in order to stabilize, protect, and increase the basic economy of the entire south Texas area, in order to save lives and properties, now and in the future, the South Texas Chamber of Commerce urges every citizen of south Texas to join with us and immediately and urgently wire and write all of our Congressmen, Senators, Gov. Price Daniel, and congressional committees, requesting immediate action and earliest possible construction of Diablo Dam. W. E. Cook, Acting Chairman, Diablo Dam Committee. Mr. Cook. Mr. Chairman, the foregoing is a strong resolution for the early construction of the dam. To give you some other idea of the size, the population estimated in 1959, the last estimate of the census, was 3,487,715 people in the South Texas Chamber of Commerce area. I wish to express my gratitude for being allowed to appear before you and I thank you for your time. Mr. SELDEN. We appreciate very much your remarks. Mr. FISHER. On the list of witnesses I have Mr. Aubrey Rowland, who is authorized to speak for all the bridge owners up and down the Rio Grande from Amistad to the Gulf, but he felt it just as well to submit a resolution of the Association of Bridge Owners. He asked me to seek permission to include this statement in the record. It is a strong endorsement of the project born of experience that they have had in repairing bridges through the years, taking most of the profit out of the bridge business. Mr. SELDEN. Without objection, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Rowland's resolution will be included as a part of the record at this point. RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY UNANIMOUS VOTE OF THE MEXICO-TEXAS BRIDGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION HELD IN BROWNSVILLE, TEX., OCTOBER 4, 1955 Whereas, the Rio Grande flood of June 1954 destroyed international vehicular and railroad bridges between Del Rio, Texas, and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, between Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, and between Laredo, Tex., and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and caused great loss of lives and much human suffering, loss of millions of dollars in property damage, and caused costly business interruptions and public inconvenience by the cessation of the flow of commerce between the United States and Mexico, and Whereas, the Falcon Dam on the Rio Grande, recently constructed by the Government of the United States and the Republic of Mexico under the provisions of the treaty concluded between these governments in 1945, prevented the discharge of the floodwaters into the highly developed Rio Grande Valley, proving without question its enormous value in flood protection by saving the lives, bridges, cities, and farms lying below it, and thus preventing a monetary loss doubtless equal to the cost of the Falcon Dam itself; and Whereas, the International Treaty provides for the construction of other dams on the Rio Grande and the two governments, acting through their respective commissions, have compiled engineering data, and plans are now being prepared for the construction of a second international dam to be constructed on the Rio Grande River to be known as the Diablo Dam and to be located above Del Rio, Texas, and Whereas, the construction of this Diablo Dam at the site selected near Del Rio, Texas, will afford protection from the recurring disastrous floods on the reaches of the Rio Grande between Del Rio and the Falcon Dam and thus prevent future damage to the highly developed agricultural, municipal, and international properties and facilities, including international highway and railway bridges which are located on this section of the river; Therefore be it resolved, That the Diablo Dam project should be expedited as rapidly as possible so that the dam may be in readiness to control the recurring floods on the river, and that all governmental agencies, organizations, and municipalities and individuals having in charge the work of the Diablo Dam project and all interested individuals be urged to devote their time and influence in furthering the construction of the dam; Be it further resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, Senators Lyndon B. Johnson and Price Daniel, Congressmen Joe M. Kilgore and Clarke Fisher, and Hon. Leland M. Hewitt, Commissioner of the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. I, the undersigned, A. M. Gault, certify this to be a true and correct copy of the resolution adopted by the Mexico-Texas Bridge Owners Association at the annual meeting of the Association held in Brownsville, Tex., October 4, 1955. MEXICO-TEXAS BRIDGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION, A. M. GAULT, Secretary-Treasurer. FEBRUARY 1, 1960. MEXICO-TEXAS BRIDGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP LIST AS OF OCTOBER 4, 1955 The Rio Grande Gateway Bridge Co., Brownsville, Tex.; Mr. H. W. Hickford, manager. The B. & P. Bridge Co., Progreso, Tex.; Mr. W. C. Cain, vice president. The Valley Bridge Co., Hidalgo, Tex.; Mr. J. E. Pate, president. Laredo Bridge System, Laredo, Tex.; Mr. A. M. Gault, manager-secretarytreasurer. City of Eagle Pass International Toll Bridge, Eagle Pass, Tex.; Mr. Hollis Fitch, chairman of board of trustees; Mr. Ed P. Rodriguez, manager. Del Rio International Toll Bridge, Del Rio, Tex.; Mr. H. W. (Pete) Monzingo, manager. MEMBERSHIP LIST AS OF JANUARY 31, 1960 The Rio Grande Gateway Bridge Co., Brownsville, Tex.; Mr. H. W. Hickford, manager. The B. & P. Bridge Co., Progreso, Tex.; Mr. W. C. Cain, vice president. The Valley Bridge Co., Hidalgo, Tex.; Mr. Otis K. Smith, representative, Mission, Tex.; Mr. V. F. Neuhaus. Laredo Bridge System, Laredo, Tex.; Mr. A. M. Gault, manager, secretarytreasurer. City of Eagle Pass International Toll Bridge, Eagle Pass, Tex.; Mr. Ed. P. Rodriguez, manager. Del Rio International Toll Bridge, Del Rio, Tex.; Mr. H. W. (Pete) Monzingo, manager. El Paso City Lines, El Paso, Tex.; Mr. T. O. Prior, manager, Post Office Box 1889, El Paso; Mr. W. A. Williams. Starr County Bridge Co., Roma, Tex.; Mr. Elmer E. Reichert, Post Office Box 1928, McAllen, Tex. Presidio Bridge Co., Presidio, Tex.; Mr. Frank Dupuy, president, El Paso. Valley Bridge Co. of Reynosa, Hidalgo, Tex.; Mr. Otis K. Smith, Mrs. Avelina G. Herrera. Puente Internacional de Nuevo Progreso, in care of B. & P. Bridge Co.; Mr. W. C. Cain, vice president. Cia. del Puente de Piedras Negras; Mr. M. S. Olivares, manager, Apartado No. 24, Piedras Negras, Coahuila; Post Office Box 236, Eagle Pass, Tex. Mr. FISHER. The next witness is State Senator Dorsey Hardeman. Mr. SELDEN. Senator Hardeman, we are very happy to have you here, and you may proceed. STATEMENT OF HON. DORSEY B. HARDEMAN, STATE SENATOR OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, SAN ANGELO, TEX. Mr. HARDEMAN. I am happy to be here. My name is Dorsey B. Hardeman. I am a lawyer, and my home is in San Angelo, Texas-also the home of your able colleague, Mr. Fisher. I am a member of the Texas State Senate, representing the 25th senatorial district of Texas, which includes Val Verde County, the recommended site of the proposed Diablo Dam, as it is familiarly known in our area, now officially designated Amistad, meaning, of course, "friendship. I am indeed grateful for the opportunity afforded to present this statement in behalf of the ultimate construction of the dam, and specifically in support of H.R. 8080 by Mr. Fisher, appropriately referred to your committee. I hope I shall not unduly trespass upon your time in so doing. I might say it is particularly gratifying to find my good friend, Mr. Burleson, who has rendered, and is continuing to render, such able and distinguished service to his district, State, and country, sitting as a member of this fine committee. I shall forego any discussion of the technical or engineering features involved, for very obvious reasons and, no doubt, to the general relief of the committee and others concerned. Historically, the proposed dam is a result of the treaty of February 3, 1944, as has been mentioned, negotiated between the United States and the Republic of Mexico to provide, genrally, for the control and the greater utilization of the waters of the Rio Grande, through the joint construction, operation and maintenance by the United States and Mexico of a series of storage dams between the lower reaches of the stream and Fort Quitman, some several hundred miles upstream, of which one Falcon-has some years since been completed. I might interject here, that the southern portion of the senatorial district represented by me is bounded by some 500 miles of the meanderings of the river which emphasizes the interest I have in the matter. Diablo, or Amistad, Dam is the second proposed in the series, as a result of some 5 or more years of intensive study and exploration by the International Boundary and Water Commission under the able direction of Colonel Hewitt, Chief of the United States Section, and Engineer Herrera Jordan, representing the Mexican Government. Interest in this project has been stimulated by its international characteristics and aspects and, more recntly, by conferences thereon, as reported in the press, between President Eisenhower and President Lopez Mateos of Mexico, as well as between President Lopez Mateos and the distinguished Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the senior Senator from Texas, Hon. Lyndon B. Johnson, on one or more occasions. Along with a large number of citizens of the area, several of whom are present here today, thus indicating our interest, I have been closely associated with the entire development of this proposed project. This interest is based on two primary reasons, namely, the control of destructive storm and flood waters and the corresponding economic benefits, such as conservation, hydropower, wildlife, and recreational development, inuring to the area involved on both sides of the river, as well as providing literal compliance with the terms of the treaty of 1944. Consequently, in conformity with the suggestion or recommendation of the International Boundary and Water Commission, I prepared and introduced in the Senate of Texas, and along with State Senator Kazen of Laredo, also present today, secured the enactment of Senate bill 126 in 1957, by the Legislature of the State of Texas, authorizing and empowering the State Board of Water Engineers of Texas to police the release of the U.S. share of the stored storm and flood waters destined to downstream diverters, legally entitled thereto, and to prohibit the unlawful and unauthorized diversion thereof and prescribing penalties therefor. This legislation, apparently, met the approval of the various interested agencies and parties, including the International Boundary and Water Commission, His Excellency the Honorable Price Daniel, Governor of Texas, and the Board of Water Engineers of that State, thereby facilitating the progress of the respective features of the project. The feasibility of the proposed international storage dam, so ably presented and graphically illustrated by Mr. Friedkin, the principal engineer-supervisor for the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, was unanimously approved by the appropriate authority of the State of Texas, pursuant to the laws thereof, } |