But from that point on toward the river it got deeper and deeper until where, on Commercial Street, which is the street that leads down to the International Bridge, it was up to the eaves of some of the houses along there, some of the buildings, or what would be the eaves if they didn't have a false front on them.

People did everything they could to get their merchandise and furniture and beds and everything else out of that area but of course when the water was coming up very rapidly, they had limited time within which they could work trucks down there. Every truck in the area was working madly trying to get stuff out but a great deal of property, that is merchandise and household furniture also, was left down there for the simple reason that the water got too deep for the trucks to operate.

Of course, sometimes you kind of laugh to see somebody paddling along down Main Street in a canoe and going in and out of some store building, but-you joke about those things, but you are really not laughing. It is a very unnerving experience and when you consider that there is no reason why even greater floods can't be expected, you really want, I mean seriously want, some area of protection from that sort of damage.

After the flood went down, of course there was a thick layer of silt everywhere. Some of it was just an inch or two deep. In some places it was as much as a foot deep, depending on how the currents came in and where they stopped or were held back by a building or some other obstacle and dropped more silt someplace else.

I don't think there is anything that gets a worse odor than silt of that type after a flood is over with. Everything stays wet. I remember Valerio Santos, who is a groceryman down on Commercial Street, had a warehouse full of groceries, and he had a bunch of pinto beans in there and they were worse than the flood when they got to decaying in there. It didn't smell like a cider mill at all. They were fermenting but it had a different odor in it. I remember he threw out, I don't know, it must have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of little pound boxes of salt out in the street. There was a big mound of them out there and they were throwing all that stuff out there that was completely unusable.

It took Eagle Pass about 10 days, not to clean up, but to get things shoved around enough to where they could do any kind of a commercial business.

At the same time, our bridge was washed out-not the whole bridge, but the approach, which is just about as effective; the railroad bridge was carried away. For quite a while we had no connection with Mexico at all except for air hops by small planes from one side of the river to the other.

The commercial life of Eagle Pass is very closely knit with that of Piedras Negras. The two towns have a common boundary and are separated only by the river. A great deal of the traffic across the bridge is foot traffic. People just walk across. It is a matter of maybe an ordinary city block and a half or two city blocks from one town to the other, just across the river.

There was not only the loss of merchandise but also the loss of business. Sales that never could be made the time had gone by.

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The Water District itself was badly damaged in the upper reaches of the canal. Speaking of this Balcones fault I mentioned, topography there made it possible for the district to be designed to where we take water out of the Rio Grande by gravity up in Kinney County just north of Maverick County line. The river falls very rapidly there and they laid the line of the canal out on more or less a flat contour, so that in a few miles the canal begins to go away from the river, leaving a space in between the river and the canal where the farming area is. Our system is entirely gravity, we have no pumps in it at all.

The canal comes on down past the Quemado section north of Eagle Pass, curves around a line of hills, and at that point is about-and I am not sure of this figure, but it is approximately 100 feet-the canal is approximately 100 feet above the river at that point.

In the first portions of the canal as you can see, the level of the canal levees and the canal itself is very nearly that of the river. That continues over several of the major creeks that our canal crosses. They go through by a large inverted siphon. Tubes almost half as tall as this room, banks of them that carry the water down under the creek bed and up on the other side.

In that part of the system where the flood damage occurs, we had, as I recall, somewhere between 10 and 12 major breaks in that section of the canal.

The end of one of those siphons was standing about two stories of the normal office building above the ground-it was simply sticking out there where the entire canal had been washed away in front of it.

That causes damage in excess of just physical damage to the canal system itself, because if you have a farmer who has to water his crops and he can't get any water because of that broken system, he can lose his crop, or it can be badly damaged, even though the damage to the canal system itself might not be a great repair cost-even one break could do it. In other words, it might not be serious from a financial angle to the district. Of course, a flood like 1954 was extremely serious from a financial standpoint because there were so many breaks and they were so large.

The community as a whole and all of these organizations I have mentioned are primarily interested in this from a flood control angle. The district of course is interested in, in addition to flood control, in two or three items which I shall mention very briefly.

One is the fact that we divert water for power purposes and are permitted to divert a thousand second-feet of water continually. Actually, the stage of the river for some years has been such that it was very seldom-well, I won't say very seldom, but frequently there was not enough water to divert the amount of water we were entitled to divert. That water is sent back into the river from the powerplant.

It seems to us that if this Amistad Reservoir were built and these large flood flows were impounded there, they would be released in an orderly fashion and in all probability we would be able to realize our power potential-a much greater portion of the time we would, than we are at the present time.

Also, when we do get floodwater into the canal system, we get a tremendous amount of silt. It carries a heavy silt load because of the rapid runoff on to relatively bare pastures, and it carries lots and lots

of mud. We are in a position all the time of having to run draglines and dredges and slopers and all kinds of machinery, trying to clean this silt carried in by floodwaters out of our system. Of course, a large portion of that would be trapped and dropped out in Amistad Dam if it were built.

We have one other feature that is of interest to the water districtnot to the district itself, but to the farmers. During what you might call the low flows of the river, a considerable portion of the water comes out of the Pecos River. Now, that water is extremely salty and extremely alkaline. I don't know this, but I have been told there are places along the Pecos River where cattle will not drink water out of the river, it carries such a high percentage of minerals. Of course, that water is ground water largely. It is clear, and so is the Conchos flow, ordinarily, and the Devils River flow. It does have a dampening effect on agricultural production because of the fact that you are bringing in alkaline and saline salts into fields, and they concentrate there. The water will evaporate or be used but the salt doesn't. It stays.

It is our concept that if the reservoir were built and you had the floodwaters impounded that they would undoubtedly dilute the Pecos River flows so that the dissolved solids in the water would be much lower most of the time. Of course, it would be quite possible for all of the water to be used in time of drought and we would still be back in the same situation.

But by and large, I think it would give us a much higher quality of irrigation water, which would be of course a big benefit to any farmer using that water.

I think that just about covers everything I have to say, gentlemen. I would be glad to try to answer any questions you might have.

(The prepared statement of Mr. Rhodes follows:)

Now come the City of Eagle Pass, Tex., the County of Maverick, Tex., the Maverick County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 (hereinafter called "district") and the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Eagle Pass, Tex., acting through their spokesman, Jeremiah Ingels Rhodes, and file this their statement relative to H.R. 8080 introduced by Congressman Fisher, being the enabling legislation for the construction of Amistad Dam on the Rio Grande River below the confluence of the Devils River and the Rio Grande. GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING MAVERICK COUNTY AND THE CITY OF EAGLE PASS, TEX.

Maverick County, Tex., borders the Rio Grande River, and its westerly boundary is the westerly boundary of the United States. The city of Eagle Pass in Maverick County, Tex., is located on the Rio Grande River approximately 120 road miles north of Laredo, Tex., and 56 road miles south of Del Rio, Tex. Maverick County, Tex., is a semidesert area and the agricultural activity in the county consists of ranching and irrigated farming. Virtually all the irrigated farmland in the county lies within the District, which organization diverts water from the Rio Grande River by gravity, and delivers it to the several farmers within the District for irrigation purposes. There is no other water district furnishing water for irrigation purposes in the county, and at the present time, there are approximately 40,000 acres of irrigated farmland within the district. All irrigation stock and domestic water used by farmers within the District and all water distributed by the District comes from the Rio Grande River, with the exception of a few isolated wells used as a domestic water supply for individual farms, most of which are fed by deep percolating waters from irrigation and rainfall. Without Rio Grande River water, the farmers served by the district would not be physically able to produce crops in Maverick County. Rainfall is extremely scarce and uncertain, and there is no dryland, farming in the county.

The city of Eagle Pass, Tex., relies entirely on water from the Rio Grande River for all municipal uses. The city owns its own water supply system which is administered by an independent board under the terms of the debentures setting up the financing for the water system. A similar independent board operates the Eagle Pass International Toll Bridge, which is the only bridge between Eagle Pass, Tex., and Piedras Negras, Mexico, except for the railroad bridge of the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. The westerly boundary of Eagle Pass is the Rio Grande River and the international boundary line between the United States and the Republic of Mexico, and is wholly dependent on water from the Rio Grande.

The nearest dam on the Rio Grande River itself having flood control or conservation storage facilities is Elephant Butte Dam located in the State of New Mexico above El Paso, Tex., a distance of many hundreds of river miles from Eagle Pass. There is an extremely large semidesert and desert drainage area, sparsely vegetated, that drains into the Rio Grande River above Eagle Pass and a relatively large percentage of the water produced by the entire Rio Grande watershed falls above the city of Eagle Pass, and particularly in the Devils River and Pecos River country on the U.S. side of the river, and from the Rio Conchos from the Mexican side of the river.

Under the treaty between the United States and Mexico, Treaty Series 994. effective November 8, 1945, relating to the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande, the river starts, for the purposes of the treaty, at Fort Quitman, Tex., below El Paso, Tex., and goes from there to Brownsville, Tex., and the Gulf of Mexico. The riverbed is normally dry at Fort Quitman, which is merely a gaging station of the International Boundary and Water Commission, and most of the water produced in the watershed of the Rio Grande River above this point is normally trapped at Elephant Butte Dam and utilized in the farming area near El Paso, Tex. Except for occasional flash floods below Elephant Butte Dam, no substantial water is produced above Fort Quitman for use below that point.

We urge the passage of the subject legislation, with certain amendments, for the reasons outlined as follows:

1. The principal interest of the city of Eagle Pass and its water system and bridge system, the County of Maverick and the Chamber of Commerce of Eagle Pass, Tex., in Amistad Dam is the flood protection it will afford to persons living in Maverick County, both in Eagle Pass, Tex., and in the several farms and ranches bordering the river in Maverick County. The District is also vitally interested in the flood control features of the dam as well as other features later discussed in this statement.

The Rio Grande River has always been a river of contrast, alternating between peaceful flows and raging floods, and in fact is called the Rio Bravo del Norte by the people of Mexico. Loosely translated, this means the Wild River of the North. From time to time, disastrous floods have occurred on the Rio Grande River, the latest of which was in 1954, and which caused extensive property damage in Maverick County and other counties above Falcon Dam, and extensive property damage and loss of life across the river in Mexico. More frequently. smaller floods occur on the river that are detrimental to the farmers and ranchers whose lands border the river, because of destruction of fencing and loss of pasturage during and after these small floods. The financial losses suffered by reason of major flooding are serious, but equal or greater damages arise out of the human suffering that is caused by such floods. Most of the serious floods on the river have been caused by waters coming out of the Pecos and Devils River country where rainfall frequently is extremely heavy in short periods. and where the land is not retentive of rainfall, which runs off very rapidly. The District and the people in the District are interested not only in the prevention of destruction of the canal system which is always seriously damaged in its upper reaches by major floods because of its proximity to the river, but also in the fact that the delivery of irrigation water is stopped until repairs can be made to the canal. Frequently these floods occur without any rainfall whatever falling in our area, and the loss of irrigation water to an irrigation farmer because of inability to use a damaged canal system can be ruinous on an individual basis if the loss occurs at a time when his crops must either be watered or else lost or seriously damaged.

In the 1954 flood, the American approach to the International Bridge at Eagle Pass, Tex., was washed away and the railroad bridge was also washed away, cutting off all communication between Mexico and the United States at

this point except for air transportation. The entire central business district of the town was inundated, a thick deposit of silt was left in all the stores and streets, and the flood ruined much of the merchandise in many stores. The interruption of the commercial life of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, coupled with an almost complete cessation of business activities for approximately 10 days to 2 weeks while merchants were cleaning out their places of business, repairing them and replacing merchandise, was an extremely heavy financial blow to the community. Amistad Dam, if it had been completed prior to the 1954 flood, would have prevented all of the damages briefly outlined above.

2. The District is also in favor of the passage of the subject legislation and the construction of Amistad Dam for the following additional reasons.

In its capacity as the supplier of all irrigation water to farmers within its boundaries, the District is interested in the protection of the supply of irrigation water that Amistad Dam will afford, and also is interested in the improvement of the quality of irrigation water that will result from the dam. The protection afforded to the supply of irigation water for the District would be accomplished, in the opinion of the district, by the overall savings of water by virtue of a lessened loss of floodwaters flowing into the Gulf of Mexico when storage is filled at the present Falcon Dam below the Amistad site and below Laredo, by the flexibility that the Amistad Dam would afford in the storage of the American share of the waters of the river, and by smaller evaporation and seepage losses.

With reference to the savings of water that should result from the flexibility that the Amistad Dam would afford in the storage of waters, we feel that the following should be called to the attention of this committee.

The treaty contains the following provision in article 8, subsection (c):

(c) In any reservoir the ownership of water belonging to the country whose conservation capacity therein is filled, and in excess of that needed to keep it filled, shall pass to the other country to the extent that such country may have unfilled conservation capacity, except that one country may at its option temporarily use the conservation capacity of the other country not currently being used in any of the upper reservoirs; * * *.”

The ownership of waters as between the United States and the Republic of Mexico is determined by measured flows under a formula set out in the treaty.

The treaty also provides that the dam will be built to afford the maximum conservation of waters possible on the Rio Grande River. It is therefore evident that the United States is under treaty obligation with the Republic of Mexico to construct Amistad Dam and to provide for conservation storage. Mexico has the right under the treaty to build conservation storage for herself and has indicated that she will do so.

The report of Colonel Hewitt, the U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission on page 48 indicates that the increase in regulated supply of water by virtue of Amistad Dam over Falcon Dam alone will, depending on varying rates of withdrawal of the water, be from 81,000 to as much as 201,000 acre-feet per year. We estimate that this conservation savings of water would amount to perhaps an increase of from 4 to 6 percent in the available water supply for all users below the Amistad site to the Gulf of Mexico.

It would appear that the conservation benefits by way of savings of water will be a relatively minor consideration to irrigation users below Amistad site. It might well be questioned, in view of this, whether conservation storage should be placed in the reservoir for American use in view of the fact that no new farm acreage whatever is contemplated, or possible as a practical legal matter, and in view of the fact that the dam will not be of any material benefit by way of developing new agricultural lands not already being served at the present time and under present conditions of physical control of the waters of the river.

Apart from the treaty obligation above referred to requiring the dam to be built in such a way as to afford maximum conservation of water, there is another unique consideration that requires conservation storage to be placed in the reservoir for American waters. This consideration arises by virtue of the above-quoted language of section 8, subsection (c).

In the event that Amistad Dam were built with only Mexican conservation storage in the reservoir, then under the above-quoted paragraph, all waters flowing into Amistad Reservoir and stored there would be transferred to