Mr. CURTIS. May I ask something right there? You refer to this language in the 1941 act which authorizes the Harlem County Reservoir, and then follows this language which I quote such other supplemental flood control works in the Republican River as the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers may find feasible. General ROBINS. Yes. Mr. CURTIS. I think the record would show back there in 1941 that the intention was to take care of that entire basin up there. We had a considerable conference with Colonel Reber at the time. Now, I would like to know whether you feel that the word "tributaries" should be inserted in there for whatever additional implication it might have. General ROBINS. I feel personally, Mr. Curtis, we have ample authorization to go in the tributaries. We are proceeding under that assumption because the supplemental works you had in mind, I know, were all on the tributaries of the Republican River. Mr. CURTIS. Yes. That is what it was created for. That would include not only possible additional dams either by yourself or in conjunction with the Bureau of Reclamation, but that was also broad enough to include local protective works, levees, dikes, and that sort of thing. General ROBINS. Yes, sir. All kinds of supplemental works. Mr. CURTIS. That is all. The CHAIRMAN. Any questions by other members of the committee? (There was no response.) In connection with the Illinois River, the Representative of that district is here, Mr. Simpson. If you have a statement, you may submit it, Mr. Simpson. STATEMENT OF HON. SID SIMPSON, REPRESENTATIVE, TWENTIETH DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS Representative SIMPSON. In behalf of the Twentieth Illinois District I wish to thank General Reybold and the personnel of the Office of Chief Engineers for their prompt, efficient, and cooperative help during the flood situation. Col. Malcolm Elliott, in charge of the division office at St. Louis, was equally cooperative and efficient. The Flood Control Committee is indeed to be commended on the prompt action they have taken as to their hearings this week. The people of Beardstown were grateful for the help rendered by the Federal colored troops, the Illinois State officials, the State militia, and many others. On the west side of the Twentieth District, the counties of Pike and Calhoun are bounded by the Mississippi River. The same counties are affected on the east side by the Illinois River which empties into the Mississippi River at the lower end of the Twentieth District. The county of Jersey is affected by both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The counties of Greene, Calhoun, Pike, Brown, Scott, Morgan, and Cass are affected by the Illinois River. The county of Mason is affected by the Illinois and Sangamon Rivers. Menard County is affected by the Sangamon River. At this time it is no doubt impossible to know the amount of flood damages. This is due to the fact that, the water has not receded. In my letter of June 1 to your committee, it was estimated that in the Twentieth District, 250,000 acres of land are flooded, probably 500 people homeless. In the city of Beardstown, in Cass County, over 4,500 people were evacuated and have not as yet been able to return to their homes. It was estimated that the levees in 25 districts have broken. In one very fertile district in Greene County, the inundation was caused, not by the main levee along the river bank collapsing, but due to a short lateral levee which protected the district from a creek. These lateral levees and weak places should, and no doubt will be considered in the reports of General Reybold's office. The city of Beardstown several years ago, built a sea wall, and my understanding is that at the time this wall was built, the project was based on the records of 1844. I think the height of this sea wall is about 27 feet. During the recent flood this sea wall was raised with sand bags approximately 32 feet. The water lacked about 2 inches of going over the top of this addition. This sea wall is connected to each end by earthen levees. These levees caused considerable trouble and worry due to sand boils and the fact that the earth had reached the saturation point. May this office especially call your attention to the fact that something should especially be done in the way of flood relief for Beardstown. The cities of Grafton in Jersey County, Chandlerville in Cass County, and all cities from Havana to Grafton on the Illinois River, suffered. At Petersburg, Menard County, the water-supply system was flooded by the Sangamon River. Summing it all up, cities, rural churches, school districts, levee districts and all have suffered. This office has every reason to believe the people affected have every confidence as to the action that will be recommended to the Congress by the Flood Control Committee and the Office of the Chief of Engineers. In closing, I wish to call the Flood Control Committee's attention to Document No. 711, Seventy-seventh Congress, to the fact that various levee districts have had previous damage prior to the present flood. This document shows conclusive proof this area was affected from mouth of the Illinois River as far northward as East Peoria. The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have had your statement, Mr. Simpson, and glad to have had this report. (Letters to are as follows:) CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Committee on Flood Control, House Office Building, Washington, D. Ø. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: The following is additional tentative flood information relative to the 10 counties of the Twentieth Illinois District. In the counties of Calhoun, Brown, Greene, Pike, Jersey, Scott, Morgan, Cass, Mason, and Menard I believe there are 250,000 acres of land flooded. Probably 500 people are homeless. At Beardstown, in Cass County, over 4,500 people have been evacuated. Probably at least 25 levy districts, the levies of which should be repaired where the breaks came. Help of the most vital importance to the city of Beardstown should be offered. The city of Grafton in Jersey County has suffered as well as many other river towns in that district. Many school buildings and churches in these districts have been damaged. Complete information is not available at this time, but knowing your Flood Committtee meets today, this office did wish to impart the attached and above tentative information. Yours truly, SID SIMPSON, M. C., CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, Hon. WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Chairman, Commitee on Flood Control, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., June 1, 1943. House Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. WHITTINGTON: Just recently this office received a letter from Mr. Ray H. Roll, farm adviser, Greene County Farm Bureau, Carrollton, Ill., picturing the flood damages which occurred in just 1 out of the 10 affected counties in our Twentieth Illinois District. May I quote herewith a portion of Mr. Roll's letter: "Nearly 35,000 acres of Greene County bottom land are now covered with an average of 12 to 15 feet of water. The following large ranches are completely or partially covered: Wilcoxson, Cooke, Valley, Columbiana, Levis, and Fairbanks. "As to crops, 4,000 acres of bottom wheat are covered and 1,000 acres of wheat on the uplands have been damaged. Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 acres of spring oats are covered too. The Columbiana ranch had more than 75 percent of its ground planted with corn for the making of 1943 hybrid seed. Fairbanks 2,000 acres of 1943 corn planted is covered with water. Their plans also call for 3,200 acres of soybeans to be planted which undoubtedly much of the acreage will not be planted. It is estimated that 50,000 bushels of old corn is now in the water in the flooded area. One hundred and fifty Greene County families are now homeless. "As practically all of this bottom land is surrounded by levees, it will be some time before the water will get back into the Illinois River and due to the late season it is almost impossible for very much of the 35,000 acres of bottom land to be farmed this year. The tragic part is too that several of our lateral and back levees are broken all the way from 35 to 400 feet, and if our farmers were able to farm some of this land there would be quite a hazard and risk to take if the rains still continue to come. "The following levees have broken, namely, Spanky, the twin levees near Wilcoxson, the Levis levee, and the levee south of Keech school along Old Monday, and the Robley levee. The river is now on a stand but we know from the best information that we have that it will be three or four weeks before much of the water will be out and then it will take time to get the pumps dried out and repaired before the main water will be pumped back into the river. "I am certain that what the Government can do to help our farmers to help themselves will be greatly appreciated by our Greene County folks as well as other farmers of the Illinois River Valley." I believe that Mr. Roll's letter more adequately describes the situation as it exists than any other possible information. Yours truly, SID SIMPSON, M. C., The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other questions by members of the committee, or any other statements by Members of Congress?, (There was no response.) That concludes our schedule for the morning, and the committee will stand adjourned until 10 o'clock next Tuesday morning. (Whereupon, at 12 o'clock noon, an adjournment was taken until 10 a. m., Tuesday, June 8, 1943.) FLOOD-CONTROL PLANS AND NEW PROJECTS TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1943 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10 a. m., Hon. Will M. Whittington (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Under the schedule of hearings, as I have announced and as carried in the Congressional Record each day, we have for consideration this morning favorable reports submitted by the Chief of Engineers for flood-control projects since the act of August 18, 1941, along the lower Mississippi River and tributaries, including the Arkansas and the White Rivers, and on rivers flowing into the Gulf west of the Mississippi River, and in the western Rocky Mountain region, including Texas and Colorado, and in the Pacific Northwest region, including the Willamette River and the Columbia River and tributaries. The first witness will be Colonel Goethals. Colonel Goethals, we will take the reports for a brief summary. With statements as to the location and costs, and will you have one of your assistants point out on the map each one of the projects, beginning with the Fountaine River, Colo., House Document 186, Seventy-eighth Congress, first session. STATEMENT OF COL. GEORGE R. GOETHALS, CHIEF, FLOOD-CONTROL BRANCH, OFFICE OF CHIEF OF ENGINEERS Colonel GOETHALS. The Fountaine Qui Bouille River report comes from authority of the Flood Control Acts of 1937 and 1938, and is covered in House Document 186, Seventy-eighth Congress, first session, just transmitted to the Speaker by the Secretary of War, under date of April 23, 1943, so that it is not yet printed. The CHAIRMAN. Will you give the document number of what it will be when it is printed? Colonel GOETHALS. House Document 186, Seventy-eighth Congress, first session. The Fountaine River is in Colorado, formed by the junction of Fountaine and Monument Creeks at Colorado Springs. It flows Southeastwardly 52 miles to join the Arkansas River at Pueblo, draining 940 square miles of rugged territory. The report recommends improvement to take care of the construction of a floodway from a point known as Templeton Gap, just a little way from Colorado Springs, to Monument Creek, a tributary of Fountaine River, which consists of a concrete channel 11,500 feet in length, with certain riprap protection provided along Monument Creek and the embankment of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad crossing at that point, and also various small culverts and alterations to existing bridges. It comes to an estimated first cost for the entire project of $742,000. The CHAIRMAN. That is Federal cost? Colonel GOETHALS. That is the total cost, of which the Federal cost of the construction would be $500,000. A favorable cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.7 is indicated. Under the conditions of local cooperation are only two unusual provisions: First, that responsible local interests contribute $242,000 toward the cost of construction, and also that they prohibit the construction of bridges or other works which might adversely affect the flood-carrying capacity of the channel. Otherwise the provisions of local cooperation are standard. The CHAIRMAN. The next project is the Coquille River and tributaries, Oregon, House Document 620, Seventy-seventh Congress, second session. Generally, as I understand that project, the report is submitted under the authority of the Flood Control Act of June 22, 1936. It consists of what estimated total cost to the Government, the local interests, and what is the ratio of costs to benefits? Colonel GOETHALS. The improvements here recommended consist essentially of bank protection at certain points along this river by means of pile or timber bulkheads, the closure of washes at the heads of what are known as the Beaver Slough and Fat Elk drainage districts, and levees in area above Bullards to prevent tidal overflow. The estimated cost to the Federal Government in this case is $168,000, with a favorable cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.39. The CHAIRMAN. For the record, where is the Coquille River located and into what does it flow? Colonel GOETHALS. It is formed by the junction of North and South Forks near the town of Myrtle Point, in southwestern Oregon, and flows westerly 35 miles into the Pacific Ocean. It is in the State of Oregon and the mouth of the river is approximately 15 miles south of Coos Bay. The CHAIRMAN. In addition to lumbering or timber production, dairying is one of the principal industries in that region? Colonel GOETHALS. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. And the crop areas are limited to the strips along this river? Colonel GOETHALS. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. The next project is the Nehalem River in Oregon. As I understand it, it is reported under the authority of the Flood Control Act of June 22, 1936. It is located where and consists of what? Colonel GOETHALS. This project is before Congress under the authorization cited, in the form of House Document 621, Seventy-seventh Congress, second session, the river being another stream in Oregon, rising in the Coast Range Mountains in the northwest part of the State and flowing in a generally southwest direction for 100 miles to discharge into what is known as Nehalem Bay, which lies 40 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River. |