In 1927 the local Kaweah people formed a water-conservation district of their own and have taxed the property in the district about $50,000 each year, and they have spent that amount in building sinking basins to take care of excess floodwater. These basins are scattered through this Kaweah area. They have been very effective, but inadequate in times of most floods.

After the Kaweah River headwaters collect into one stream as they come out of the mountains-it all goes into one stream at Lemon Cove where the dam is to be constructed-it then flows out onto the floor of the valley and then divides into about five or six channels which encompass this whole area, finally coming together again in the Tulare Lake Basin.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Bailey, the building of a dam at Lemon Cove would assist the farmers not only in preventing the flood damage that is done, but would also let this water come out gradually which would supplement the dwindling underground supply of water, and would save thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity which they are now using for pumping this water.

Mr. BAILEY. Every drop of the water could be put into the underground water table and raise the water table, requiring less power to pump it back to the ground surface.

Mr. ELLIOTT. In other words, a dam constructed there would do three things: It would lessen the floodwaters in the area between the mountains and the Tulare Lake Basin area; it would stop the overflowing of the land that is being destroyed in the Tulare Lake region; and it would supplement the water now used for the production of agriculture.

Mr. BAILEY. That is all very true. It would make possible a very substantial increase in the production of food.

Mr. ELLIOTT. And a fourth one would be it would save thousands of kilowatt-hours of electric energy to farmers who are now using it for pumping an underground supply, if we had a reservoir or dam at that site.

Mr. BAILEY. It would do that. If you pump water from the underground it would take less power to lift it when it is nearer the surface of the ground.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Do you have figures for the damage to the roads and bridges in Tulare County in the last 3 or 4 years?

Mr. BAILEY. There was extensive damage in this present year. Mr. Brown, who is a county supervisor, I believe, has those figures. Mr. ELLIOTT. All right. We will let him give those figures.

Mr. BAILEY. The total damage has been estimated rather carefully from this present years' floods, which occurred in January and March of this year. The damage in Tulare County alone has been estimated at over $1,000,000.

Mr. ELLIOTT. In your estimation, from your many years as a man that has studied the streams and waters, both on the surface and underground, are there any power possibilities at all at this dam site?

Mr. BAILEY. None at all, from a practical standpoint. In fact, in the last 30 years at least 20 have been dry, with practically no floodwaters. In dry years no power could be produced from such a dam. River Dam site, 6 miles east of Porterville?

Mr. BAILEY. No; none at all, for the same reason.

Mr. ELLIOTT. It would be impossible to generate electric energy there and use the water for irrigation purposes throughout the year? Mr. BAILEY. It would be impractical, and in some years it would be practically impossible.

Mr. ELLIOTT. To generate power, if you are going to use the water for irrigation purposes?

Mr. BAILEY. The two uses do not coordinate at all on these rivers. Mr. ELLIOTT. That holds true, does it not, as to all the streams in the San Joaquin Valley?

Mr. BAILEY. Yes; substantially so.

Mr. ELLIOTT. If you are going to use a single dam for flood control and irrigation it would be impractical to use it for power?

Mr. BAILEY. Yes.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Because, at the time of the year you would have to sell the bulk of power to the users there would be no water in the reservoir to provide the power.

Mr. BAILEY. The reservoirs would be dry. When you needed the power for pumping water there wouldn't be enough water in the reservoirs to provide any substantial amount of power.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have had your statement. You have been very helpful. You may enlarge upon your remarks in a statement if you would like.

Mr. BAILEY. The only thing I would like to do is to submit these maps for the use of the Committee. They show underground water conditions in the area, and locations I have referred to.

The CHAIRMAN. We would be glad to have you do so.

STATEMENT OF J. G. BROWN, SUPERVISOR, TULARE COUNTY, CALIF.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you state your official position and your connection with the projects under consideration?

Mr. BROWN. My official position is supervisor of Tulare County. I am a farmer. I have a farm in the Tule River area. I am here especially in the interests of Tule River flood control.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you opposing the project as outlined by the engineers or are you advocating it?

Mr. BROWN. I am advocating it.

The CHAIRMAN. The Tule River project?

Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. What was the estimated damage as a result of the flood of 1943?

Mr. BROWN. The total in Tulare County and Tule River?

The CHAIRMAN. Well, as a result of this overflow along the river that you are interested in.

Mr. BROWN. Well, the flood damage along Tule River alone would probably run in the neighborhood of three-quarters of a million dollars.

The CHAIRMAN. That is the project you are immediately concerned with?

Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. In your county there, along this river, are the lands generally cultivated?

Mr. BROWN, Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. They are?

Mr. BROWN. All cultivated.

The CHAIRMAN. You have irrigation. You have to have water? Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Your chief products are what?

Mr. BROWN. Vegetables, cotton, fruit, both citrus and deciduous fruits, cattle, dairy products, and poultry.

The CHAIRMAN. Diversified farming.

Mr. BROWN. Yes; diversified farming.

The CHAIRMAN. You believe that the public interests out there would be promoted by the installation of the projects as generally outlined here by the Corps of Engineers?

Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Any questions, Mr. Elliott?

Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Brown, there has been more property and crops destroyed since 1937, in dollars and cents, than it will take many times over to construct the dam east of Porterville.

Mr. BROWN. Far exceed it.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Will you tell the committee about the damage to roads and bridges in the last flood?

Mr. BROWN. Well, in the 1943 flood, the road damage and especially the damage to bridges is shown in these photographs here.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you want to leave those with the committee?

4 Mr. BROWN. I will leave them with the committee.

The CHAIRMAN. We will be glad to have them.

Mr. BROWN. The estimated cost of repairing these bridges alone is about $80,000. I just received $40,000 from the State of California to be matched by county funds to repair these projects. The damage to the highways in this particular area is estimated by our county engineer in the neighborhood of $30,000,000 damage from the water of Tule River.

The CHAIRMAN. These photographs are very helpful.

Mr. BROWN. I am sorry these photographs were not taken at the peak of the flood. I was unable to obtain photos of the flooded area and crop area at the peak, although on all sides of all of these bridges here is a flooded crop area, all of this section here [indicating]. The CHAIRMAN. What is the normal discharge of that river in your area?

Mr. BROWN. I have seen it when it didn't even pass the foothills. Then I have seen it at 18,000 feet.

The CHAIRMAN. What was it at this last flood?

Mr. BROWN. About 18,000 feet.

Mr. ELLIOTT. At times there will be no water at all in that area, and then in a few hours the water is spread out for a distance of 5 or 6 miles, just takes a sweep clear over the lake area in that area and destroys roads, bridges, and livestock. That is how quick it works.

The CHAIRMAN. You said you were a farmer.

Mr. BROWN. I am a dirt farmer.

The CHAIRMAN. I was just wondering-take your farm out thereI am not meaning to be personal, but just to get an idea of the values of the property to be protected. How many acres do you cultivate? Mr. BROWN. Three hundred acres.

The CHAIRMAN. What is it, 300 acres of diversified farming such as you mentioned?

Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the market value of a farm similar to yours with the improvements you have in that area?

Mr. BROWN. I would say that land of that quality over the district is worth some $200 to $250 an acre.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the asessed value?

Mr. BROWN. $65 an acre.

The CHAIRMAN. What are the aggregate annual taxes and assessments of all kinds per acre?

Mr. BROWN. The tax rate is $2.40 with a school tax.

The CHAIRMAN. Water tax, school tax, road tax, and every other

tax.

Mr. BROWN. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. It is all amounts to how much an acre?

Mr. BROWN. $2.40 on each $100 at assessed value.

The CHAIRMAN. Including your water tax?

Mr. BROWN. The water tax is separate.

The CHAIRMAN. I am talking about the whole thing.

Mr. BROWN. In my particular farm there is no water tax. I am getting water out of the river.

The CHAIRMAN. Generally, what would be the income per acre, say in a normal year out there like 1942?

Mr. BROWN. It depends on the crop you grow, which would range anywhere from $20 to $400 an acre.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Brown, if a dam were constructed 6 miles east of Porterfield, no power could be generated there, could it?

Mr. BROWN. I am not an engineer, but I would say "No." It would be impossible to generate usable power there because of the uncertainty of the water from year to year.

Mr. ELLIOTT. There would be thousands of dollars saved to the farmers for pumping if there were a dam there, and the water could be used for irrigation benefits rather than have their crops destroyed by the water.

Mr. BROWN. That is right. Right at the present time the farmers along the Tule River are attempting to form a conservation district to help take care of that floodwater.

Mr. ELLIOTT. I think that is all.

The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have had your statement. You have been very helpful.

Mr. Poulson, I understand you have one witness.

Mr. POULSON. Yes. It will be very short. I would like to call Mr. Salsbury, acting chief engineer for the Los Angeles County floodcontrol district.

STATEMENT OF M. E. SALSBURY, ACTING CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT

The CHAIRMAN. Will you state your name and official position for the record?

Mr. SALSBURY. M. E. Salsbury, acting chief engineer of the Los Angeles County flood-control district.

The CHAIRMAN. How long have you been connected with that district?

Mr. SALSBURY. Seventeen years.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you testified here with respect to this project before?

Mr. SALSBURY. No.

The CHAIRMAN. You may go ahead, Mr. Poulson.

Mr. POULSON. Mr. Salsbury, you have a report which you can present to the committee; have you not?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes. I have a prepared statement that I would like to submit to the committee with the permission of the chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. You may do that, and you may emphasize the high points of that statement, that we can keep in mind.

Mr. POULSON. Mr. Salsbury, you heard the statement yesterday by Colonel Goethals of the United States Army Engineers, wherein he recommended some further projects in the Los Angeles area, I believe to the extent of approximately $40,000,000. Is that right, Colonel? Did you hear that Mr. Salsbury?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes; I did. I would like to say that the Los Angeles County flood-control district is in full accord with the survey and report of the Corps of Engineers which was approved in the 1941 Flood Control Act and also in full accord with the recommendations made by Colonel Goethals yesterday.

Mr. POULSON. Is it not true that we have had some big storms in southern California since the last committee hearings in 1941, had them this year, in January and March?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes; there were two storms producing floods of considerable magnitude this spring; one in January-the 21st-and another on the 5th of March.

The storm in January produced rainfall in the county ranging up to 37 inches.

Mr. POULSON. Isn't it true, Mr. Salsbury, that several bridges were washed out which are used by industrial workers in the war industry and they have not been repaired up to date?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes. Considerable property damage was done including damages to highways and communications, where the program of the Corps of Engineers has not been completed, where gaps still remain.

The completed portions of the flood-control system functioned perfectly and did a great deal of good.

Mr. POULSON. Most of this flood-control area in that territory is where most of our industrial workers live, is that not true-a great portion of them?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes.

Mr. POULSON. Now as to the Los Angeles County participation in flood-control financing since 1915, is it not true that the Los Angeles County flood-control district has spent approximately $75,000,000 of its funds on the construction and maintenance in addition to the assistance rendered by the Federal Government?

Mr. SALSBURY. Yes. The flood-control district was formed in 1915. Since that time it has spent approximately $75,000,000 of its own funds meeting the flood-control needs of the county.

Mr. POULSON. And each year we raised approximately $2,000,000 by taxes which is spent either in maintenance or construction.