General Potter states: General POTTER. This chart shows that in that 55 years the reservoirs would never have quite come to elevation 1,850. So in all those years the pool elevation would never reach 1,850 feet. As to your new policy, it would not seem reasonable that you would want to purchase land there. General CHORPENING. I said, I believe, that at the 1,840 level the flood frequency is greater than once in every 5 years and I believe that his statement bears that out. Senator CORDON. Also, the new policy is not to increase the acreage purchase, but to decrease it. Senator YOUNG. Yes. It would appear from this that you might be able to compromise on the purchase. General CHORPENING. That is correct. Senator YOUNG. That will certainly help us a lot and I think it will save the Government considerable money. Too, oil was discovered right close to this line and the mineral rights themselves are very valuable. General CHORPENING. As you know, we did decide some time ago. that in the upper reaches I forgot at what place-we were not procuring the mineral rights. I would like to hold that the taking of easements would be some what less costly and to the benefit of the Government than fee simple. That will be determined later on as we get into it more, how much difference there will be between the fee simple and flowage easements. BUFORD DAM Senator ELLENDER. It is bound to cost less. I understand there is quite a bit of oil being developed in that area and by merely obtaining easements the land cannot cost as much. Reverting to Buford Dam, I notice that you said that the amount asked by you within ceiling was $5,800,000. At the rate of the appropriation do you expect to complete this project in the specified time, or will the project be delayed? It strikes me the amount asked is rather small. Colonel WHIPPLE. This $5.8 million corresponds to a delay of 1 year in that project from that previously planned. Senator ELLENDER. How much more could you use this year? Colonel WHIPPLE. We could use the overceiling request of $5.2 million, which would result in speeding up that project by 1 year. Senator ELLENDER. You mean with $5.2 million more you could make it possible for the Government to begin to obtain profits from the electricity earlier than otherwise; is that right? Colonel WHIPPLE. That is correct, sir. The completion of all generating units would be speeded up 12 months. Senator ELLENDER. You say this will delay the project a year unless we appropriate the money that you asked originally, which is $5.2 million more than you and the Budget Bureau are now proposing? Colonel WHIPPLE. That is correct, sir. Senator ELLENDER. I think that is false economy. I do not see why we should not get the whole amount. Of course, we did in the other one, at Folsom there. General CHORPENING. The reason, sir, that that was all granted in Folsom is because that project is much closer to completion than is this one. This one is in its early stages of construction, as will be noted. Only $13,681,000 has been appropriated out of $41,981,000, whereas in the case of Folsom it is much nearer completion. Senator ELLENDER. I understand that, but yet it will delay this worthy project a year by not providing the amount of money that you requested. LOSSES DUE TO INSTALLATION DELAY Senator CORDON. I would like to have you furnish for the record with respect to this item, General, a statement indicative of the loss that the Government will sustain by virtue of the delay of 1 year in getting power on the line, which I take it will be only a portion of the power for that year. I would like to have you put in a notation of the monetary loss suffered by the Government by virtue of that year's delay in putting in the power installation. General CHORPENING. Yes, sir. (The following information on estimated benefits was furnished in lieu of the information requested relative to the monetary loss suffered by the Government by virtue of a year's delay in putting in the power installation:) A delay of 1 year in the schedule for the Buford project would result in the loss of the benefits for 1 year of $2,127,000 estimated as follows: Power benefits at Buford_ Power at existing downstream plants including Jim Woodruff. Navigation savings resulting from increased flow below Jim Total $1,753, 000 146, 000 215, 000 13,000 2, 127, 000 Construction expenditures for the Buford project are not expected to increase on account of the 1-year delay except for increases which might be caused by changing price levels. However, the overall investment in the project would be increased somewhat because of the accumulation of interest charges during construction over a year longer construction period. Senator CORDON. Definitely we have a loss of the total amount from installation of 1 year, we know that. Then we have an intermediate. loss as a result of the year's delay in the successive installations. I would like to know what it is. General CHORPENING. Yes. Senator CORDON. With that and offsetting it, the amount of interest. that the Government would not pay as the result of the appropriation not being made in the full amount at this time. In other words, we want the net dollar factor of loss or gain, not only as to power, but any other facility that will bring in revenues. General CHORPENING. Yes, sir. Senator ELLENDER. I do not know that we could spell them out however. General CHORPENING. That is the only one in this case. Senator ELLENDER. What about the additional cost of the project by extending the period? Would you not have to pay your contractors more? Must you figure that out someway? 42592-5422 Colonel WHIPPLE. I do not think so in this case, sir. Senator ELLENDER. You might look into it and if there is add it to the results. General CHORPENING. We will consider that. (See preceeding page.) Senator CORDON. If there is nothing further at this time, that finishes with Buford. The committee will recess until 2:30 p. m. I understand there will be no controversial matters so far as voting is concerned this afternoon and, of course, the membership will be available here on call if necessary. I think we can hurry this along if you will be back, gentlemen, at 2:30. AFTERNOON SESSION MULTIPLE PURPOSE PROJECTS STATEMENTS OF BRIG. GEN. C. H. CHORPENING, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF ENGINEERS FOR CIVIL WORKS; COL. WILLIAM WHIPPLE, EXECUTIVE FOR CIVIL WORKS; AND H. COHEN, ASSISTANT CHIEF, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT BRANCH-Resumed 1 Reflects loan of $876,200 to this project through Dec. 31, 1953. * Reflects contemplated additional loan of $300,000 to this project through June 30, 1954. 1 Includes $328,000 for operation and maintenance during construction. Senator CORDON. The committee will come to order. What have we next on the agenda, Colonel? Colonel WHIPPLE. The Clark Hill Reservoir, the first of the projects in the comprehensive plan for improvement of the Savannah River in the interests of power, flood control, and navigation from Augusta, Ga., to the sea. This project is nearing completion, as I am sure you know. The appropriation requested for this year is $2,170,000, with which we expect to bring the project essentially to completion. The unexpended balance on the 30th of June 1953 was $464,000. On December 31 it was $776,000 and by June 30, 1954, it is expected to be brought down to $113,000. Our request to the Bureau of the Budget was for $2,170,000, which is what was approved. General CHORPENING. We asked the budget for $2,170,900. Senator ELLENDER. That does not amount to much. This $108,200 to complete it, that I suppose will permit you to use the dam for the purpose it was built? sir. General CHORPENING. Four of the units are already in operation, TOTAL INSTALLED CAPACITY Senator CORDON. What is the total installed capacity of that dam in power? Colonel WHIPPLE. Two hundred and eighty thousand kilowatts. Senator CORDON. Do you recall what load factor was used as a basis for your computations for feasibility? Colonel WHIPPLE. No, sir; I can give you what it is, approximately, at the present time. Senator CORDON. What is it? Colonel WHIPPLE. It is down around 30 percent or a little less. It is a relatively low load factor plant with additional power for peaking purposes which, for marketing, will be joined up to the several adjacent utility systems in order to firm up available steam power in those systems. Senator CORDON. There is a dam under consideration, authorized at least, and possibly under construction up above, is there not, on the Savannah River? Colonel WHIPPLE. The Hartwell project, sir, is authorized, and we are requesting planning funds for that project. The construction of Hartwell Reservoir has never been initiated. HARTWELL POWER FACILITIES Senator CORDON. If, as, and when Hartwell is constructed it will also have power facilities? Colonel WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. Senator CORDON. And will that not serve also as a regulating dam for Clark Hill downstream? Colonel WHIPPLE. Hartwell is not in the technical sense a regulating dam, but will increase the prime capacity and improve power generation at Clark Hill Reservoir. Senator CORDON. If you are going to have units operating up above, at Hartwell, with the necessary head and impounded storage, then to the extent that you release those impounded waters through generators up above, you regulate the flow below, do you not? Colonel WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; you do. Senator CORDON. Would that not make it possible to increase the load factor at Clark Hill? Colonel WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; very materially. Senator CORDON. So that it will aid in two ways, then. One, it will make possible a higher load factor at Clark Hill. There will be an opportunity to integrate the two and so aid in building up the load factor of both plants, right? Colonel WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; that is right. Senator CORDON. Thank you, sir. Well, there is nothing further as far as I am concerned. The funds requested will finish the project. What is next? Colonel WHIPPLE. The next project is Albeni Falls. Senator CORDON. That is on page 603 of the justifications. Colonel WHIPPLE. The Albeni Falls project is the first one we are considering today of the comprehensive plan for the Columbia Basin, the principal portion of that plan being the so-called main control plan. The Albeni Falls project mainly consists of 1,150,000 acrefeet of regulatory storage at the outlet of Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, shortly above the Washington boundary, on the Pend Oreille River. This regulatory storage is now in use and has been in use since 1952, increasing the reliable output of all the dams on the main stem of the Columbia River and adding, in fact, approximately 100,000 kilowatts to the average continuous power of those plants on account of the storage alone. There will also be power developed at the site, 42,600 installed kilowatts, which is expected to come on the line in August 1954. However, there have been delays which were mainly difficulties in the priority of materials, and it may be as late as January 1955 before that first power comes on the line. I say may be because that is what the field estimate is at this time. It is currently being examined further to determine a firm date. We do not have a firm date at the present time. IRRIGATION Senator ELLENDER. Will there not be some of this water also used for irrigation? Colonel WHIPPLE. No, sir. Senator ELLENDER. But it will help farther down the stream somewhere, will it not? |