I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to comment on the report, especially so because the recommendations contained therein may have an important influence on future plans for water conservation and flood control in the Central Valley, a matter in which this Department has a vital interest.

Sincerely yours,

J. A. KRUG, Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. LUTHER. Now, I think, Senator, unless you have some questions, that covers my statement.

Senator DOWNEY. I have one inquiry. Perhaps it should be addressed jointly to you and Colonel Gee. When will it be advisable to try to get the money to construct this particular facility as compared with other authorizations that we now have outstanding or seeking? Is this particular butte one imminently needed that it should be put ahead of other authorized or proposed projects?

Colonel GEE. This protection afforded by the bypass plan is the protection which was originally to be afforded by the large reservoir. It appears that the construction of that large reservoir is going to be delayed for many reasons.

Therefore, the people in the upper valley above Sacramento are being denied the protection which the plan originally would have given them.

It is my opinion that this matter should be handled as one of high priority. In other words, it ought to get under construction quickly because by the expenditure of this relatively small amount of money, a good number of acres are afforded protection against flooding.

It would seem to me to represent a very good investment for the United States.

Senator DOWNEY. Would you feel the same, Mr. Luther?

Mr. LUTHER. Yes, Senator. Perhaps I should explain a little bit more about the basin. There are about 175,000 acres in the basin, and that acreage represents the last and by far the largest area of land in the Sacramento Valley yet unclaimed.

It is an area that has at the present time no reclamation. There are no river levees from about 8 to 10 miles on the northern end of the basin. The river is in its natural state.

When the river gets up to a flow of approximately 90,000 secondfeet, it dumps over its banks and enters the basin at the northern end. It means that their frequency of flooding there is about once every 2 years. Water comes out of that river and inundates the basin.

This modification would simply be an enlargement of the present levee project there which has been under way since 1917.

Senator DOWNEY. It seems to me that under present conditions back here in Washington in relation to money, more and more, we have to review and determine what must be the priority projects.

I do not know what the general view out there in California is in which the local people in consultation with Army engineers have made up their minds. The amount of money that we have available is very much limited compared with the amount of work we ought to do immediately; and it seems to me there must be an increasing discrimination among the priorities of the different projects, and this is one in which apparently the chances of saving a great deal of damage from floods would be very possible, is it not?

Colonel GEE. Yes, sir.

Mr. LUTHER. And this is purely a flood-control project.

Senator DOWNEY. I am concerned about, for instance, the forthcoming appropriations for the Folsom Dam. It may take us 10 years to have it built, the way we may get the money. We hope not. We hope it will not take that long.

From the standpoint of the California people at least, I do not want to embarrass Colonel Gee by asking him this question, but do you think we ought to seek an appropriation under this authorization next year?

Mr. LUTHER. Yes, Senator. We would be prepared to make such request as a part of the river levee project.

Senator DowNEY. I think that is all I have. Mr. Beard, do you care to make any statement here for the record?

Mr. BEARD. No, Senator; I think that covers it fully for the present time.

Colonel GEE. There is one thing. Is it expected that the State of California will have any difficulty in securing the necessary rights-ofway for this project to go ahead?

Mr. LUTHER. Do you mean from a money angle?

Colonel GEE. Yes.

Mr. LUTHER. The State at the present time has appropriated and earmarked in a special fund for matching purposes approximately $25,000,000 for all California projects; and there is earmarked for the Sacramento project out of that amount some $3,250,000.

It has been explained and discussed with the legislature that even with those funds on hand, California will no doubt need to increase the size of those funds before all of our projects are completed; so there has been no indication of hesitancy on the part of our legislature to put up the required funds to carry out these projects.

Colonel GEE. That is very important to know, because we have many projects where we are ready to go and local interests are not.

Senator DowNEY. Yes. That is valuable to have in the record. We thank you very much, gentlemen.

The

That concludes the work of the committee this afternoon. committee will meet again in session tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. (Thereupon, at 2: 35 p. m., the subcommittee recessed until Friday morning, 10 o'clock, July 22, 1949.)

(The following was submitted for the record:)

Re flood control.

Hon. SHERIDAN DOWNEY,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Washington, D. C., July 22, 1949.

Chairman, Senate Public Works Subcommittee,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR DOWNEY: I wish to strongly support the item in the public works authorization bill now before your committee modifying the Sacramento River flood-control project for the purpose of providing initial reclamation for a large part of the area lying within Butte Basin, Calif.

This basin which comprises an area of approximately 175,000 acres is the last large remaining area in the Sacramento River Valley remaining unclaimed. While much of the area is presently dry farmed it would be suitable for irrigation if the threat of flood could be eliminated. The presently authorized project for the Sacramento River contemplates the reclamation of this area through a system of levees and weirs in and around the Butte Basin area and through the construction of two reservoirs. One, on the Sacramento River at Table Mountain or Iron Canyon, the other on Stony Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River at Black Butte site. Because of the very serious opposition which has arisen to the Table

Mountain project, we believe in California, it will be many years before this reservoir can be built. We are therefore, in the position of delaying any reclamation for the Butte Basin area unless some suitable alternate plan can be agreed upon to provide a degree of relief prior to the building of the major dam. Such a plan has now been agreed upon by both Federal agencies--the Corps of Army Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, by official State agencies, and by the landowners in the basin.

The only change in the present project as authorized would be the addition of a back or bypass levee from the Chico landing weir south along the rim of the natural trough in the basin and about the Colusa County line. This would reclaim approximately 46,000 acres of the more valuable lands in the upper basin and would fit in with the ultimate development as authorized. The cost of these works would be nominal and their benefits to the lands and economic development of the area great.

I strongly urge, therefore, that favorable consideration of this item in the authorization bill be given by your committee to the end that the Sacramento River project may be modified to provide for this initial reclamation.

Yours very truly,

HUBERT B. SCUDDER.

FLOOD CONTROL-RIVERS AND HARBORS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 1949

UNITED STATES SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT OF RIVERS AND HARBORS OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to adjournment, in room 412, Senate Office Building, Senator Spessard L. Holland presiding. Present: Senators Holland and Sparkman.

Also present: Col. W. S. Moore and Lt. Col. H. Gee, Office Chief of Engineers, Department of Army.

HUDSON RIVER, FLA.

Senator HOLLAND. Let the subcommittee come to order. We will open the hearings by taking up the project for the Hudson River, Fla., which has come in from the Corps of Engineers and the Budget Bureau since the hearings in the House were completed, as I understand.

We have with us Senator Pepper and Congressman Peterson, of Florida, and we will be glad to hear from Senator Pepper.

STATEMENT OF HON. CLAUDE PEPPER, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Senator PEPPER. Mr. Chairman, I am grateful for this opportunity to present my views on the project to improve Hudson River, Fla.

This river has its source at the town of Hudson and enters into the Gulf of Mexico some 60 miles north of the entrance to Tampa Harbor. Hudson, Fla., is the main town in the area of the river. The major activities in the area are commercial fishing and sponge gathering in the coastal waters. The local citizens of Hudson have built three wholesale fish houses, about 125 feet of finger piers, and a small marine way. Thirty-three commercial motor vessels and about thirty-five skiffs use the town of Hudson as a base. The Corps of Engineers recommends that the Federal Government provide a channel 6 feet deep and 75 feet wide from that depth in the Gulf of Mexico to the head of the Hudson River, subject to certain conditions of local cooperation. The estimated Federal cost of this improvement is $258,700. The Corps of Engineers has found that this project is economically justified. Hon. Fuller Warren, Governor of the State of Florida, has indicated that the report on the Hudson River of the Chief of the Corps of Engineers has the unqualified approval of the State and he has recommended to the Corps of Engineers early initiation of the project in the public interest.