for a minimum flow of 1,200 cubic feet a second, rather than 1,525 cubic feet a second, at Montague and reduction of the diversion entitlement of New York City from 490 million gallons per day to 335 million gallons per day.

It was in this environment of crisis and temporary settlement in the Delaware, as well as grave concern for the drought situation generally in the Northeast, that President Johnson at a press conference at the White House on July 14 called upon the members of the then ad hoc Water Resources Council-because the legislation, although it had been passed, had not been signed-together with other concerned Federal agencies, to assess immediately what action might be taken to assist States and local governments in meeting the drought problems then confronting them. He asked for a report within 1 week that would specify how the Federal Government might best mobilize its resources to assist them. He also asked that the Council obtain the views of the Delaware River Basin Commission. The Council did so in a meeting on July 16 with its Chairman.

As requested, the report of the ad hoc Water Resources Council was submitted on July 21. Most fittingly, on the next day when he signed the Water Resources Planning Act, which created the statutory Council, the President acknowledged receipt of the report, directed that it be released, and requested that its recommendations be promptly carried out. For the record, at this point, I would like to submit a copy of the Council's report of July 21.

We have copies of that report which are available for the committee. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection that report will be included at this point in the record.

(The report referred to follows:)

REPORT TO THE PRESIDENt-Drought IN NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES (Prepared by the Water Resources Council, Washington, D.C., July 21, 1965)

INTRODUCTION

At a press conference in the White House on July 14, 1965, President Johnson expressed concern over the continuing drought in the Northeastern United States. He requested the Secretary of the Interior as Chairman of the Water Resources Council immediately to convene its members, together with other Federal agencies involved with water resources, to assess what further actions might be taken to assist the States in meeting the problems now confronting the New England and Middle Atlantic region. He asked for a report to be submitted within 1 week specifying how the Federal Government might best mobilize its resources to assist the States and local governments in meeting this urgent water problem. He also asked that the Council obtain the views of the Delaware River Basin Commission and the Council did so in a meeting on July 16 with the Commission's Chairman, Gov. Rochard J. Hughes, of New Jersey.

This report, in response to the President's request, examines

The drought situation in the northeastern region to this date;

The effects wrought on cities, towns, and rural areas;

The general condition of water quality for different uses;

The emergency actions already taken by State and local governments to mitigate effects of the drought-stricken area;

State and local responsibilities in conserving and increasing water supplies; Federal actions to date assisting States and localities in the developing emergency; and

Those further Federal actions which the Council recommends be taken on a short-term, intermediate, and long-range basis to provide immediate remedial measures and longer term solutions for this region.

area.

THE DROUGHT SITUATION

A

The present drought in the Northeast is the most intense in the history of that Neither the climatological records of the past one and a half centuries nor older historical writings, newspapers, nor other old records show its equal. This drought began in late 1961 and has continued for some 45 months. condition of "extreme drought" as defined by the Palmer index (fig. 1) now exists in the north half of New Jersey, the northeast quarter of Pennsylvania, the southeast half of New York, all of Vermont and New Hampshire, parts of southwestern Maine, and the west half of Massachusetts. Heavily industrial and urbanized areas extending from Philadelphia to New York City and beyond are severely affected, as well as the watersheds serving this region.

Records of streamflow in the drought-stricken area show that the current water supply deficiency affects a 300,000-square-mile area. The drought has been spreading and deepening. Its most severe impact centers upon a 100,000-squaremile area. In the black area, in figure 2, riverflows are at or near record alltime lows for this season of the year. In the light-shaded area, riverflows are below the rates observed 75 percent of the time, but water supply problems are not yet serious. Characteristically, streams in the total area continue to recede until early or late fall and are not greatly replenished until spring.

Runoff is deficient throughout the area. The flow of the South Branch Raritan River in New Jersey, for example, was the lowest for June since the beginning of record in 1918. Flows in the Delaware River at Trenton and in the Schuylkill at Philadelphia are the lowest in 53 and 33 years, respectively. At many streamflow gages in Maryland and on the Potomac, rivers were record low for June.

The severity of the situation is compounded of two factors-a severe hydrologic adversity and the centering of that adversity upon the most densely populated region of the Nation. It is sharpened also by the fact that water supply sources have been developed on small upland or mountain streams, rather than on large rivers of more dependable flow. Communities depending on such surface water sources are experiencing more critical water supply situations than those that use ground water. Developed ground water sources in the coastal plan are nearly 'drought proof," but may be subject to salt water intrusion due to overpumping. In other parts of the region, ground water is adequate only for small communities and farmsteads.

This drought has been associated with abnormal wind patterns aloft. Winds during the drought have come prevailingly from the northwest during the spring and the early summer, rather than from the west. These winds aloft have brought dry and sinking air masses, have weakened storm systems, and have suppressed the ascending air motions necessary to produce rain. The rain-producing storms have thus been occurring further downwind, off the Atlantic seaboard.

However, long period trends in the wind patterns and changes brought about by the advance of the seasons now suggest a westward displacement of the area of storminess. Prevailing south winds aloft should bring in a supply of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic coastal waters and should produce generally ascending air motions and favorable conditions for heavy showers.

The Weather Bureau's prediction for the next 30 days, therefore, calls for above normal rainfall-roughly 4 to 6 inches-over most of the drought area. It is not possible to predict with confidence beyond 30 days, but if the evolution of wind patterns proceeds as now indicated, there could be substantial rains over much of the area in late summer and early fall. Although recent showers have aided agriculture, the overall water deficiencies are so extensive that an early end to the drought is not foreseen. A long period-perhaps a year or more-of near normal rainfall will be required to relieve drought conditions materially. This is so because soil moisture and underground waters, which normally contribute the major portion of streamflow, are now severely depleted by 4 years of drought. Present planning should therefore assume a fifth year of drought.

EFFECTS OF THE DROUGHT

At the forefront of the emerging drought problem are the current and projected effects on the New York City-Philadelphia metropolitan complex. The New York City water system relies upon reservoirs in the mountainous upland areas of the Hudson and Delaware River watersheds. Present supply in these reservoirs is about 230 billion gallons, or 48 percent of capacity. The city system draws in excess of 1 billion gallons per day currently. Philadelphia in turn draws about one-half of its supply directly from the Delaware River at its Torresdale intake and the other half from the Schuylkill River. Therefore, the supply for the two cities is interrelated, as diversions out of the Delaware drainage for New York City affect Philadelphia's needs. The immediate effect of low flows in the Delaware River is in the form of salt water intrusion upstream toward Philadelphia and Camden as diversions are make to New York City.

The Supreme Court decreed in 1954 an authorization to New York City of 490 million gallons per day of Delaware River water, but it decreed also that releases be made from New York City reservoirs in the Delaware Basin to supplement natural flows such as to maintain a basic rate of 1,525 cubic feet per second in the river at Montague, N.J.

Starting June 14, 1965, New York City stopped making_required releases to the Delaware in order to conserve impounded supplies in its Pepacton and Neversink Reservoirs. In so doing, however, and because of reduced runoff generally, riverflow downstream at Montague and at Trenton were so reduced that salt water rapidly intruded upstream, posing a threat to quality of pumped Philadelphia water and to the adjacent underground fresh water aquifer from which the city of Camden, N.J., obtains its water supply, as well as to essential industrial requirements in that area.

On July 7, the Delaware River Basin Commission declared an emergency and issued a conservation order modifying diversion and release requirements as provided by the Supreme Court decree. By agreement among the parties to the decree it substituted a temporary 30-day diversion entitlement to New York City of 335 million-gallon-per-day average, replacing the 490 million gallons per day. It also reduced the Montague benchmark requirement from 1,525 cubic feet per second to 1,200 cubic feet per second consisting of a combination of natural streamflow, a release of 300 cubic feet per second from the New York City reservoirs and a release of 300 cubic feet per second and 100 cubic feet per second, respectively, from the private power utility reservoirs at Wallenpaupack and Rio. The object of maintaining a streamflow of 1,200 cubic feet per second at Montague is to assure that the flow at Trenton will not fall below 2,000 cubic feet per second. This minimum flow is needed to keep the salt water front below the Torresdale intake.

These emergency measures are subject to continuing analysis and modification by the commission, but the implications of their projected continuance or increased stringency are vital. If continued, New York City's Pepacton and Neversink Reservoir supply will be exhausted by the end of November. If continued, Wallenpaupack and Rio Reservoirs would be drained by the end of October. If subsequent 30-day commission agreements call for further reduction of releases from Pepacton and Neversink Reservoirs in order to protect New York City needs, then even more rapid drawdown of Wallenpaupack and Rio Reservoirs will be required, accentuating adverse effects on important recreational values of Lake Wallenpaupack during the height of the recreation season. If the streamflow of the Delaware River at Montague falls below 1,200 cubic feet per second, due to lower releases from the New York City reservoirs, the subsequent 2,000 cubicfeet-per-second flow at Trenton cannot be maintained, with attendant consequences to the quality of one-half of Philadelphia's water supply due to salt water

intrusion at the Torresdale intake. These projections assume rainfall and runoff conditions based upon 1964 experience.

The drought effects, therefore, are indeed critical under present facts and present arrangements. They may worsen. By November very little precipitation falling in the Catskill watershed of the New York City supply system translates to water in the reservoirs. It is retained as snow in the watershed. New York City is compelled, therefore, to retain sufficient water in its system to supply city needs until the spring snowmelt. If the Delaware River Basin Commission arrangements during the balance of 1965 for diversions to New York City and releases to the river result in an equitable utilization of water, it is still possible for a devastating emergency to be impending for 1966 if the drought conditions of the past 4 years continue into a fifth year.

The situation for the highly industrialized complex of northeast New Jersey's four counties-Hudson, Essex, Passaic, and Bergen-may be even more critical. They depend upon Delaware River water, via the Raritan Canal from Lambertville, for 90 million gallons per day to replenish north Jersey reservoirs. Newark gets almost all of its water from Pequannock Reservoir and a share of Wanaque Reservoir, currently at 20 and 50 percent of capacity, respectively.

The current water shortages for major cities in the region may be defined in terms of the narrow margins of reserve. Cities such as New York have tended to rely on the flow of small streams of high quality rather than that of the larger streams with better sustained flow. The flow of the small streams is firmed up by storage. But the cities most adversely affected by the current drought operate on inadequate and hazardous reserves.

River flow generally is more variable on a month-to-month basis than rainfall. A river drought such as is being experienced is usually anticipated by providing a large reservoir capacity. As water demand increases, additional capacity is added in order to bring supply and reserves into balance with use. But when the demand begins to approach the absolute yield of small streams, reservoir capacity becomes less dependable and subject to sustained drawdowns during long droughts. The drought propensity of a stream increases greatly as the demand approaches its average yield.

The nature of the present drought emergency may be noted in four cases ranging from "safe" to "very critical." Boston Metropolitan Water District is an example of a city that is essentially "drought proof.' Its yield is 50 percent greater than current use; and its reservoir system has a 6-year capacity. Philadelphia depends on the flow of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. The demand for water is 40 percent of the safe yield. The current difficulty in New York City is due to the relatively small 10-percent margin between safe yield and the average use. While the city has reservoir capacity of 400 days of normal use for itself, and present curtailment in use should assure enough water to last until next spring, the city cannot be considered in isolation. The problem is not merely the risk entailed considering the size of the city and the consequences of a real shortage that would entail loss of pressure and other dangerous consequences should the drought continue. The risk is compounded by its potential impact on interrelated areas of need, such as Philadelphia and Camden, by a fifth year of drought. North Jersey cities were in danger even before the drought. There is virtually no excess or reserve supply, the average use being about equal to the safe yield. Although reservoir capacity totals about 250 days of normal use, this is insufficient in view of the fact that the streams are developed nearly to the average annual supply. Reservoir storage now on hand totals only about 90 days' use. The north Jersey water supplies are indeed in a dangerous condition. The danger to Philadelphia, now drawing 175 to 225 million gallons per day from Delaware at Torresdale, is a chloride front of 250 parts per million, threatening qualitative impairment to half of the city's water supply. Bethlehem, Pa., on the Lehigh River, made emergency application to the Delaware River Basin Commission for drilling supplemental wells to augment regular city supplies from reservoirs now at the lowest level of the 4-year drought period and threatened with critical depletion by the end of the year. High salinity also is causing problems for industrial water use in Delaware.

Low stream flows have intensified pollution problems in the drought area in three principal ways: (1) salt water incursions to estuaries for prolonged distances (2) low dissolved oxygen in estuaries and smaller tributary streams; and (3) increased fertilization in lakes and reservoirs.

Low flows have resulted in salt water movements unusual distances up river estuaries, as already described. Fish and wildlife, its habitat, and man's enjoyment of this resource are also affected by the drought. Cities, industries, and