BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE STATEMENT OF DANIEL M. JANZEN, DIRECTOR; EUGENE E. CRAWFORD, CHIEF, BRANCH OF WILDLIFE REFUGES; GEORGE H. FERMANICH, ASSISTANT CHIEF, BRANCH OF WILDLIFE REFUGES; AND WESLEY E. CORBIN, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REFUGE FACILITIES DAMAGED BY STORM AND FLOOD Senator HAYDEN. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife asks an additional $1,990,000 in construction funds for fiscal year 1962; $382,000 of this amount is needed to rehabilitate wildlife refuge facilities damaged by hurricane, winds, and floods. The justification for this request will be placed in the record. (The justification referred to follows:) BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE Appropriation to date... Construction, 1962 Obligations to Dec. 31, 1961. Expenditures to Dec. 31, 1961. Budget estimate next fiscal year. Request (for 5 months from Feb. 15, 1962, to remain available until expended). Employment: Average number, current appropriation. Includes a carryover balance of $2,661,436. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS An amount of $382,000 is requested for rehabilitation of wildlife refuge facilities resulting from hurricane, wind, and flood damage. JUSTIFICATION-CONSTRUCTION Wildlife facilities. This supplemental estimate is being submitted for rehabilitation of wildlife refuge facilities as a result of hurricane, wind, and flood damage. Funds are requested for the following refuges: Facilities damaged included dikes, levees, roads, fences, buildings, and utilities. There was total destruction of a workboat, residence, storage building boathouse, and two cabins. Prompt repair and replacement of these properties is essential to prevent further loss and permit the conduct of normal operations. Current funds are not sufficient to cover these costs without curtailment of the program. Details of the estimate by refuge follow: 8224562-15 Piedmont, Ga., $40,000 Following a 10-inch rainfall, floodwaters on February 24, 1961, caused considerable damage to the spillway at Allison's Lake. The spillway receded out into the lake 40 feet in front of the toe of the dam. The spillway washed out to a depth of 15 feet. Inasmuch as the Allison's Lake development cannot be used without repair of the spillway, immediate steps must be taken to restore the facility to its original condition. Sheet erosion and quick runoff caused severe damage to roads, culverts, and bridges, particularly in the lower sections between ridges. Reshaping of roads, pulling of ditches, and making spot fills around culverts and bridges are necessary. High waters and gale force winds accompanying Hurricane Carla ravaged this refuge from September 9 to 11, 1961. All personnel were evacuated until September 13. As a result of the excessive rainfall and high winds, the following damage was sustained: Destroyed was a workboat which had been used for fence construction and moving of heavy equipment on barges in connection with levee construction work. Eleven thousand feet of levee in pool 3 were eroded to the point that this section will have to be completely rebuilt. Two patrol and trapper cabins were damaged beyond repair. Sixty-four miles of newly constructed fence were damaged. There was some minor damage to pool la and the north and west levees. 1. Replace workboat No. 129. 2. Rebuild levee, pool 3, and repairs to other levees. Total.. Gulf islands, Mississippi, $5,000 This refuge, a complex of sand barrier islands, was on the fringe of Hurricane Carla. It did not experience the severe rain squalls but was subjected to hurricane velocity winds and wind driven tides that topped several of the barrier islands and breached and leveled protective dunes. Several of the breaches cannot be rebuilt, especially on Breton and Chandeleur Islands, but the dune line on Horn and Petit Bois Islands can be rebuilt by construction of sand fences for reestablishment of a protective dune line. 1. Rebuild dunes with sand fence___ Noxubee, Miss., $19,000 $5, 000 Heavy rains were experienced at Noxubee during February 19 to 23, 1961. Over 7 inches of rainfall fell during this period and Bluff Lake crested on February 22 at 3.6 feet. Temporary repairs were made during the summer of 1961, but lack of funds prevented proper compaction, riprapping, and bringing dirt work to grade. During December 9 to 18, 1961, an abnormal rainfall of 111⁄2 inches undid all the temporary repairs. As a result of a quick change in water levels, some erosion was experienced on the main levee of Bluff Lake, particularly around the inside berm. Spot repairs with a dragline are needed. Some material may have to be hauled in by dump trucks. The Green Tree Reservoir which was already filled with water, overflowed causing spot erosion to 21⁄2 miles of the levee. Thus, the levee must be reshaped to prescribed grade at various points. The terrain in the Noxubee area is rolling and in many places the accumulation and runoff of excess water in the lower sections caused washouts across roads. In several places, sheet erosion washed all of the gravel surface from the roads. Spot fills and replacement of gravel on 20 miles of road are necessary. Flash flooding undermined several bridges, placing them in weakened condition. Replacement of dirt fill will correct the situation, although new pilings will have to be driven on at least one bridge. A Green Tree Reservoir development was completed during the summer of 1960, but adequate time did not elapse for the levee to settle. During the last week of February 1961 heavy rainfall caused general flooding in the local area. The water level in the reservoir was at the maximum to facilitate waterfowl feeding. The floodwaters from upstream topped the entire levee and have not receeded. One end of the levee is washed out completely while the remainder suffered spot erosion and additional fill will be required to bring the grade up to original specifications. 1. Levees__ Squaw Creek, Mo., $15,000 $5,000 Floodwaters from Hurricane Carla at this station damaged several levees to the point that repairs are essential to prevent serious levee breaks which would necessitate costly repairs and result in ruinous silting. June is the normal flood period at this important refuge. Ditches and spillways, needed to safely cope with the heavy June runoff are filled with debris and silted which dangerously limits their capacity. Several low-lying roads were washed out in a number of places and lost much surface gravel due to washing. They must be repaired to allow adequate patrol and other movement needed to carry on farming, maintenance, and other refuge operations. On September 12 and 13, 1961, the fringes of Hurricane Carla caused the dumping of 71⁄2 inches of water on the Swan Lake Refuge. This was in addition to a 31⁄2 inch rain the prior week. Floodwaters innundated all but 600 acres of the approximately 11,000-acre refuge, causing damage to the levees and levee roads. Reflooding occurred in October and November to further compound the damage. To make proper repairs in order to safeguard refuge facilities prior to the normal spring floods, it will be necessary to rebuild the protecting levees and also the roads needed to carry out the refuge program. 1. Levee riprap and gravel......--- Carolina Sandhills, S.C., $5,000 $10,000 During the last week of February 1961 continuous rains caused severe washouts at numerous places along roads at the refuge. The terrain is rolling and the soils are deep sand. Spot fills on washouts in the lower sections and reshaping of road surfaces and pulling ditches are necessary. 1. Roads_-_ Aransas, Tex., $165,000 $5,000 The Aransas Refuge, the wintering home of the remaining 38 wild whooping cranes was in the direct path of Hurricane Carla as she bore across the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Texas coast during the period September 9 to 11. Fortunately, the cranes had not returned from their summer breeding grounds in Canada. The following damage was sustained at the refuge due to a combination of wind and high wind-driven tides which resulted in excessive erosion. Long Lake, which creates an important feeding ground for the cranes, had its dike and water control structure washed out; a water control structure and dike were washed out on Little Devil Bayou channel. Burgentine Lake, an important duck and goose area had the dike breached, resulting in heavy erosion. Dagger Point residence, a storage building, and the refuge boathouse were demolished. Roofs, windows, and siding on remaining buildings, and roads, fences, and telephone lines were severely damaged. This damage must be repaired to bring the refuge back to operating efficiency. A breakdown of the estimated repair costs follows: During Hurricane Carla 12 inches of rain fell in a very short period of time accompanied by wind-driven tides. This resulted in great reaches of the low level land on the Rio Grande Delta being flooded, thus overtaxing the drainage systems and river bypasses in the refuge. All of the dikes and most of the roads on the continental tract were submerged by water, and the Laguna Atascosa (Parker Lake) itself overflowed, impairing impoundment banks. Wave action damaged the dikes and washed off large quantities of gravel from the combination roaddikes that traverse the continental tract, and also all the low roads on the east side of the Cayo Atascosa were submerged and damaged. Approximately 12 miles of road and/or dikes were under more than 2 feet of water for periods of 3 days to 2 weeks, depending upon their location. 1. To repair and resurface roads and/or dikes. 2. Repairs to dikes and structures Total... Chincoteague, Va., $17,500 $28, 000 13, 000 41, 000 This coastal refuge suffered the effects of wind and wave twice during the fall of 1961. Hurricane Esther, as she moved up the east coast, sent a southeastern frontal attack against the coastal dunes that completely destroyed 1,100 feet of newly established sand fence and breached the frontal dune line in some 50 other places. Following this, sustained high northeast winds were even more damaging than the forces of Hurricane Esther, causing major dune breaches on some 131⁄2 miles of frontal dunes. The original dune line must be reestablished to save this remaining bit of barrier beach for the public. 1. Reconstruct dune line by sand fencing... Program and financing [In thousands of dollars] $17,500 Senator HAYDEN. The committee will receive your statement for the record and you may highlight it orally. (The statement follows:) STATEMENT BY DANIEL H. JANZEN, DIRECTOR, Bureau of SpORT FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today and explain the need for a supplemental appropriation of $1,990,000. This request is composed of two separate amounts $382,000 which has been acted upon by the House and $1,608,000 which is being presented for consideration at this time. The $382,000 is for repair of flood and storm damage to 11 national wildlife refuges caused by excessive rains in the Southeastern States in the spring of 1961 and Hurricanes Carla and Esther which were followed by sustained high winds and tides in the fall of the same year. Facilities damaged include dikes, levees, roads, fences, buildings, and utilities. Of serious concern is the potential loss of valuable waterfowl habitat which will become an actuality unless action is taken to repair the damage. Failure to make these repairs will expose these areas to further damage from subsequent floods and storms; hamper maintenance and patrol operations, and adversely affect the ability of the areas to sustain the populations of wintering waterfowl for which these areas were established. In acting upon the $382,000 request, the House disallowed $82,000. Since there are no other funds which can be used for this purpose without adverse effects on authorized programs, restoration by the committee is requested in order that the damages may be fully repaired. We believe that our estimates are reasonable and the allowance of a lesser amount will result in an incomplete job. The need for the $1,608,000 came about as a result of the storm which struck the Atlantic coastline during the week of March 4, 1962, and caused such tremendous devastation to coastal properties. Nine wildlife refuges located along the coast from New Jersey to Georgia were in the path of this storm and severe damages were sustained. Dikes, levees, dunes, roads, buildings, equipment, fencing, and boundary markers suffered extensive damage from wave action, shifting sand, and corrosive salt water. The Chincoteague refuge in Virginia, the hardest hit of all, had damages in excess of $900,000 which included the loss of $215,000 worth of equipment and 21 miles of dune barriers costing $386,000 to rebuild. The Pea Island refuge in North Carolina had damages over $300,000 which includes $221,000 for rebuilding 12 miles of dune barriers. The other areas suffered varying degrees of damage of lesser amounts. |