$69,610 as subscribed to the recreation features of the improvements are thoroughly sound and justified. At the March meeting of the commission, the various physical features of the improvements as shown on the general project plan accompanying the report were presented to the commission by representatives of the district engineer and approved by the commission subject to such modifications as may be found necessary as detailed plans progress. To conclude, we do heartily endorse the project. Mr. SASSCER. Mr. Chairman, I understand the committee is adjourning in a minute or two. We have a few more witnesses. I will ask them to make it extremely brief. Mr. Machen, councilman of the town of Hyattsville. Do you have anything to say, Mr. Machen? Mr. MACHEN. I see no need to delay the committee further. Suffice it to say that Hyattsville endorses the project. Mr. DAVIS. Thank you very much. Mr. SASSCER. Mr. Henry Caspare, Commissioner of Cottage City. Mr. CASPARE. There is no need for me to take the committee's time. We endorse the project. Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, Mr. Caspare. Mr. SASSCER. Mr. William N. Mahaffey, councilman, Brentwood. Mr. MAHAFFEY. Mr. Chairman, there is not anything I can add to what has been said, I confirm the statement of our mayor. Mr. DAVIS. Thank you very much. Mr. SASSCER. Mr. Roy W. Fowkes, engineer, city of Mount Rainier and towns of Edmonston and North Brentwood. . Mr. FOWKES. As city engineer for the towns named, my problem is to keep the towns out of water when the water is in there, to build roads so people can travel, even through the water, on roads that are satisfactory afterward. It is quite a headache every time it rains to have all these people on my neck. Mr. SASSCER. We assume you are for it by your presence. Mr. FoWKES. Yes, sir. I would like to answer the Congressman's question about the lowness of the highway. That highway has been raised a number of times over a period of years. However, when I was a small boy, about 50 years ago, that water was deep enough so that we could dive into it and swim. I do not think the water table has been raised or lowered. Mr. SASSCER. A matter for the district engineer to work out. Mr. CONWAY. I would like to say that this situation has been going on since about 1905. I live in North Brentwood. Our towns are flooded every time we have a 3-day rain to the point where people who are caught away from their homes cannot get home until the flood goes down due to the fact, largely, that the Northwestern Branch gets to be 6 or 7 feet deep. Now I can walk across there and it won't come up to my knees. It is filling in as the years go on with sand washing down from above. Mr. SASSCER. That will all become part of the record. Thank you very much. Just one or two brief ones, Mr. Chairman. As long as they have been here, I would appreciate the committee bearing with us for just a moment or two longer. The mayor of Edmonston, Mr. Charles W. Shaw. Mr. SHAW. The thing we are primarily interested in is the damages done to our property. On the average of once every 3 years there is great damage done. Our assessed valuation is over $1,000,000. We are about 13 feet above sea level. This project would be of great benefit to our town. I think we are more affected than any other town in that area. Thank you. Mr. SASSCER. That, with the execption of these gentlemen from the B. & O. Railroad, represents the delegation made up of the various agencies and towns. I do not know whether the gentlemen from the railroads want to make short statements or comments. I see that they do not. Mr. DAVIS. The committee wishes to express its appreciation for your patience, gentlemen. You have given us a very full and complete hearing and we thank you. Thank you. (Permission was granted for insertion at this point of the following statement and petition :) PRESENTATION IN BEHALF OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DIVISION, AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION, BY WASHINGTON I. CLEVELAND, MANAGER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DIVISION, AAA, at HEARING ON BLADENSBURG FLOOD CONTROL LEGIS LATION Ladies and gentlemen, a glance at this map reveals the importance, from the viewpoint of traffic, of the Bladensburg Peace Cross area where U. S. Route 1 converges with U. S. Route 50. U. S. Route 1, the Washington-Baltimore Boulevard, is the main north-south arterial thoroughfare along the eastern seaboard which carries one of the heaviest traffic loads of any highway in the country. U. S. Route 50 is the Defense Highway connecting Washington, D. C. with Annapolis, Md. and is also a heavily traveled highway. The flood conditions at the Bladensburg area have been occurring periodically since the early days of our Republic. To indicate the interest of the American Automobile Association in this project, especially the interest of the District of Columbia Division of the AAA, reference to a few of the more disastrous floods which have occurred at this point in recent years will be revealing. Incidentally, these floods are caused not only by high water from excessive rainfall in the Anacostia watershed but by water backing up from the Potomac River either due to flood conditions in the Potomac River watershed or high tides resulting from heavy winds backing the water up in the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River and in turn up the Anacostia River to Bladensburg, Md. As many of you know, the land at the Bladensburg Peace Cross is only 5 to 8 feet above sea level and the tides flow all the way up the Anacostia to Bladensburg. I have found a record of 12 floods in the Bladensburg area in the past 20 years. There may have been more. 1. The flood of August 12, 1928, was caused by a heavy rain over the Anacostia River Basin and high tides in the Potomac River due to a tropical storm which produced damages all the way up the coast from Florida. The WashingtonBaltimore Boulevard was flooded to a depth of 4 feet at Bladensburg. 2. The flood of August 23, 1933, was the outstanding flood of record. It was the result of an extreme high tide in the Potomac River in addition to a record flow in the Anacostia River. Flood waters reached the ceiling of the Dixie Pig Barbecue Restaurant, the building closest to the Peace Cross at that time, and two men were drowned in the flood waters of the area. 3. The flood of March 19, 1936, was caused entirely by backwater from the Potomac flood. Water was 4 feet deep over the Bladensburg Road at the Peace Cross. 4. There was a minor flood on January 21, 1937, due to heavy rainfall in the area and the water rose 2 feet over the Bladensburg Road. 5. The flood of April 26 and 27, 1937, was largely due to backwater from the Potomac River flood. Boats were required to rescue over 300 marooned persons from flooded homes throughout the area. 6. A flood on October 23, 1937, resulted from an excessive rain over the watershed. Water reached a depth of more than 4 feet at Bladensburg and it was reported that flood waters covered nearly a mile of the Washington-Baltimore Boulevard. 7. Heavy rains occurred again on October 28 and 29, 1937, which produced reported depths of 4 feet of water at Bladensburg. 8. On November 13, 1937, another flood occurred and the Washington Evening Star published photographs of the half submerged automobiles at the Peace Cross. 9. The flood of August 9-10, 1942, was caused by extremely heavy rain over the Anacostia River Basin. Water reached a depth of 5 feet around the Peace Cross. The Defense Highway was completely blocked. An Army convoy headed for parts unknown could not get through and was forced to turn back toward Washington. 10. There was another flood on October 16-17, 1942, caused by high water in the Potomac River combined with a large run-off from the Anacostia watershed. Cars were stalled along Bladensburg Road. 11. Another flood occurred on July 27, 1945, tying up bus and auto traffic on Rhode Island Avenue between Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville, and drowning out traffic in the area of the Peace Cross in Bladensburg. 12. On July 31, 1945, the water rose again due to sudden heavy showers. The Washington Daily News on August 1 printed photographs of "Flooded as Usual Peace Cross." Descriptions of flood conditions at Bladensburg and its environs were made available to me from reports compiled in the Engineering Division of the Washington District Office of the Corps of Engineers. The present membership of the District of Columbia division of the American Automobile Association is 51,000. Some of these members live in the Bladensburg flood area. All of these members are potential users of these highways which converge at the Peace Cross. A flood at this area does a lot of damage; in one flood the estimated financial loss was over $174,000 to say nothing of the inconvenience and injury which motorists sustained who were caught in the rising waters. Our organization is not only interested in the elimination of the flood conditions at the Peace Cross intersection, but also in the improvement of the intersection design. Down through the years there has been very great congestion at this point during peak periods of traffic. We hope the solution of the flood problem will permit an improvement of the traffic situation by eliminating the bottleneck. Nationally our membership is over 2,500,000. The city of Washington, here in the District of Columbia, is a mecca to which motorists from all over the country journey in ever-increasing numbers. This flood condition, at the front door to the Nation's Capital, is a hazard and a menace which should certainly be eliminated. For years our organization has been interested in the efforts of all the agencies and communities affected by these floods to effectuate a solution to this problem. Recently, legislation has been enacted by the Maryland Legislature making it possible for local participation in this project as follows: Prince Georges County commissioners_ Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission__. Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission__. $1,500,000 500,000 250,000 1,500,000 This, together with land already acquired by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission which will be included in the flood-control project, will bring the local participation up to about $4,000,000. There are important Federal installations in Maryland which are reached by the route passing the Peace Cross. These include the Agricultural Experiment Station at Beltsville, the Horticultural Experiment Station, the Tuberculosis Sanitorium at Glen Dale, and Fort Meade. Thousands of Federal employees going to and from their places of business also use this route daily, to say nothing of the Members of Congress who frequent this highway. The floods which occur at the Bladensburg Peace Cross area and cut off traffic numerous times each year are a definite interruption to the public business and a danger to the national defense. As the representatives of the District of Columbia division of the American Automobile Association, I urge the committee to give favorable consideration to the pending Bladensburg flood-control legislation. A PETITION OF FLOOD CONTROL IN THE ANACOSTIA RIVER BASIN, FROM THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF NORTH BRENTWOOD TO THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, WASHINGTON, D. C. Gentlemen, the Northwest Branch and the Eastern Branch are two streams of water that meet a short distance above Bladensburg. They, together with the high-tide waters of the Potomac cause North Brentwood to be flooded. These two streams, the former from North Brentwood, the latter from Riverdale, are too shallow to hold the great volume of surplus water that flows into them during heavy rains. It is the enormous amount of soil erosion and debris in them that causes this shallowness. Before there can be the needed relief from these floodwaters, this miscellaneous material must be cleaned from these two streams so as to make a deeper channel to carry off this water into the Potomac River. We are not familiar with all the loss, damage, and inconveniences suffered as a result of these floodwaters by the residents along the Eastern Branch though we have good reason to believe they are most shamefully distressing, but for 40 years we have been familiar with them as they affect the residents dwelling along the banks of the Northwest Branch in North Brentwood. During this time, we have had many destructive floods, lost thousands of dollars worth of poultry and poultry houses, vegetable gardens, and fruits all carried away by these waters. They render the collection and distribution of United States mail impossible. Many times the rescue squad has to come with rowboats and carry marooned residents to safety. If these floods come while the residents are away from home, it is impossible for them to get back for many hours. They are thereby forced to seek refuge among neighbors. Into many of these houses these floodwaters have risen 4 and 6 feet destroying furniture, seriously damaging these houses and jeopardizing life. And now we are preparing to improve our streets this spring, but the floodwater will impair any improvement so made, unless preventative measures are taken. In summer and winter this is the lamentable situation into which these swirling destructive floodwaters put us. In order to safeguard life and property in North Brentwood, some engineering work along the Anacostia River Basin is absolutely necessary. Whatever improvements are made at or below Bladensburg only, the floodwaters from the above-named streams will nullify them. Therefore, we suggest cleaning this miscellaneous material from these two streams and using it for leveling off along the banks. This will give them a deeper channel. Straighten these streams where they make zig-zag turns, beginning at Thirty-eighth Street and Northwestern Branch, Brentwood, as per plat. Reclaim and fill in the land that lies in waste. Place the Peace Cross at Bladensburg on a higher foundation and fill in the low land around it. Then change the Anacostia River into a navigable river from the confluence of these two streams to the Navy Yard and build levees along the whole scheme. Gentlemen, the above suggestions fully carried out will permanently relieve North Brentwood of floodwaters, and also create beauty when the reclaimed land is accompanied with tree planting and landscaping. Increase the value of real estate. Make a healthier community. Open up new land for industrial development. Make it posssible for North Brentwood to expand and dovetail with Congressman Mansfield's proposal "to deepen the Potomac River to 35 feet from Washington to the Chesapeake Bay." Then we would have a navigable waterway outlet to all seaports. Also it would be an addition to the program of general improvement of Prince Georges County within the Maryland-Washingtondistrict as it marches on the path of modern progress. This is an urgent project and if perfected as outlined, of course, it will be expensive, but the people petition for this improvement because it is needed and can be made. And we are willing to help make it now and not leave it for a future generation. Every individual citizen is properly interested for a personal share of its benefits, and as you see now, we are suffering from these floodwaters; it is not unreasonable to ask and to expect the money necessary to attain it be provided. We pray that it will be fully carried out, and that the plan herewith submitted with meet your favor. We have faith in our time. LACKAWAXEN RIVER, PA. (H. Doc. 113, 80th Cong.) Colonel GEE. Mr. Chairman, this is a request for additional authorization in the Lackawaxen River Basin which falls within this day's hearings by virtue of its location. In addition, there is a special bill. The CHAIRMAN. Under ths authorized project we, in the act of 1948, approved a flood-control plan for the protection of the Lackawaxen River, Pa., authorizing extension in accordance with recommendations of the Chief of Engineers in Document 113, Eightieth Congress, and there was authorized to be appropriated the sum of $6,150,000 to the partial accomplishment of the project. Now, my recollection is and I will ask you to state it if I am not correct, that under House Document 113, Eightieth Congress, that project consisted of two reservoirs and was estimated to cost $6,802,000. Is that correct or not? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Well, what is the additional authorization that is required here in order to authorize an appropriation for this sum? Colonel GEE. That is the 1941 report when the costs were brought up to date as of 1947, at the time of the authorization. The estimated cost was $12,150,000 and the limit on appropriations was placed at $6,000,000 in the Flood Control Act of 1948. The CHAIRMAN. For the purpose of authorizing this-which one of these reservoirs? Colonel GEE. Prompton and Dyberry. The CHAIRMAN. In order to provide for the other it is necessary to increase that authorization by an additional $6,000,000 or $6,500,000. Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. In other words, if we just approved that project and authorized the amount of the estimated cost as stated in that original report, no further legislation would have been necessary by way of authorization. Colonel GEE. That is correct, sir. The CHAIRMAN. But having only authorized $6,00,000 for the partial accomplishment, it is necessary to remove the limitation. Colonel GEE. That is correct. Mr. DAVIS. Congressman Gillette. STATEMENT OF HON. WILSON D. GILLETTE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA Mr. GILLETTE. Mr. Chairman, my name is Wilson D. Gillette and I represent the Fourteenth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. I am again appearing in behalf of the people of Wayne County, Pa., who reside in the Lackawaxen River Basin. Recurring sudden floods are a serious threat to the lives and security of the inhabitants of Honesdale, Hawley, Prompton, Seelyville, White Mills, and the hamlets of Dyberry and Tanners Falls. After complete and thorough surveys, the United States Army engineers have recommended two dry dams as proper flood-control protection for the lives and property of these citizens. The Flood Control Act of June 30, 1948, authorized the construction of one of these dry dams to be located on the Lackawaxen River |