The CHAIRMAN. You have similar authority in river and harbor projects that you have had for many years. of General PICK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And the Flood Control Act was passed, and because your experience under the River and Harbor Act, that worked out to the satisfaction of the Corps and, you believe, in the interest of the public? General PICK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Now, General, I want to ask you with respect to the major basins-just give them to me one, two, three, if you will. Take Columbia River and all that is proposed to be embraced in the Columbia River, say, administration, including the Willamette River and the streams at Oregon and Washington. What existing projects that Congress authorized you to construct are on the way, either in rivers and harbors or flood control, just name them for me, one, two, three. Colonel GEE. In the Columbia Basin, the principal project completed or under construction consists first of Bonneville Dam, authorized under river and harbor legislation. The CHAIRMAN. At an estimated cost of what, if you will? Colonel GEE. I don't have the cost of Bonneville before me, sir. Colonel GEE. About 85,000,000, sir. The CHAIRMAN. No more than that has been spent on the dam and the power installation? Colonel GEE. That is the total cost, sir; 85,000,000. The CHAIRMAN. The next item now? Colonel GEE. The McNary Dam is now under construction on the main stem of the Columbia River upstream from Bonneville. The CHAIRMAN. At an estimated cost of what? Colonel GEE. $227,000,000, I am told, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. If you find that that is a mistake, correct it. The next, please? Colonel GEE. In addition, there are authorized on the lower Snake River four locks and dams, not presently under construction, to permit navigation. The CHAIRMAN. At an estimated cost of what? Colonel GEE. The initial cost estimate is $341,473,000 and an ultimate cost, including full power development, estimated at $379,007,000. The CHAIRMAN. The next, please? Colonel GEE. Beyond that, the Chief Joseph Dam is presently authorized under river and harbor legislation on the main stem of the Columbia River upstream from the junction of the Snake and Columbia. The CHAIRMAN. At an estimated cost of what? Colonel GEE. $206,000,000, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The next, please? Colonel GEE. The next are projects for the Willamette Valley, at an estimated cost of $243,700,000. The CHAIRMAN. Have they been approved? Colonel GEE. Those are approved projects in the Willamette Valley, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The next? 92329 494 Colonel GEE. That is the only authorized basin plan within the entire Columbia watershed for which we are requesting additional monetary authorization at this time. The CHAIRMAN. Are they the only ones that thus far have been authorized? Colonel GEE. There are numerous small levee projects on the lower Columbia River beginning in the vicinity of Portland and Vancouver and extending more than a hundred miles from there to the mouth of the Columbia River. The CHAIRMAN. They are comparatively small? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. There are a great many of them, however. In addition, there are levee projects along the lower reaches of the Willamette River. There are also local protection projects at numerous locations in the State of Washington on the west side tributatries of the Columbia River flowing from the Cascade Range into the Columbia in a general southeasterly direction. The CHAIRMAN. Now, then, when we come to a further statement about the Columbia River, will you include that in connection with Colonel Weaver's statement, a statement showing the local projects. and the estimated costs for flood control, and primarily levees, and will you be able to advise the committee what amounts the local interests themselves generally have previously expended to construct levees and to provide for flood protection in their respective local areas? I wouldn't detain you further, because this question that I asked you is going to be propounded to the Bureau of Reclamation when they come here with respect to the amounts that are authorized. Do you know generally the total amounts of the authorized projects in the Bureau of Reclamation along this Columbia River Basin, in the Columbia River Administration area? Colonel GEE. No, sir; I do not. The CHAIRMAN. Now, you have already stated, as I understand it, General Pick, the total amount authorized in the Los Angeles area, have you not, and the amount of the approved work and the amount of the total authorizations and the additional authorizations that you recommend. That is true; is it not? General PICK. No, sir; I haven't covered that. The CHAIRMAN. Oh, you haven't covered that, but that will be covered by your associates. General PICK. I can give you that list now, sir. The CHAIRMAN. When we reach it. General PICK. I can give you the list of authorizations in river basins, sir. The CHAIRMAN. I understand we have those; they will be reached. I thought probably you had covered it. General PICK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Now, today, the colonel will give us the total of the authorized on the Atlantic Seaboard and the recommendations that you propose to make on the individual projects pending. That is true; is it not? General PICK. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. General, is there any other further general statement now with respect to flood control that you desire to submit? In response to Mr. Pickett's question, you have already stated that the reservoirs, many of them, along the Arkansas River and the tributaries of the Arkansas are not a part of the lower Mississippi River project and tributaries; is that correct? General PICK. That is correct, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You might well have also added that the same thing is true of the reservoirs along the White River and the tributaries of the White River. General PICK. Yes, sir; that is correct. The CHAIRMAN. In the third place, you might have added also that the upper Red River, and other projects-while the Red River is a tributary of the Mississippi-it is not included in the lower Mississippi River and tributaries. General PICK. That is correct. I just used the Arkansas as an example, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And you just confined the part included in the lower Mississippi River generally to the back-water area of the Arkansas? General PICK. That is correct, sir. The CHAIRMAN. That is all, Mr. Chairman. Mr. DAVIS. What is the pleasure of the committee? (At this point, there was discussion off the record.) (The committee then at 12 noon recessed, to reconvene at 2 p. m. this day.) AFTERNOON SESSION (The committee reconvened at 2 p. m.) The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. SAVANNAH RIVER, HARTWELL DAM, S. C. AND GA. (H. R. 2283) (H. Doc. 657, 78th Cong.) Mr. DAVIS. Colonel Gee, I think you are prepared to take up the Savannah River project; is that correct? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. Mr. DAVIS. I wish you would develop it for the committee. The CHAIRMAN. While he is looking for that, are there any special bills for construction along the Atlantic Seaboard, including the Savannah River, pending that you want to comment on today? STATEMENT OF LT. COL. HERBERT C. GEE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS Colonel GEE. H. R. 2283 to provide for the construction of the Hartwell Reservoir on the Savannah River, S. C. and Ga. The CHAIRMAN. Is that the only bill for construction that you have to comment on in those hearings for today? Colonel GEE. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Is this construction now, or preliminary examination and survey? Mr. GEE. These are authorizations for construction, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. What other river is it on? Colonel GEE. The Roanoke River. There are two bills, H. R. 3416 and 3250, both of which The CHAIRMAN.' Will you give us copies of those, Mr. Clerk? Colonel GEE. Both of which seek to have authorized the construction of the Smith Mountain Dam on the Roanoke River. The CHAIRMAN. Any others today? Colonel GEE. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Then you do have some preliminary examination and survey bills for today, do you? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir; we have some miscellaneous bills: Naming of reservoirs, preliminary examining. The CHAIRMAN. We only ask about preliminary examination, and survey. Do we have any bills for preliminary examination and survey? Colonel GEE. I believe there are one or two in the list. The CHAIRMAN. I did not mean to interrupt your answer to Mr. Davis' question. Colonel GEE. H. R. 2283 has for its purpose the authorization of the Hartwell Reservoir on the Savannah River. The Hartwell Reservoir project was included in the plan approved in the Flood Control Act of December 22, 1944 and described in House Document No. 657 of the Seventy-eighth Congress, second session. The construction of the Clark Hill Reservoir on the Savannah River in Georgia and South Carolina was authorized as the initial step of the Savannah River Basin plan. The Clark Hill project was begun in August of 1946 and is now 25 percent complete and is expected to be completed in 1953. The Hartwell Reservoir is one of 11 reservoirs in the general plan. Economic studies show it to be the logical choice as the next reservoir to be constructed in the basin. The Hartwell project will provide for a dam across the Savannah River near Hartwell, Ga., at a site 67 river-miles above Clark Hill Dam. The CHAIRMAN. Does it show on the map you have there? The drainage area above the Hartwell site is 2,088 square miles. The proposed Hartwell Dam will consist of a concrete gravity structure 2,415 feet long, connecting across the rest of the valley to high ground. The total crest length of the dam will be 12,400 feet; the maximum height above the river bed, about 210 feet. At normal full pool, the reservoir will cover 56,500 acres. It will extend 7 miles upstream from the dam to the confluence of the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers which form the Savannah. Thence, one major arm will extend 41 miles up the Tugaloo River and another 27 miles up the Seneca. The total storage to be impounded will be 3,528,000 acre-feet of which 850,000 acre-feet will be required for flood control and the remainder for the production of power. The installed capacity of the generating equipment in the powerhouse at the Hartwell project will be 177,300 kilowatts. The Hartwell and Clark Hill Reservoirs operated together will eliminate all flood damage in the flood plain between Augusta, Ga.,. and Savannah, Ga.; it will eliminate overflow by frequent minor floods in a large area of undeveloped land and substantially reduce the extent of flooding caused by the major floods which have a probable frequency of occurrence of less than once in 20 years. This undeveloped land estimated at 200,000 acres will therefore be available for reclamation through major drainage works which will be necessary to permit its full utilization. The Federal Power Commission indicates that the power market for all the power produced by the Hartwell project will have developed by 1954. The operation of the Hartwell Reservoir will increase the minimum flow of the Savannah River below Augusta from 5,300 second-feet to be provided by Clark Hill alone to about 6,200 feet. This minimum flow will insure a year-round 8-foot channel depth for navigation in the Savannah River between Augusta and Savannah; an increase of 1 foot over that which can be assured by Clark Hill alone. This will reduce the cost of providing a 9-foot navigation channel to Augusta by $768,000. Recreation: Although not evaluated in dollars, a considerable and very real benefit will be derived from the recreational advantages which will be afforded by the Hartwell Reservoir. It is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, within easy reach of the cities of Atlanta, Greenville, Spartanburg, Greenwood, and Athens. The 56,000-acre lake created by the dam will attract large numbers of people from these centers of population as well as from less urban areas who will seek rest, relaxation, and diversion on its waters and along its wooded shores. Benefits: The net annual benefit from flood control and power which will be produced at Hartwell is estimated to be $5,096,000. In addition, there will be substantial benefits to navigation and recreation, the magnitude of which have been indicated in a general way above. The present estimated cost of the Hartwell project is $68,377,000 of which $51,280,000 is for construction, $9,863,000 for relocation, and $7,234,000 for land. The estimated annual costs of $3,156,000 apply. The flood-control and power benefits alone give a benefit-cost ratio of 1.61 to 1. The Corps of Engineers favors authorization of the Hartwell project. Mr. DONDERO. What was that benefit-cost ratio? Colonel GEE. That was 1.61 to 1, sir. Mr. DONDERO. Is this entirely power? Colonel GEE. This project is practically 97 percent power, Mr. Dondero. Mr. DONDERO. With nothing in it so far as navigation is concerned? Colonel GEE. The incidental benefit to navigation I have described as being a saving in first cost on the navigation project to Augusta in the amount of $768,000. Mr. DONDERO. In the nature of increasing or stabilizing the flow of water in the Savannah River? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. Mr. DONDERO. You are depending upon the income of population to come to this area to make it pay? Colonel GEE. In the opinion of the Federal Power Commission, whose statement was cited here, we are depending upon the industry growth of this area to create a demand for the power which will be generated by this project. It is their estimate that the need for this power will exist by 1954 after the completion of all presently authorized projects and all presently planned projects to be constructed with private capital. Mr. DONDERO. The demand is not present at the moment? |