measures, and that public water supplies are safe, but in spite of all its efforts and the thorough cooperation by people of the flooded areas, there still remains a strong possibility of typhoid and other epidemic from contaminated watera possibility that seems a probability. Water plants were threatened along the river and Burlington, Iola, Chanute, Oswego, and Chetopa were forced to use sandbags to keep out the floods. Iola was forced to shut down its light and water plant, but fortunately the polluted water was not forced through the mains, a situation very narrowly averted, which would have caused delay and expense, besides creating a tremendous health hazard from contaminated water in the mains. The benefits incident to good water are hard to estimate. Even harder is it to estimate what the loss or cost should the water of just one of the many cities on the Neosho become contaminated and start an epidemic. Typhoid and other diseases are always a definite threat after a flood and won't wait for tests. Dwight F. Metzler, chief engineer and director, division of sanitation, Kansas State Board of Health, in a letter dated March 7, 1949 said: "There were 30 days in 1936 for which there was no flow of water at Iola, and there were 49 days in the same year when there was no flow at Parsons. During this period it was necessary for several of the cities, as you know, to pump water from pools above and below the water treatment plant in order to obtain sufficient water to meet the public demands. Perhaps the most striking example of this was [name deleted] where water from below the sewage treatment plant was pumped upstream to the waterworks intake. We are anxious to help in any way we can and if you should have need for additional information, I hope you will call on us." Sounds appetizing, doesn't it? To conserve time we are using the city of Chanute as a sample in presenting figures of losses from floods and from the conditions a shortage of water would cause in the cities and towns along the river. Chanute is a typical commission form of government-a community of 12,000 population, county seat, 250 stores, numerous small factories, meat and poultry packing plants, factories of various kinds, some wholesale businesses, refineries, cement plant and about everything a city in Kansas needs to grow and prosper. Chanute boasts that it has no city tax levy. Chanute would be bigger and better but for the lack of water in dry seasons and the floods which devastate the rich river valley and which in recent years have been flooding a part of the city. Last year the river almost flooded the city water plant. Its only source of water is the Neosho River. The other cities and towns on the Neosho are similarly situated, some being hit harder by the floods and some, like Parsons, not so hard. No effort has been made to get a complete, accurate list of losses from floods in factories and other industrial plants, or in the retail stores or the homes in the flooded districts. Neither is any estimate of loss of business included, but the total loss in intangibles undoubtedly is greater than the tangible loss, great as it is. The Warwick Wax Co. is dependent upon the city of Chanute for its water supply used in processing operations. Reduced water supply would result in curtailing operations, or a shut-down of the refinery. Mr. McElrea says that while it is extremely difficult to give any definite figure approximately the cost resulting from either floods or shortage of water, a very conservative estimate would be in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $1,200 each day of forced shut-down, a good portion of which would be in wages, which would affect Chanute economically. A flood such as the one experienced in July 1948 ties up our transport facilities, both by rail and tank truck. We receive crude oil by truck and by rail tank car, and, of course, ship our products in the same manner. During the July 1948 flood it was impossible for us to either ship in crude oil or ship out our products for a period of several weeks. Several of our pipe lines cross the Neosho River and a flood always brings a threat of having one of these lines washed out, and, if this would happen, there would be a loss of crude oil as well as pollution of the down-stream water from the oil lost. According to the late Judge W. W. Brown who was for years general attorney for the Katy, Katy trains were blocked by the Neosho almost 60 days in 1 year. The Chanute Refining Co. by Ray M. Coder, secretary, writes that while they have not suffered direct losses to property because of floods on this river, they have had indirect losses each time the river was at flood stage because of blocked highways which prevent transportation of the crude oil on numerous occasions for periods of a week or 10 days, forcing the plant to shut down until the river goes down. He also says a flow of water in times of extreme dry spells is important to them since they must look to the city for their supply of water, and that to be cut off from water would mean the shut-down of the industry as well as danger to the health of the city. The Chapman Feed Service, located at 702 East Main Street, Chanute, is another example of losses due to the flooding Neosho. Mr. Chapman estimates his loss in the 1948 flood as follows: damaged merchandise, $300; 14 men piling feed to have it, $52.50, damage by flood of building and labor, $150; possible loss on wheat and oats lost we would have shipped, net $2,500; loss of business in 12 days closed by flood, 6,000, paid help during time business closed; loss of business due to loss of purchasing power of customers in the valley. How the lack of transportation due to floods affect one industrial plant at Chanute, which is typical of others, is told by K. W. Wright, superintendent of the Ash Grove Lime & Portland Cement plant at Chanute. Mr. Wright says: "This plant is served by two railroads, the A. T. & S. F. and the M. K. T. For years, every time we have a sizable flood the M. K. T. is completely shut out of our plant for the duration of the flood, and generally for several days following. Obviously we can receive no incoming freight shipments, and are unable to ship on this line the orders for our finished products. The Sante Fe had never been blocked out entirely until the July flood of 1948, but that flood not only stopped this line from incoming and outgoing shipments, but also shut off the source of one of our most important raw materials. Obviously, had this condition lasted very long we would have had to face a shut-down of the plant." The refining division of the M. F. A. Oil Co. at Chanute writes "The July 1948 flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of the oil producer. A large amount of leased acreage was under water for a considerable period, causing untold damage to equipment as well as loss of production and income therefrom during this period." The letter adds that "The area is dependent on the Neosho River for water supply and that the plant uses approximately 215,000 cubic feet (1,500,000 gallons) per month and a tie-up in this source of supply either by flood conditions or drought conditions seriously hampers the operation of our refinery." Potter's hatchery was entirely surrounded by flood waters and altho they were able to sandbag the doors and pump out the seepage they were caused no end of inconvenience and considerable loss in business as well as merchandise. The company had just completed an addition to its buildings high enough to withstand any previous flood, but the 1948 flood came into the unfinished building enough to show that even its floor is not high enough. The Lynde, Walter & Darby oil producers with offices in Tulsa, Okla., Bradford, Pa., and Chanute, report that they were forced to shut down 27 weeks from June 2, 1941, to this year, and that the cash value of production lost was $11,564. The cost of labor due to the floods, $28,350; damage to tanks and other equipment, $5,000; estimated loss of their one-third interest of crops on farms, $10,000; a total loss to this one oil-producing company of $54,914. This firm is just one of a lot of oil producers in the watershed who suffered similar losses and who will continue to suffer such losses until the dams are constructed. The Warwick Wax Co., Inc., of Chanute, Carl L. McElrea, manager, says the majority of raw materials required for our plant operation are shipped to Chanute via rail from Texas. The final routing of these shipments is from Parsons to Chanute on the M. K. T. This routing is closed during all major floods on the Neosho River. Raw materials usually are processed nearly as rapidly as received so that it is imperative to receive shipments on schedule or shut-downs would follow. Failure to do so for an extended period, even when supplies are rerouted, it still causes considerable delay. Finished products shipped out on the Santa Fe are also delayed to customers who, like the company, carry no inventory of raw materials. Delays in shipments from the Warwick Co. would seriously affect production of these customers. The GOVERNING BODY, City of Chanute, Kans. OFFICE OF CITY ENGINEER, Chanute, Kans., January 30, 1948. GENTLEMEN: The recent request of Mr. Redmond, of Burlington, Kans., chairman of the Neosho River Flood Control Committee, for a statement by the city of Chanute of damages and conditions which affect the services supplied by this municipality to the businesses and people residing within the city limits which may be attributed to the large variation of flow in the Neosho River in the vicinity of the city, is herein submitted. The purpose of this report is to list and explain some of these conditions and their relation to the cities' various services and the affect that may be expected at times of the extreme conditions. The Neosho River approaches within 12 miles of the north city limits, flows east and south and again is 11⁄2 miles from the east city limits. The attached exhibits A and B show the relative location of the city of Chanute to the Neosho River and to the Neosho River drainage basin. Damage that may be expected can be classified as follows: 1. Physical damage to the water plant due to high water. 2. Loss of water supply. 3. Loss of fire protection. 4. City health and stream pollution. 5. Park facilities, streets, parkings. 6. Business losses: (a) Rail and highway traffic. (b) Industries. (c) Business and commercial. Physical damage to the water plant will result when the river stage exceeds 29.6 feet. All service pumps, their electrical drives and starting equipment are located below this river stage, and must be removed prior to any flooding of the buildings. If allowed to remain either through lack of warning or the inability to remove this equipment in time to prevent water damage, 100 percent replacement would be required and as electrical equipment is almost impossible to obtain within 6 months to 1 year, the prime movers of the water plant would be inoperative with the resulting loss of water supply for all purposes. Also floodings of the storage basins, filters, and clear well would necessitate the complete sterilization of the water distribution system to the cities, users, and outlets. To this date this loss has never taken place although several times it has been anticipated and the plans made for this emergency. Flooding at the water plant is expected at stage 30.5 to 31.0. The loss of a water supply to a community means that some other source of domestic water supply must be found within a very short time, as the average household can only store sufficient drinking water for a matter of hours or at the most days. With the loss of the water supply all sanitary facilities become inoperative and this in a short time becomes a public-health hazard and problem. The spread of epidemic type of water-borne diseases following floods and the attendant failure of water supplies is well recognized. Fire hazards and its losses become real and much feared at just such time as these. It is true fires in favorable locations may be combated by the use of modern pumping equipment, but limits are dependent upon the amount of hose possessed by the fire department within the city. Prolonged flood periods increase this type of hazard. The city's Katy Park which has the Saddle Club buildings, baseball grounds, tennis court, and access roads is subject to overflow damage, and as a result the upkeep cost is above normal during these times, in addition to the loss of uses of these grounds to the various organizations who regularly use these facilities. During the summer of 1936 the stream flow reached zero with the only water being found in the shallow stagnant pools in the stream bed. Efforts were made to drain these pools into the water plant inlet before the supply was completely exhausted. This situation was eased by general rains which could not have been very much later without a very serious water shortage. Chanute has suffered industrially because of this lack of an adequate dependable water supply of large amounts to be offered prospective industries who wish to locate a plant here. This is true not only here, but in every city in the eastern Kansas area. Major industries must be assured of large, cheap, and dependable water supplies for the economical operation of their processes. The welfare of every city along the Neosho River is endangered by low stream flows. Sewage plant effluents will not have sufficient dilution, forcing water supplies to receive excess chemical treatment and making the Neosho River a large open sewer in the same manner of the Illinois and Des Plaine Rivers before their flows were controlled. Ground water supplies in quantity are nonexistent in eastern Kansas, and therefore surface drainage must be depended upon as a source of water supply. Wholesale and retail business with outlying districts comes to a standstill during high-water periods. Highways K. 39 east of Chanute, U. S. No. 69 north of Chanute, and U. S. No. 69 southeast at Shaw and Erie are inundated for long periods, and the A. T. &. S. P. and M. K. T. rail traffic has to be discontinued at flood period. This is a serious loss to business firms and industries in Chanute. In my opinion if some means can be found to control the extreme flows of the Neosho River the benefits to the general public cannot be estimated. Decentralization of population and industry as advocated by the War Department would be sped up and made possible by the opening up of this large area in eastern Kansas, but first stream flows must be controlled, and water supplies must be assured. I do not know all the details of the projected plan, but I do know that stream flows can be controlled and this one thing is the basis of future development of this State and must come in the near future. |