Mr. CANNON. Last year, as you recall, we had several discussions about costs of investigations written off because projects were found infeasible.

How many were written off in fiscal year 1958?

Mr. DOMINY. We have in preparation a list of those projects, Mr. Chairman, and I believe we will have it up here and available for the afternoon session. We could present it to you for the record at that time.

Mr. CANNON. How many have been written off so far as this fiscal year is concerned?

Mr. DOMINY. Mr. Bennett, are you prepared to give that information?

Mr. BENNETT. We have written off none during fiscal year 1959.
Mr. DOMINY. None?

Mr. BENNETT. None in 1959.

Mr. CANNON. What was the cost? How much money was spent in the study of these projects?

Mr. DOMINY. You mean in the total for fiscal year 1959? Mr. CANNON. Yes, those that we later found to be infeasible. Mr. DOMINY. That will be included in the list being prepared, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. TABER. Will that list have the amount of money you have spent on each project?

Mr. DOMINY. Yes, sir. I saw the list in preparation and it is roughly two pages of projects giving the dollar amount involved on each.

(The information follows:)

1, 581, 067. 93

1, 319, 519. 38

General investigation costs transferred to nonreimbursable expense classification, fiscal year 1958-Continued

Region 5:

General engineering and research, economic resources inventory

Cooperative committee assistance__.

Small project studies...

Subtotal

Assistant Commissioner and chief engineer:

National Resource Committee__.

Consumptive use of water studies.

Market studies_____

Miscellaneous work related to performance of technical studies

and other research and fieldwork.

Sedimentation studies__.

Snow survey

United western investigations---.

Subtotal

Grand total..

NOTES

Amount

3, 159. 45 18, 122. 21 131.89

21, 413. 55

3, 974. 59

9, 194. 83

3, 195. 41

261, 386. 28 155,715. 27 17, 117.65 502.57

451,086. 60

3,373, 087. 46

1. The above costs were incurred over the years prior to fiscal year 1958. In the event construction work is undertaken on any of the above projects or features, the related investigation costs will be removed from the nonreimbursable category and charged to those projects or features.

2. No general investigation costs were transferred to nonreimbursable expense classification during fiscal year 1959 to March 31, 1959.

Mr. CANNON. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. CANNON. On the record.

That means we have gone up a blind alley at considerable expense? Mr. DOMINY. Yes, sir.

Mr. CANNON. Of course, we had to learn.

Mr. DOMINY. Yes, sir. As I stated last year this is the very nature of the general investigation program. I would say we were failing to do our job if every project we studied turned out to be one we would build.

LOCAL REQUESTS

Mr. CANNON. How many studies being initiated in the 1960 budget are in response to local or State requests?

How many have been originated by local determination?

Mr. DOMINY. Mr. Bennett will handle the detailed questions on this subject, Mr. Chairman.

SAN FELIPE PROJECT

Mr. BENNETT. Of the proposed new investigations in fiscal year 1960, none is at the request of local interests. However, there are two as new starts which will have contributed funds on them; San Felipe division in California, which is being done under an act passed by Congress-Public Law 85-784-which directed the Secretary to make this investigation with half of the money being put up by the local people. This involves Santa Clara, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties in California.

RIO GRANDE WATER SALVAGE PROJECT

The other is the Rio Grande water salvage project.

Mr. CANNON. Would that serve to indicate that local interests had initiated these programs? There has to be considerable interest in order to provide contribution of funds to that extent.

Mr. BENNETT. Yes, sir.

In addition to the new starts, there are several items continuing in the program on which contributions have been received in the past.

Mr. CANNON. You know it is rather significant that the law under which this work is done provides that when work is initiated at local requests, the local sponsors shall provide 50 percent of the cost.

It is a singular coincidence that in no case have any of these been initiated at local request.

Mr. BENNETT. May I comment. Mr. Chairman?

Mr. CANNON. If you will.

Mr. BENNETT. This is a matter we have discussed off and on in the past with this committee. It is an aspect of law that is very, very difficult to administer, as you can imagine. We also have on the books what is known as the Contributed Funds Act, whereby we can accept contributions toward performance of the work. Local interests are very familiar with these acts and as a result we seldom get what is actually a request to do a job, simply because they are aware of these

acts.

Mr. CANNON. They are keenly aware of the fact that if they make such a request their contribution automatically goes up?

Mr. BENNETT. That is correct, sir. Nevertheless, it is our policy to seek contributions and I think our record is quite good. In the 1960 program we have 13 projects on which local interests are contributing rather substantial sums of money.

Mr. CANNON. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

PROJECTS ON WHICH RECONNAISSANCE OR FEASIBILITY INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

Mr. CANNON. On the record.

How

many projects have been completed in each general investigation stage and are now ready for the next stage or for construction? Mr. BENNETT. We have quite a few on which reconnaissance work has been done either in the form of work we have accomplished on basin reports or as specific investigations. I do not believe I have the numbers but we can furnish you a list of all of them.

I simply have not added up the numbers.

Mr. CANNON. The Bureau has submitted here a list of projects on which reconnaissance or feasibility studies have been completed and are ready for the next stage of planning. It is a rather detailed report and we will include it in the record at this point.

(The report referred to follows:)