Because of the importance of these dams and other flood control measures the State of Illinois and the State of Indiana formed a compact which has been approved by Congress to work toward flood control in these two States. The location of the Salamonie Dam close to the source of the Wabash River is the first step to be taken that will not only benefit our community and our neighbors, but the benefit will extend over all of the Wabash River Valley which includes 76 counties in Indiana and 11 in Illinois. The citizens of Indiana wish flood control to stop this waste of millions of dollars damage every year, and there is no better way to start than at the source of the trouble which would mean adding $439,000 to the Salamonie Dam appropriation in order that construction can start this next fiscal year. I respectfully ask that you give this matter your consideration. J. ROBERT MITTEN, Mayor. WABASH, IND, April 4, 1960. PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE, Washington, D.C. GENTLEMEN: Control of the floodwaters on the Wabash River is very important to the city of Wabash, Wabash County, and the entire Wabash River Valley. Every year the Wabash River overflows its banks one, two, three or more times. We never know how high the river will crest. Sometimes only several hundred acres of farmland are inundated then it might be like the disastrous flood of February 1959. On February 11, 1959, the Wabash River crested at 24.45 feet, 121⁄2 feet over food stage. Many thousands of acres of good farmland were under water. Over 35 square blocks in the city were under water. Six factories laid off over 700 employees. The city almost lost its supply of fresh water; and after the river returned to its banks there were countless hours of cleanup work to do. The Corps of Army Engineers estimate that the Salamonie, Huntington, and Mississinewa Reservoirs will lower the flood crest on the Wabash River at Wabash 9 feet. If these reservoirs had been in operation this disastrous flood of February 1959 would have been only a mere high water incident, soon forgotten. The three reservoirs may appear to benefit only Huntington, Wabash, and Miami Counties. But that is only part of the story. The reservoirs are part of a comprehensive program of flood control, water and soil conservation, navigation, stream pollution abatement, development of industrial, agricultural, and recreational interests for the entire Wabash River Valley. We trust that your committee will see fit to include in the budget for 1960-61 the requests of the Wabash Valley Association, Inc. These requests, approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, are needed to continue the work toward the much needed and long overdue flood control of the entire Wabash River Valley, Yours very truly, HENRY P. WALTER, President, Wabash County (Ind.) Chapter, Wabash Valley Association, Inc. Mr. Chairman, I am Robert Ambler, mayor of the city of Huntington, Ind. Huntington is located in the north-central part of Indiana near the Wabash River. I am here today in order that I might inform this committee of my Tholehearted support of the flood control projects which have been approved for he State of Indiana. Floods have menaced and threatened Indiana communities for several years. Approximately 1 year ago great damage was done throughout the Wabash River Valley. Lives were endangered and property was destroyed as floodwaters poured from the banks of the Wabash. The city of Huntington obtains its water apply primarily from wells located in the vicinity of the Wabash River. These foodwaters contaminated our water, thus endangering the health and well-being of our citizens. We do not want that to happen again and are convinced that the construction of the Huntington Dam will prevent its recurrence. Speaking as the mayor of Huntington, Ind., and personally, I want to voice strong support for especially the Huntington, Salamonie, and Mississinewa projects. I urge that the amounts included in the President's budget for these projects be appropriated. In addition to this, I urge that the request made b our Congressman, Mr. Roush, and others, for the appropriation of a total o $495,000 for the Salamonie project be approved. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity t appear before your committee. You have not only honored me but the city an community I serve. ROBERT AMBLER. My name is R. Dean Hall. I am manager of the Peru Chamber of Commerc Peru, Ind. I want to thank this committee for the opportunity of appearin before it, and presenting our views on the importance of flood control for th upper Wabash Valley. They say that yesterday's newspaper is worthless, used only to wrap th garbage in. Today's newspaper may be bought for 10 cents at any newsstan but tomorrow's newspaper would be worth thousands of dollars to anyone wh could obtain one. This, gentlemen, is what I want to give to you today-tomo! row's newspaper. Newspapers, which as surely as I am standing here, will printed during the next 7 years in Peru, Ind. You have noticed that this new paper contains five pictures. Actually, as you are aware, these are pictures floods that we have recently experienced, pictures of the damage that was dor and pictures showing the effects of a rampaging river in our community. I am sure that during your deliberations here, you have seen many picture of this nature. However, I would like to point out that these are not merel pictures of what has happened-these are pictures of what is going to happe This is going to hannen despite anvthing you might do today. Between Januar of 1960 to May of 1961 one of these pictures will be used or one similar to will be used to show the flood that we, in all probability, will have. Betwee May 1961 to October 1962 we can expect another one, between October 1962 ar March of 1964 the third. Between March 1964 and August 1965 the fourt From August of 1965 to February 1967 we can expect our fifth, and with you cooneration, our last flood. Gentlemen, these pictures are based on facts-based on the fact that sin 1913 we have averaged one flood every 17 months. These floods, we know, a coming. We have experienced them in the past. We, the people of Mian County of Peru. Ind.. are willing to experience them in the future. We a willing to move families. do whatever necessary to protect ourselves from thes floods from now to 1967. However, as I stated. with your cooperation. th would be the last flood paper we would have. Because with your cooneration an immediate start on construction of these dams. by 1967 we can have th Wabash River controlled as far as the unper Wabash Valley is concerned. W are willing to undergo the next five floods. We are willing to take our chance We are not asking for you to do the impossible, we are asking only that vo give us consideration so that in 1968 we will not have to print another pane showing more pictures of homes destroyed, factories down, farmland bein washed away. You have previously, in deliberations last year and in years before, examine the feasibility of this flood protection project. You have before you, and record, statistics showing the cost of these dams in very favorable ratio to th benefits that they will provide. You have rreviously considered all of thes points. And with those facts in hand, in 1958 Congress of the United State authorized these programs. And then in 1959 Congress provided the money t begin the planning operation for these three dams. We can only assume by th previous actions that yon and your colleagues have taken that this reservoi system does have your official blessing. With that in mind. I will not take vou time to recite a lot of statistics or try to resell you on the need of the program I wou'd think that the number and the caliber of the people who have akel their own time, spent their own monev to come here today to appear before you would indicate for itself our sincere desire for getting this job completed. On the basis of what has already occurred. of your previous approval o this program, we are today only really considering the time element that b involved. Whether or not we start on the dams in this coming fiscal year of the next year or 5 years from now-I believe we can logically assume that sooner or later it is your intention to follow through on this program and make these dams a reality. With the need for keeping expenditures to a minimum we are concerned with doing anything and everything possible to save money, money which we know in the long run is ours. We appreciate that the start of the Salamonie Dam this year calls for an increased expenditure from $56,000 budget to $495,000. Certainly, it would be easy to argue that this increase of $439,000 might be a place where we could save money. We could postpone this job until some future date when perhaps money would be more easily available. However, I would like to point out, that far from being an item of economy the mere act of postponement might be one of wasteful expenditure because certainly with every passing year there are elements of cost which will increase. With every passing year there is the damage done to the entire Wabash Valley by the floods that periodically ravish the area. The revenue lost as a result of these floods would go a long way toward the payment of this dam. During our last flood, I beliere that statistics show that some $53 million damage was done by one flood. Figure for yourself how much the Federal Government lost in taxes alone from this loss of income and property in the Wabash Valley. This loss, however, is only a drop in the bucket as to the actual loss suffered not by the individual citizens but also by the Federal Government. Land today and for the next 7 years that is, and will be, valueless that cannot be farmed, that factories cannot be built on, that homes cannot be constructed on that businesses cannot be established on, would be reclaimed and would be ctilized into a productive force. The value of this force is unestimable. The increase of potential wealth of this important section of the country would mean in any one year more returns to the Federal Government than the expenditure of the total amount for the three-dam project. Gentlemen, I urge you, most sincerely, to consider the facts that far from being an economy item-the postponement of immediate start on this project would be an actual wasteful expenditure of Federal tax money. On behalf of the entire citizenry of Peru and of Miami County, we urgently request your favorable consideration for the immediate start of this program. There is one other factor which deserves consideration of this committee, Consideration not on the basis of immediate short-term gain but of longrun potentialities. This is the practice presently being followed by many of the Federal agencies of the State and local governmental units, and even by private individuals this is the practice of constructing present-day highways, Government and private buildings, on territory which is and will be utilized for future flood control programs. We believe, most sincerely, that there should be a greater coordination and consideration given to the future as to the immediate present. The construction of a highway over land which in the next 10 or 15 years will be needed for flood control purposes is a tremendous waste of money. The construction of housing developments in this area, the construction of Federal, State, or local governmental buildings where present prudent plans won'd indicate future need for flood control purposes is a practice too often found today on every water basin. Certainly a program of this type is not one that can be accomplished overnight. However, some start must be made by somebody. We urgently request that your committee give careful consideration to this problem and that investigations be made to determine the seriousness of the problem with the anticipation that a solution equitable to all can be found. My name is Joseph Becker. I am the owner of the J. H. Becker Insurance Agency, Peru, Ind., and chairman of the Flood Control Committee of the Peru, Ind., Chamber of Commerce. I sincerely hope that you are completely familiar with our request: the construction of the Salamonie River Dam, a part of the upper Wabash River project. This dam is not a great dam for the benefit of a few people living in the area. It will provide flood protection on all of the Wabash River Valley and to the Ohio Valley and even into the Mississippi Valley. If you do not provide the funds we request for construction, the river will est us 10 times that amount in just this one year and very possibly as much as million. The cost to the Federal Government alone will more than pay for the dam. I wish that I could have each of you with me for just a few hours next year, when we have our next flood, to have you help evacuate those affected by this high water. No further appeal would then be necessary. The people with me came here at their own expense, in many cases at considerable financial sacrifice. None of them will benefit financially or in any other way by the completion of these dams. They came before you because they know, as I do, that our valley must have this protection. They would as I would get on their knees and beg for this protection if it would help. Gentle men, please remember, this is no so-called pork-barrel request. It is a request from our Government for help that we cannot possibly provide as individual communities. We can only ask you, our Government, to help us. Since 1913 we have prayed to our God for help and so far he has saved us from the always potential catastrophe flood. Now we appeal to you, because it is an imposition on God's mercy to continue to pray for that which we can, through our Government, and you, provide for ourselves. Thank you, gentlemen, please help us. Gentlemen, my name is Richard Waite. I represent the Peru Manufacturers' Association, Peru, Ind. Our organization consists of 32 manufacturers in Peru providing employment to over 3,000 families. On behalf of these employers and indirectly on behalf of the employees, I would like to urge your committee to give favorable consideration to the proposal before you so that immediate construction can be started on this reservoir. You have heard the statistics that are involved. The money that is needed and the benefits that will accrue to the entire county. You have heard stories of the suffering and damage done periodically by the Wabash River. I can only add to the stories you have already heard. The manufacturers of Peru suffer personal and financial loss along with everyone else. Production time is lost, customers irritated, delivery schedules disrupted. These affect not only the manufacturers themselves, but naturally all employees. Production lost is wages lost by the families of the community. Wages that are lost at a time when they have already suffered blows from the floods. Disruption of schedules and deliveries can and often do mean customers who buy someplace else. This can mean further hardships upon the people of Peru. We need to know that you and your committee are interested in our problem. We need to be able to tell our employees that future floods are coming but that we can now see a definite end to them. With your cooperation we can see an end to the floods. I earnestly beg that you give careful and favorable consideration to the program today. Gentlemen, I am Joseph H. Payne, secretary-treasurer of the Peru Production Credit Association, Peru, Ind. Our association serves approximately 1,500 farmers in Wabash, Miami, and Cass Counties. The flood loss to the farmers in this area in 1958 and prior years would amount to a staggering figure. This loss consists of crops, livestock, other personal property, and heavy real estate damage. Some of these individuals have been unable to gain back from these losses. They need flood protection so that it does not happen again. We hope you will see fit to grant the funds to give rural and urban people of this community relief from this dreaded disaster. GENTLEMEN: During the 1959 session of the Indiana State Legislature, I sponsored legislation in the house of representatives that appropriated the State of Indiana's share (1 percent) of the total costs of construction of the Salamonie Reservoir, Mississinewa Reservoir and the Huntington Reservoir. This legislation passed without a dissenting vote and the funds are now available as required by the Corps of Engineers, as approved by Congress, requiring that the State's share for any units be available before construction can be started. Indiana emphasizes that great progress has been made in water resources and flood control development throughout the United States in the last 30 years and wishes to point out that, from a peak view, the Congress and all Federal agen cies in this work deserve commendations from the public for guidance of these projects which are, truly, an investment in the future of the United States. Indiana has been active in support of the Wabash Valley compact between the State of Illinois and Indiana. The Indiana State Legislature passed the Wabash Valley compact without a dissenting vote; it was likewise passed by the Illinois State Legislature. More recently, the Congress has approved the Wabash River Valley compact between the States of Indiana and Illinois. On behalf of the Indiana State Legislature and the people of the State of Indiana, we ask that your committee will see fit to appropriate the sum of $495,000 to complete the planning and begin construction of the Salamonie Reservoir on the Salamonie River, a tributary of the upper Wabash. Respectfully, CHARLES R. GRADY, PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE, US. House of Representatives. GENTLEMEN: I believe an elected public official has few occasions when he speak in favor of a program knowing without question that he speaks for ch and every person whom he represents. The flood control project which you have before you is just such a program endorsed and prayed for by every person in our community. Each year, without fail, for as long as most of us in this community can remember, we have had this costly battle with nature. And each year the destruction continues. behalf of each person in this community, I plead with you to help us. On We fight with pride and determination, but our efforts are futile. We must have help. Respectfully yours, S. G. Cox, Mayor. GENTLEMEN: I am appearing before your committee as a member of the Indiana Flood Control and Water Resources Commission, as a member of the IllinoisIndiana Wabash Valley Compact Commission, and as a citizen and businessman of Peru, Ind. Many years of work and study, and advance planning by the Corps of Engibeers, U.S. Army, and the State of Indiana has been spent in developing a plan for three proposed dams in the upper Wabash River Basin, known as the HuntIngton Reservoir, Mississinewa Reservoir, and Salamonie Reservoir. This Congress has appropriated funds in previous years to do a part of the planning for these three reservoirs. The current budget proposes to allow additional planning money, but no construction funds are recommended. Almost all of the advanced planning has been completed for the Salamonie Dam and Reservoir. Only $56,000, the amount recommended in the bludget, is necessary to complete the advance planning for this reservoir. The Corps of Engineers need a total of $495,000 to enable them to let contracts and start construction on the Salamonie Reservoir. If this appropriation is not granted, then an additional year will be lost, and additional millions of flood losses will be suffered by the people along the entire Wabash River Valley. The State of Indiana has already appropriated $300,000 of their share of the Fist of this project. There is nothing more the State can do until Congress makes this appropriation to start construction. I, therefore, urge you to make the following appropriations, and the other amounts requested for the State of Indiana: President's Amount requested Sammie Reservoir, final designs and start construction. The amount d in the budget is for final designs only. Massinewa Reservoir, to complete advance planning and final designs. CARLOS A. LIFE, Peru, Ind. |