Total estimated Appropriations Fiscal year 19 480, 1,460,0 9,040,0 3,900,0 530,0 834,0 3,558, 9 5,800,00 550,00 104,00 202, 0 1960 total.. 100, 0 200,00 59,00 51, 890, 95 114, 56 17, 063, 00 69,068, 51 On a monetary basis, the project appears to be about 75 percent complete. However, a realistic appraisal of the items of work necessary to accomplish the objectives of the flood control program as originally outlined by Congress indicates that the project is hardly more than 60 percent complete. No funds have been appropriated for many of the authorized items, while construction of other features has been proceeding very slowly. It is also evident that existing authorization for certain key items in the flood control plan, such as Mississippi River levees and bank stabilization, Atchafalaya Floodway levees and lower Atchafalaya Basin dredging is not adequate to complete the program and must be revised upward. The work remaining to be done becomes of tremendous significance when viewed in the light of population and economic values which Situated at the lower end, most of the undepend upon it for protection. completed work either lies in or directly affects Louisiana, and it is of utmost importance to the State to accomplish the project as rapidly as possible. LOCAL CONTRIBUTIONS FOR FLOOD CONTROL IMPROVEMENTS The State of Louisiana and the 24 local levee districts have expended a total of $350 million on flood control improvements within the State as of January 1, 1959, or about $1 billion in terms of 1959 dollars based upon the Engineering News Record Cost Index. During the same period the Federal Government has spent about $450 million or $1,300 million at today's prices. The cost of controlling floods in Louisiana is much greater than elsewhere in the valley, because all of the floodwaters from 41 percent of the United States must pass through the State, and because of the low elevation of the extensive areas requiring protection. On the basis of Louisiana's contribution to flood control it is estimated that local interests in all of the affected States within the alluvial valley of the Mississippi River have spent about $2 billion at today's prices on flood protection. Expenditures by local interests for flood control have continued ever since passage of the Flood Control Act of 1928, and have increased with the growth of the valley. Each year Louisiana spends on the average about $12 million on major flood control and drainage improvements in the areas subject to overflow from the Mississippi River, and similar expenditures are made by the other States in the alluvial valley. RECOMMENDED APPROPRIATIONS FOR NECESSARY ITEMS OF WORK, MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES PROJECT 1. Vississippi River levees.-Flood control in the Mississippi Valley is based upe a strong levee system, and the ability of the present flood control program to handle the project flood is measured in terms of the weakest and lowest leres, to maintain depths and alinement favorable for navigation, and to protoo small, or both, to be considered safe under project flood conditions. In addition to substandard levees, there are many locations below New Orleans where wavewash protection is required. Waves generated by wind and passing ships erode the banks and destroy the levees. The situation requires immediate attention, and the Bureau of the Budget recommendation should be increased by $1 million to a total of $3,760,000 to provide for this work. 2. Channel improvement.-The lower Mississippi River constantly expends a portion of its great energy in attacking its banks, which are easily erodible since they consist of materials previously deposited by the river. Bank stabilization measures thus become a fundamental part of the flood control plan and are necessary to permanently fix the location of the channel, to protect the levees to maintain depths and alinement favorable for navigation, and to provide an effective channel for carrying flood flows. Under existing authorization 407 miles of channel have been stabilized, leaving 43 miles on which no work has been done. In order to provide for revetment at critical locations on the river, the Department of Public Works recommerds the expenditure of $25 million on bank stabilization in 1961, an increase of 3 million over the $22 million recommended by the Bureau of the Budget. 3014 Rer control.-This project is designed to prevent the Mississippi River from abandoning its present channel below Old River and taking the Atchafalaya River route to the Gulf of Mexico. It will prevent damages estimated at any hundreds of millions of dollars to the city of New Orleans and many smaller cities along the river, and to the communities of southwest Louisiana. It will also safeguard the investment of the United States in flood control and navigation works constructed in the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Basins. The low sill and overbank structures have been completed, and the Corps of Engineers is to be commended for the expeditious manner in which it has dealt with this problem. The Department concurs with the Bureau of the Budget, and recommends that $8.400.000 be appropriated to continue construction in 1961. The project is one of great magnitude and should be treated as an emergency flood control problem, for the diversion which it will prevent is already well advanced toward the critical stage which is predicted to occur by 1965. 4. Tensas River Basin, Boeuf, and Tensas Rivers, etc.-The area drained by the principal streams in this basin-the Tensas River, Big Colewa Creek, and Bayon Boeuf, Macon, and Lafourche includes 5 million acres in 11 Louisiana parishes and 6 Arkansas counties. The project is about 70 percent complete. The work remaining to be done should be accomplished as speedily as possible in order to derive full benefit from the $5 million lateral drainage system conructed by the State of Louisiana, and by local interests in both Louisana and Arkansas. Except for the lower 32 miles of Boeuf River, construction of the Bayou LaSerche-Boeuf River system is practically complete in Louisiana and about 70 percent complete in Arkansas. Very little work has been done on the TensasBayou Macon system. It is recommended that $1,150,000 be appropriated for Work on these streams in 1961, an amount $60,000 in excess of that recommended by the Bureau of the Budget. The work on Bayou Macon will be done in reaches, or sections, and the additional funds are necessary to provide for a Complete reach. 5. Atchafalaya Basin.-The flood control improvements in the Atchafalaya Basin are an integral part of the overall flood control plan. They not only protect all of southwest Lousiana, but insure that the safe flood carrying capacity of the Mississippi River below Old River will not be exceeded. To provide this Insurance to New Orleans and the Mississippi River section, construction of the Atchafalaya Floodway must be quickly advanced to the point where it can safely accommodate its share of the project flood without endangering communities of southwest Louisiana. Relative flood stages in the floodway have steadily risen to the point 1 the project flood cannot be contained, because of heavy sedimentation basin, and settlement of guide levees due to poor foundation conditions. In order to correct these deficiencies, construction and raising of flo levees must be prosecuted on a wider scale than has been possible wi limited funds available over the last few years, and the main channel lower floodway must be progressively enlarged to reduce sedimentation. The Bureau of the Budget allowance of $6 million is not enough to effec continue the great amount of work which needs to be done on the flo levees, the main channel, and elsewhere in the basin. The Department 1 mends an appropriation of at least $7,500,000, an amount well within the bilities of the Corps of Engineers and which can be most profitably expen 1961. Most of the additional funds requested would be used for expanding the ing program on the main channel. This important phase of the work sho expedited so that rising flood stages accompanying sedimentation in the basin may be reduced. The balance of the additional requested funds wo used for drainage construction in the Wax Lake east area. 6. Lake Pontchartrain levee.-Construction of this levee was authoriz Congress under the Flood Control Act of May 17, 1950 as a result of the disa storm of 1947 which flooded about 75,000 acres of suburban New Orleans, i ing the Moisent International Airport. Under terms of the authorization interests are to bear $3,130,000 of the estimated cost of $9,470,000. The af area is highly developed and densely populated. It is continuing to grow ra due to the influx of industry into the metropolitan area of New Orleans. elevation of the land is low, and it should be noted that the city can only ex into such low lying areas as all the higher lands have been occupied. The Pontchartrain Levee Board has expended over $1.6 million toward struction of this project and is prepared to contribute its remaining share c cost. The budget recommendation of $660,000 for work in 1961 appears inadequate, and we recommend $750,000 as being more in keeping with the of this important area. 7. Maintenance.-The item becomes more significant each year as addit portions of the flood control program are completed. There are many loca throughout the project where adequate maintenance has been impossible be of insufficient funds for the purpose, which has resulted in a blacklog of needed repair work. Maintenance consists of operation and rehabilitation of major features flood control project, such as foreshore protection of levees, construction of setbacks, and major restoration of levees damaged by heavy rains and wash so that they can be adequately maintained by local interests; spillway floodways; flood control reservoirs; and channel maintenance such as corre dredging and bank stabilization. Revetments account for about one-half of all funds spent on mainter Requirements for this work are becoming greater as additional lengths of ment are placed in areas susceptible to attack by the river. Some 80 mil new revetment will have been added in fiscal years 1958-60 inclusive, mak total of 407 miles of revetment in place at the start of fiscal 1961. The Bureau of the Budget allowance of $17,250,000 for maintenance is r low to adequately maintain the project, and the Department of Public W recommends that $18 million be appropriated for this purpose. There are areas where preventive maintenance will save costly repairs if not postpone long. Respectfully submitted. STATE OF LOUISIANA, SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED APPROPRIATIONS Flood control, Mississippi River and tributa. ies, fiscal year 1961 Mr. MYERS. I would first like to fully and vigorously support Mr. Berbling's statement on the valley as a whole, and discuss only those projects for which funds are asked for in excess of the budget allowance. Over one-half of the potential flooding area in the entire valley is in Louisiana and, so, we are very much interested. On the Atchafalaya Basin we are asking for an increase from $6 million to $7.5 million for the reason that the floodway is not adequate to prevent the silting of the floodway and the settling of the levees. It is necessary that a full-scale program of levee raising and dredging be carried on as rapidly as possible so that the floodway can be made. ready for the project flood, when and if it comes. We only wish to thank you for the Old River project. We are etirely satisfied with that budget allowance. LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN On the Lake Pontchartrain levee we are asking for an increase from $660,000 to $750,000. That is for raising the levees and additional warewash protection. Mr. CANNON. An increase above the budget estimate? Mr. MYERS. Yes, sir; the 1947 hurricane flooded 75,000 acres and affected some 80,000 people. I would like to point out that of the total cost of this project, 9,750,000, the local people are putting up $3,313,000, which would make the Federal Government put up roughly $6.5 million, and the local people, roughly, $3.5 million, which is certainly a good share of the cost. ARKANSAS RIVER LEVEES Now, the south bank Arkansas levee protection is a project in v the people of Louisiana are vitally interested in raising subg levee berms and, perhaps, one setback. We are asking that the al ance be increased from $540,000 to $630,000. LOCAL CONTRIBUTIONS I would like to close with a statement of local contributions. the levee boards were formed in about 1880, about $350 million been spent by the State of Louisiana; and, if you remember, I that we represented one-half of the total flooding area. So I ima for the entire valley it would be twice that, but the present pr according to the Engineering News-Record index, would make amount to $1 billion that the State has put up. During that the Federal Government spent $450 million which at present pi would be $1.3 billion. That concludes the testimony on the Louisiana item. STATEMENT OF MR. C. S. TINDALL Mr. BERBLING. Mr. Chairman, I would like now to introduce C. S. Tindall, an attorney of Greenville, Miss., who is represent the Greenville Port Commission. Mr. CANNON. Mr. Tindall. GREENVILLE HARBOR Mr. TINDALL. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, name is C. S. Tindall and I am from Greenville, Miss. and am attorney for the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners and speaking for that levee board and for the Greenville Port Comm sion. I speak for both those groups and the people they represe I am appearing today to request an appropriation of $300,000 the coming fiscal year for the initiation of construction on the Gre ville, Miss., harbor project. The estimated cost of the project is $ 530,000, of which approximately $1.8 million will be Federal fun First, I want to thank the committee and the Congress for the a propriation for the present fiscal year of $59,000 for planning fun The planning, of course, is substantially complete and the Corps Engineers is ready to begin construction. This project was not included in the recommendations of the F reau of the Budget for fiscal year 1961. We recognize that the a propriation for planning made this past year does not commit t Federal Government to initiate construction, but we think we oug to call to the committee's attention and to the attention of Congr the fact that based on the authorization for planning funds bein made available to the Greenville Port Commission which is charg with local cooperation, it has proceeded to acquire a part of the lan and on a major portion of that the title has already been vested in t Greenville Port Commission, and the balance of the land will be ava able by July 1 of this year. Six hundred thousand dollars in bonds have been sold by our Gree ville Port Commission and that Commission is ready to fulfill its o ligations not only in supplying the land and maintaining this proje |