authorizing the construction of flood-control works in the Red River of the North drainage basin. Our area is a broad, flat, vast expanse of land at the south end of the Red River of the North Valley. Twenty miles to the east are the rolling hills of Otter Tail County, Minn., with an elevation of 400 above us, and to the south is a hilly section, the source of the Bois de Sioux River. In the spring of the year waters coming down out of the hills to our east overflow the low banks of the Otter Tail River east of Breckenridge and spread out over our farm lands covering highways and washing out secondary roads, completely isolating many areas. These floodwaters flow westward and eventually find their way into the Bois de Sioux River, which at such time is bankfull with floodwaters from the south augmented by high waters from tributaries. When these waters get to Breckenridge and Wahpeton they meet the floodwaters of the Otter Tail River, discharging into the Red River already at flood stage due to waters from tributary streams and drainage from both sides. The Red River of the North is a slow, sluggish-moving stream because of its turning and twisting course, flat surface of the valley, and because the stream bed is filled with silt from previous floods, and vegetation along its shallow banks. The floodwater from the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail Rivers back up and overflow our area destroying property and resulting in great damage. The basements of our business places are flooded with resulting damage to stock and equipment. The basements of our homes are also flooded and left with a slimy, slippery muck and silt, contaminated by sewage, which even after its removal is a menace to health. Our flooded farm lands are left soaked so that early seeding, so necessary and important to successful small grain production, is delayed, thus materially decreasing the otherwise high yield of the land affected. In addition, floodwaters bring in foul seed that infest otherwise clean fields, the removal and destroying of which is expensive and requires major changes in crop-planning plans, thus further retarding the production of these grains so essential to our prosperity. For the past 30 years I have managed over 1,000 acres of crop lands owned by our family, so I can assure you, gentlemen, that I speak from true and sorry experience. I have looked out upon hundreds of acres of flooded farm lands east of Breckenridge that looked like one big lake, with farm buildings completely surrounded by muddy waters, presenting problems to their occupants in the care of their livestock, poultry, and equipment. I have experienced farm losses from such floodwaters and in no case could compensation for the loss be collected. The Otter Tail River immediately below Fergus Falls has very high banks. It presents an ideal site for a storage reservoir such as the Orwell Reservoir proposed by the Army engineers. It would serve as an ideal storage for the floodwaters originating in the upper reaches of the Otter Tail River, which in normal times supplies 75 percent of the water flowing past the city of Breckenridge. It would store the water in drought periods and be a reservoir for water in times of floods. I consider this proposed reservoir, next to the channel clearing, enlargement, and rectification, the most essential unit of the proposed basin development. Because I have lived them, I know the experiences and problems of our people. I know they live in constant fear of the recurrence of these floods. Even though my home is in the highest part of the city I have had my basement flooded. I cannot too strongly emphasize our precarious position. I do most respectfully and earnestly urge upon you to recognize the importance of the plans prepared by the Army engineers for the relief of our people whom today I have the honor to represent. To supplement my statement, I wish to leave with you about 30 pictures of scenes during flood conditions in and around Breckenridge and Wahpeton which I have personally taken. I want to thank you very much for the privilege of appearing before your committee, and I want to add this little thought: It was in the early thirties that our city experienced an extreme drought when we had absolutely no water in the river bed, and no water to serve a community of well over 3,000 people. You can just picture for yourself a community of 3,000 people without any water in the water mains, no water for the protection of our city in case of fire, no water for sanitary purposes. In order to get our drinking water, it was necessary to go out to the farmers and buy our water in 10-gallon cans and bring it in. I remember when we spent over $30,000 in trying to develop an underground water supply, and the experience in all the cities of our community has proven that is not feasible. Senator COOPER. For how long a period of time were you without water? Mr. GEWALT. We were without water for a week, and in order to bring the water down, it was necessary to get the Otter Tail Power Co., which had a dam at Fergus Falls, called Dayton Hollow Dam, to release their impounded water, and that was brought down over the dry river bed by the means of graders, plows, and so on, and with the aid of over 500 volunteers we brought this water down over the dry river bed. Senator COOPER. Is there a dam on the Otter Tail River now? Mr. GEWALT. There are a series of storage dams built in the Otter Tail Basin above Fergus Falls, but there are none below Fergus Falls. Senator COOPER. The damage that you have spoken of, what river does it come from? Is it the result of the flooding of the Otter Tail River? Mr. GEWALT. The Otter Tail augmented by flood waters of the Bois de Sioux. Mr. WILLARD. May I make a correction there, Mr. Chairman ? Mr. WILLARD. Those dams are power dams and not storage dams. Senator COOPER. Is there any other statement you would like to make, Mr. Gewalt? Mr. GEWALT. That is all, sir. Senator COOPER. Thank you. Representative HAGEN. I believe that just about concludes testimony on the project itself. Senator COOPER. There are other witnesses listed here-Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Brink, Mr. Smith. Have they testified? Representative HAGEN. They will testify on the second phase of this hearing. Senator Young probably will make a statement about it. Senator YOUNG. Mr. Chairman, during the flood, President Truman declared an emergency condition existed out there. The Army engineers made a survey of damages, and according to their figures, there was a damage total in the two States of $9,948,700. Obviously, that is a loss greater than those communities could sustain. As a result of that, Senators Thye, Langer, and myself introduced an appropriation bill calling a $10,000,000 appropriation to assist in this damage for the 1948 flood. Senator Ball later introduced an authorization for an appropriation of this kind. I think Senator Ball is following the right procedure. According to my information, no appropriation could be made without first an authorization bill. The witnesses that will follow now, whom Congressman Hagen will introduce, will testify on the bill that Senator Ball has introduced. I hope that Senator Ball's bill will pass making possible this appropriation which is badly needed. Senator CooOPER. Let there be introduced into the record at this time, S. 2608, a bill introduced by Senator Ball, to authorize an appropriation for the reconstruction and repair of roads and other public facilities in the States of North Dakota and Minnesota which were destroyed or damaged by recent floods. (The bill is as follows:) [S. 2608, 80th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To authorize an appropriation for the reconstruction and repair of roads and other public facilities in the States of North Dakota and Minnesota which were destroyed or damaged by recent floods Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby authorized to be appriated the sum of $ , which shall be available for expenditure by the Federal Works Administrator in cooperation with the appropriate officers of the States of North Dakota and Minnesota for the reconstruction and repair of roads and bridges (whether or not located on the Federal-aid highway system), drainage ditches, and other public facilities, which are located within such States and which were destroyed or damaged as a result of floods which occurred during the spring of 1948 in the Red River and the upper Mississippi River and their respective tributaries. Senator COOPER. Senator Young? Senator YOUNG. I will ask, Mr. Chairman, that these figures on this tabulation by the Army engineers be inserted at this point in the record. Senator COOPER. Do you have a tabulation, Senator Young? Senator YOUNG. Yes. Senator COOPER. Is that identical with the letter of April 30, 1948, written by the office of district engineer, St. Paul district? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. Senator COOPER. Let the report, then, from the Corps of Engineers with respect to damages sustained in this area be filed and made a part of the record. (The table is as follows:) Red River of the North drainage basin-estimated flood damage in year 1948 Damage to 500,000 acres of farm land in North Dakota and Minnesota, of which 300,000 acres are cropland Damage to railroads in North Dakota and Minnesota Total flood damage in both States----- 5,000,000 100, 000 9,948, 700 Senator COOPER. Congressman Hagen? Representative HAGEN. The second phase of the hearing is in connection with Senator Ball's bill 2608 and I have introduced a similar bill in the House, H. R. 6421, which Senator Ball has now accepted as far as a slight change in his bill is concerned. In other words, he has authorized me to suggest to the committee that his bill, S. 2608, be changed to include the following information: * * * with the appropriate State, county, and municipal officers of the States of North Dakota and Minnesota for the reconstruction and repair of roads, streets, and bridges * * * I just make that change on his bill and will file it with the committee if that is satisfactory. Senator Ball has approved it. Senator COOPER. Do you want to leave with the committee a proposed amendment to Senator Ball's bill? Representative Hagen. Yes, which has been approved and recommended by the Senator. Senator COOPER. Will you file your proposal with the committee? Represenative HAGEN. Yes. Senator COOPER. Let the amendment be copied into the record. (The bill, as amended, is as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated the sum of $- which shall be available for expenditure by the Federal Works Administrator in cooperation with the appropriate State, county, and municipal officers of the States of North Dakota and Minnesota for the reconstruction and repair of roads, streets, and bridges (whether or not located on the Federal-aid highway system), drainage ditches, levees, flood walls, and other public facilities, which are located within such States and which were destroyed or damaged as a result of recent floods in the Red River of the North, Missouri, and Missisippi River and their respective tributaries. Representative HAGEN. All of the witnesses who testified yesterday and previously today, in connection with the Red River of the North general comprehensive project have given testimony in support of Senator Ball's bill asking for this relief money, but in the interest of brevity and time saving, we are not asking them to repeat their testimony or have it changed or altered, but we feel the hearings held yesterday and previously today are also reporting testimony for Senator Ball's bill. In addition to that, we have four men who came all the way from northwestern Minnesota, which is in the most severe flood area, along with northeastern North Dakota, who will testify from first-hand experience as to damage done to roads, bridges, levees, culverts, and so forth, in Kittson and Marshall Counties. The same type of testimony could be made in northeastern North Dakota. With your permission, I would like to call on the head of the committee, State Senator Donald Sinclair, of Stephen, Minn. Senator COOPER. We are glad to hear Senator Sinclair. Do you have a prepared statement? Mr. SINCLAIR. No, I have not. One of our delegation has a prepared statement. Senator COOPER. Just go ahead, then, Senator Sinclair. |