1 This is primarily the cost of applying land treatment measures by landowners. Cost-sharing from Federal funds appropriated for the agricultural conservation program may be available if included in the county program developed each year in consideration of approved State and National programs and the annual authorization by the Congress. 2 Consisting of— Land rights.. Relocation or modification of utilities. $125, 164 10, 136 6, 900 Benefit-cost ratio: 2.1 to 1. Prorated Public Law 566 structural cost per acre benefited: $54. Carrying out the project: The Rock Creek Watershed Joint District No. 28 assumes all local responsibilities for installing, operating, and maintaining the structural measures. The estimated annual cost of operation and maintenance is $6,300. Mr. SWIGART. I am Charles Swigart, Director of the Watershed Planning Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is the Rock Creek watershed project located in Butler and Cowley Counties, Kans. It consists of 85,850 acres, of which 60,260 acres are in Butler County and 25,590 acres are in Cowley County. The watershed is, in the upper part, gently rolling with shallow valleys, and at the lower end it becomes more rolling with deeply incised streams. The economy of the watershed is strictly agriculture with livestock production the primary enterprise. The principal crop development is on the flood plain itself. That is the base for the watershed economy or its lifeblood. There are two towns in the area, Latham in the upper part and Rock in the lower part. Latham has a population of 203 and Rock has a population of 150. Rock Creek itself flows into the Walnut River, which then flows into the Arkansas River. Mr. POAGE. Did we not approve a couple of projects for the Walnut River last year? Mr. SWIGART. Yes, sir. This is a complex where the local people have requested that a number of watersheds be planned concurrently as provided for in the basic legislation. There are a number in this Walnut River complex that have been approved, some are still being planned, and some for which applications have been made. Practically all is covered by the applications. The problem is a flood problem. Frequent and devastating floods come down through here and knock out the various crops which consist of wheat, feed grains, and alfalfa. This results in a lower income for the area and lowers the feed base upon which the livestock economy depends. The average annual damages amount to $148,700. In 1959 when there were two extremely disastrous floods and in 1961 there were two large floods, one of which inundated over 80 percent of the flood plain. The Butler County Soil Conservation District and Cowley County Soil Conservation District and Rock Creek Watershed Joint District No. 28 have joined together and requested help in alleviating this devastating problem. A plan has been developed which consists of land treatment measures throughout the upland area of the watershed on those areas that have not already been treated, and 23 floodwater retarding structures which will control about 51 percent of the area. These structures will result in reducing damages from 100 percent immediately below the structures to some 54 percent down at the lower end of the watershed, so that there will be an adequate level of protection throughout. The total average annual benefit will amount to $161,200, which will accrue to an area of 25,573 acres. There are 120 landowners who will be benefited within the watershed and many others below the watershed who will also benefit as a result of this combined program on the Walnut River. The cost of the project amounts to $2,350,000. Public Law 566 funds are expected to contribute $2,080,500 and other funds will pick up the balance of $269,500. The benefit-cost ratio is extremely favorable-2.1 to 1. The cost per acre benefited as referred to in testimony before this committee is $54. The Rock Creek Watershed Joint District No. 28 will assume all local responsibilities for installing, operating, and maintaining the structural measures and for land easements and rights-of-way. And it will operate and maintain the structures at an estimated cost of $6,300. Mr. POAGE. Will you explain why the local contribution is so small? That is one of the smallest local contributions that has come before us. Mr. SWIGART. I think there are a number of explanations of that. In the first place, you will notice that this is one of our typical watershed projects with structures well up in the tributaries. As a result, I would imagine that the land is not as valuable as the good bottom lands downstream. Another reason is that the local people in this watershed are sold on watershed protection and they have gone to town, you might say, on applying land treatment measures in order to get help. The total cost of measures applied to date is $805,500. If you add that to what they are contributing for completing the land treatment job it amounts to a 34-percent contribution on the total costs. Mr. POAGE. Are there any other questions? Mr. TEAGUE of California. I have one question. I notice that the average-size farm is 480 acres. The Secretary of the Interior has caused us a lot of trouble out in California with a 160-acre limitation: that is, on our reclamation projects. Do we have that problem at all on these projects? Mr. POAGE. I hope not, and I hope that this committee does not set any such policy. Mr. DOLE. Is this project primarily flood protection or does it include recreation? Mr. SWIGART. This is the basic concept of a watershed flood pre vention project. Mr. POAGE. I might say, too, that it is what you might call the typical shape of a watershed project, with very small retarding structures in the highlands protecting the other land. Mr. HARVEY of Indiana. Is this in general a livestock and grain area? Mr. SWIGART. Yes. I am sure that it is. It is strictly a livestock economy with the feed base depending upon the production in the flood plain. Mr. POAGE. I think we should point out that basically the total local contribution is higher than appears because of the conservation work that has already been done, some $300,000, which when added to the present contribution will bring it up to about 33 percent. Mr. SWIGART. Yes. Mr. GREIGG. What about that area up in there, what does that represent? Mr. SWIGART. This area up here? Mr. GREIGG. Right there [indicating]. Mr. SWIGART. That merely represents the area that is controlled by these structures. In other words, it controls the runoff from the area above that. Mr. POAGE. I notice that most of your work has been done down in the valley, has it not? Mr. SWIGART. It has been done in both places, all except in here [indicating]. These reservoirs could not go in otherwise. The local people are getting ready so that they can go right into these structures. They have all of their land treatment above this which is required by law, too. Mr. POAGE. Do you find it is a common situation that in those areas where the most soil conservation work has been done that we find that it reflects a lower share of contribution on the part of the landowners? Because you cannot figure anything that has already been done as a part of their contribution to this, except that we do informally take that into consideration, I am sure. Mr. SWIGART. There are many of the States that are requiring that the local people do this job ahead of time, so that it will give them a priority and they can have the watershed project. It is practically part and parcel of the project, even though it is not future work and does not show in the future cost calculations. STATEMENT OF HON. JOE SKUBITZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, first I want to express my appreciation to you for allowing me to testify in behalf of the Rock Creek watershed protection plan for Butler and Cowley Counties in my congressional district. This plan for watershed protection and flood prevention is sponsored by the Rock Creek Watershed Joint District No. 28 and the Butler and Cowley County Soil Conservation Districts. Although the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture negotiated the contracts to collect and process engineering data, the State of Kansas, through the State soil conservation committee, provided funds for these services. The Rock Creek watershed is located in the Bluestem Hills of south-central Kansas. It covers a drainage area of 134 square miles and is one of seven organized watershed districts in the Walnut River Basin. The principle watershed problem is floodwater damage to crops, land, and other agriculture products. The average annual flood damage has been estimated to be $148,700. The total cost of all structural measures is $2,194,400 of which $2,052,200 will be borne by Public Law 566 funds and $142,200 by local interests. I am advised that the cost-benefit ratio on this project is favorable. I am further advised that the Corps of Engineers, Tulsa district, under authority of the House Public Works Committee resolution adopted October 16, 1951, has recently developed a "Survey Report on Walnut River, Kans." The plan of improvement includes El Dorado, Douglass, and Towanda Reservoirs; modification of the Winfield levee; and a local protection project on the West Branch of the Walnut River at El Dorado. This plan has been coordinated with the Corps of Engineers to insure that the works of improvement are harmonious elements for the development of the water resources of the Walnut River Basin. Your favorable consideration of this project will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Mr. POAGE. Are there any further questions on the Rock Creek project? If not, we will pass on to Vanar Wash watershed. VANAR WASH WATERSHED, ARIZONA AND VANAR WASH WATERSHED WORK PLAN Size and location: 47,942 acres in Cochise County, Ariz., and Hidalgo County, N. Mex. Tributary to: San Simon Creek, Gila River, Colorado River. Sponsors: Vanar Wash Flood Control District, County of Cochise, WillcoxSan Simon Soil Conservation District. Principal measures: Soil conservation practices on farms; and structural measures consisting of 5.6 miles of floodwater diversion. Number of beneficiaries: Owners and operators of 22 farms benefited by flood damage reduction. 1 This is primarily the cost of applying land-treatment measures by landowners. Cost-sharing from Federal funds appropriated for the agricultural conservation program may be available if included in the country program developed each year in consideration of approved State and National programs and the annual authorization by the Congress. 2 Consisting of Land, easements, and rights-of-way.. Benefit-cost ratio: 1.4 to 1. $66, 100 4,370 Prorated Public Law 566 structural cost per acre benefited: $121. Carrying out of the project: The Vanar Wash Flood Control District assumes all local responsibilities for installation, operation and maintenance of the structural measures. The estimated annual cost of operation and maintenance is $5,420. Mr. POAGE. Congressmen Walker and Morris, and Congressman Udall have submitted statements which will be made a part of the record. We will now hear from the Department. Mr. LANE. Vanar Wash watershed is a watershed of about 47,942 acres lying astride the New Mexico-Arizona line. The line that I am pointing out with my finger is the Arizona-New Mexico line. New Mexico is to the right and Arizona is to the left. We are not far from the Mexican border here [indicating]. Cochise County is a border county with Mexico. The Vanar Wash is a tributary to San Simon Creek which flows into the Gila River and the Gila into the Colorado River. This is in a desert climate. The average rainfall is in the order of 9 inches with about one-half of that amount falling during the 3 months of July, August, and September. About 7 percent of the watershed is cropland and all of the cropland is located down in this area here in yellow on the map. And the remainder of the watershed is desert rangeland, much of which is publicly owned and under the management of the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the Interior. The watershed is traversed by a gasline from the Texas oil fields into southern California. It is also traversed by a transcontinental line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. And it is also traversed by a long-distance cable of the Bell Telephone Co. The agricultural land is all irrigated. The principal crops are alfalfa, cotton, and grain sorghum. There are about 22 farms in the watershed. The average size of a farm is approximately 150 acres. Mr. TEAGUE of California. May I interrupt? Mr. LANE. Yes. Mr. TEAGUE of California. If the average size of the farm is that, it must mean that some of the farms are larger than 150 acres. I would like to express the hope that Congressman Udall does not share, having Federal benefits inure only to farms less than 160 acres. |