General FERINGA. I do not know the case at the moment. Mr. ANGELL. General, we will pursue that further later on. Mr. DAVIS. Are there any more questions from members of the committee? Mr. MACK. You stated that this old river closure resulted in increasing the estimated cost from $14,000,000 to $29,000,000? General FERINGA. That is right. Mr. MACK. That brings up this question: Is the estimate of $600,000,000 for the completion of the entire Mississippi Valley project based on the 1941 or the 1948 estimated cost? General FERINGA. On the increased costs, I explained that we had two tabulations, Mr. Mack: The first one shows what the project would cost in addition, based upon the plans the engineers recommended in the report, and also based upon the figures at that time. I stated that the increase in cost on the projects as previously authorized was in the neighborhood of $228,000,000, and that is based upon the present going costs as developed during the past 4, 5, or 6 months. Mr. MACK. Then the $600,000.000 estimated cost for completion of the protective works is based upon the 1948 costs? General FERINGA. Yes. STATEMENT OF HON. HENRY D. LARCADE, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA Mr. DAVIS. We well be glad to hear our colleague and member of the committee, Mr. Larcade, who wishes to make a statement on this project. Mr. LARCADE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee. General Feringa has made a very fine presentation of this project which is commonly known as the old river closure on the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana. The statements further made by General Feringa and our distinguished chairman (Mr. Whittington) have further clarified the situation in some respects, to my own satisfaction, and have answered a number of the questions that I had in mind to propound. I want to say that this project is one of the most important to my section of the country, one of the most important that we have under consideration at this time, and in this connection I would like to include a statement for the record. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT OF HON. HENRY D. LARCADE, JR., OF LOUISIANA Mr. LARCADE. Mr. Chairman, at this time when hearings are being held by committees of the House and Senate on flood control and rivers and harbors matters, and coming from a State that is annually threatened by or actually is devastated by terrible floods, and as a matter of fact, at this moment due to the extraordinary snows in the North and Middle West of the United States, the stage is all set for another major disaster to strike Louisiana. I do not think it is amiss to call to the attention of the Congress the necessity to give careful consideration to the appropriation of the maximum amount of funds possible to protect our country from these recurring catastrophies. Mr. Chairman, these recurring floods are not confined entirely to Louisiana and the South, but unfortunately all parts of our country at one time or another have suffered from floods, and will continue to do so unless we continue to make provisions for the Corps of Engineers to continue the battle on all fronts. Thousands of lives have been lost and billions of dollars of damage to property have occurred, and if we avoid another major disaster again this year, it will be due largely to the fine work that has been accomplished over a long period of years by the Corps of Engineers of the United States by the great flood-control works which they have built, or by providential control of the melting snows and rains from the upper portion of the country. The Mississippi Valley, as is well known, is the drainage ditch of the Nation. Thirty-two States and 41 percent of the waters of the country drain down the mighty Mississippi and converge in Louisiana to reach the Gulf of Mexico. The above startling fact that 32 States drain through the Mississippi Valley throwing 41 percent of the waters of the United States down the Mississippi River and converging upon Louisiana through all of the tributaries of the Mississippi is sufficient, I believe, without elaborating or going into further detail. This is not Louisiana's making and Louisiana would prefer that this not be the case. Louisiana has been blessed with many natural resources, and were it not for the floodwaters of the country being converged upon us to find a way to the sea, Louisiana could well take care of its problems. I do not claim that Louisiana alone suffers from terrible floods almost each year, as I know that other States and river valleys are also susceptible to floods with their devastation and loss of life, and our people are solicitous and sympathetic with all other sections of the United States in affording protection to all parts of our Nation in solving their problems in regard to flood control. I believe that our Senators and Representatives in the Congress have manifested this fact by their full cooperation and support in this regard in the past, especially do I refer to our late lamented United States Senator John H. Overton, of Louisiana, who gave many of the last years of his life to the service of our entire country in flood control and rivers and harbor work. I know that other portions of our country have had great disasters, but I would say that Louisiana has had more disasters and more often than any other portion of the country, and to bring this claim more vividly to the attention of the Congress I submit a list which I have compiled showing lives lost and property damage suffered from floods, hurricanes, and tidal waves which occurred principally in the eastern portion of the United States over a long period of years, to wit: Isle Dernier, La., 1856: 400 lives lost. Louisiana, 1863: Floods. Louisiana, 1882: The greatest flood, setting a record at that time. Galveston, Tex., 1900: 4,000 to 6,000 lives lost; property damage, $20,000,000. Kansas City, Mo., 1903: Many lives lost and millions of property damage. South Central and Southeastern States, 1906: Property damage, $23,000,000. Mississippi Valley, including Louisiana, 1912: 200 lives lost; property dam age, $45,000,000. Dayton, Ohio, 1913: 400 lives lost; property damage. $128,000,000. Galveston, Tex., and Louisiana, 1915: 300 lives lost; property damage $20,000,000. Atlantic coast, 1916: 50 lives lost; property damage. $15,000,000. Mississippi River Valley, including Louisiana, 1927: 200 lives lost; property damage $200,000,000. Lake Okeechobee, Fla., 1928: 200 lives lost: property damage heavy. Ohio-Mississippi River Valley, including Louisiana, 1937: 400 to 900 lives lost; property damage, $400,000,000 to $500,000,000. Louisiana, 1940: Loss of life, and property damage. $11,000,000. Arkansas-Louisiana, 1945: Loss of life and millions of dollars of property damage. Mr. Chairman, from the above partial list of disasters it would seem to me that it is a good investment for our country to provide funds for flood control and rivers and harbors projects to protect the lives and property of our people in all parts of the United States. In this connection I include excerpts from an article from an AP news feature published in the New Orleans Times-Picayune on February 20, 1949, from which it is stated that Army engineers entrusted with flood-control work estimate that projects already in operation saved at least $69,000,000 of damage to areas hit by high waters in 1947. However, despite their efforts floods cost the Nation at least a billion dollars in that year alone. The article above referred to follows: "HIGH WATERS STILL CAUSE HEAVY LOSSES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES "For almost a century the United States has fought a losing battle against annual floods. "The cost in property damage and flood relief has run into billions. The toll of lives has been heavy. "Spring of 1949 probably will be no exception. Flood-control authorities, studying the effects of the most severe winter in western history, predict heavy damage. "Snow deposits 40 to 60 inches deep have blanketed a vast area, threatening 1,250,000 square miles of watershed. A quick thaw accompanied by a rapid breakup of ice in the rivers would endanger the river valleys. The Mississippi River still brings flood threats, despite flood-control efforts in recent years. The combined attempts of Federal, State, and private projects to harness Ol' Man River haven't been able to cope with the major floods that menace farms and cities each spring. "ASKS FOR PLAN Engineers estimate that adequate measures would require at least 10 years of effort and the expenditure of ten to twenty billion dollars. Estimates of the cost range from four to ten billion dollars. "During the 1947 floods which ravaged the Missouri and upper Mississippi basins President Truman asked Congress for an effective 10-year program backed by adequate funds to end the flood menace. The flood-control act passed in July 1947 appropriated almost $300,000,000 for work during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1948. "The United States had 52 dams and reservoirs and 153 local protection projects in operation by June 1947. Congressional authorization has been obtained for more than 750 projects, with an estimated cost of more than $2,000,000,000. Many of the dams and reservoirs serve multipurpose use, including hydroelectric power, water conservation, irrigation, navigation, pollution abatement, and recreation. "The Mississippi River has a 2,500-mile levee system. Its valley includes rich farming and industrial sections, covering more than 40 percent of continental United States. "SAVE MILLIONS "In the Missouri River Valley, Federal and State representatives have coordinated their planning to develop a 6-year flood-control program. Congress will be asked for appropriations to carry out the integrated plan. "Included also in flood-control planning are the Sacramento, Ohio, Arkansas, and Columbia Rivers, together with their tributaries. In New England, the Connecticut and Merrimack River Basins have been the chief sources of flood problems. "Army engineers entrusted with flood-control work estimate that projects already in operation saved at least $69,000,000 of damages to areas hit by high waters in 1947. Despite their efforts floods cost the Nation at least $1,000,000,000 in that year alone." Mr. Chairman, much has been accomplished as a result of the Congress making appropriations for the Corps of Engineers to harness the flood waters of the country is well pointed out in the foregoing article, however, much remains to be done to protect the lives and property of our people. At this time, in Louisiana, we are greatly concerned with a new threat of the Mississippi River diverting its channel from the main river through Old River to the Atchafalaya River, which would result in changing its course completely, and would leave Baton Rouge and New Orleans high and dry. The Atchafalaya River forms the eastern boundary of my district, and part of my district lies in the Atchafalaya River spillway, and therefore, I am di rectly interested in this eventuality, for should this occur, not only will the Atchafalaya River Basin be flooded, but all of the southeastern portion of the State of Louisiana would be under water. On this subject, Mr. George Healy, Jr., of New Orleans, La., has just published in the magazine section of the New Orleans Times-Picayune an informative and interesting article discussing this serious matter, and I include the same herein as follows: "OLD MAN RIVER "DON'T GET EXCITED. FATHER MISSISSIPPI ISN'T KICKING UP HIS HEELS AND TAKING HORACE GREELEY'S ADVICE NOT YET, THAT IS-EXCEPT FOR WATCHFUL VIGIL OF UNITED STATES ENGINEERS, THE POSSIBILITY COULD EXIST THAT ONE FUTURE DAY THE MIGHTY PORT OF NEW ORLEANS WOULD BE LEFT WITH A SHALLOW LAKE-RIVER'S COURSE HAS CHANGED FREQUENTLY DUE TO NATURAL TENDENCIES, HAND OF MAN "(By George W. Healy, Jr.) "Is fickle Father Mississippi making ready to wander off and leave New Orleans? "It's possible, for the big stream has changed course and left many another settlement on the shore of a new lake or at the side of a new sandbar. "It's improbable, though, for several reasons. Principal among them is New Orleans' dependence on the river. Most of the towns or cities which have been deserted by the Mississippi during its meandering have depended less on the stream than does New Orleans. All of them were smaller. "A few years ago the river's swift current swept past Greenville, Miss., within sight of that city's main business district. Today Greenville is on Lake Fergu son, named for a former president of the Mississippi River Commission. The muddy river is several miles away, in a new channel. "Countless other towns which were built on the river's banks now overlook 'false' rivers or 'horseshoe' lakes-still water which covers the bed of what once was the mighty Mississippi. "Some of the changes have been natural. In other cases, like that at Greenville, Father Mississippi had the help of man in moving into a new bed. Since 1933, the United States engineers have dredged or blasted 17 new channels for the main stream between Memphis and Old River. These cut-offs have shortened the river about 170 miles. "Left to its own devices, the river probably would forsake New Orleans and make a natural short cut to the Gulf of Mexico-down the Atchafalaya Basin. "Considering the stakes, there's little likelihood that the river will be left to its own devices. There's too much talk about the danger of its deserting New Orleans the kind of talk that usually precedes action. "Among the most articulate talkers and writers about this danger is J. P. Kemper of Franklin, engineer for the Atchafalaya Basin Flood Protective Association. He sees immediate danger, unless drastic action is taken to stop the enlargement of Old River-the short stream which connects the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers. “Water out of control,' says Kemper, 'can be as destructive as fire. Why not quit fiddling and get busy?' "The United States engineers themselves see no urgent need for drastic action, but hope to begin corrective measures within 3 or 4 years. They estimate that the Atchafalaya River can continue to grow at its present rate for 40 years before that stream can capture 50 percent of the water flow which originates above Old River. "Dewitt Pyburn, member of the Mississippi River Commission, agrees with the Federal engineers that there is no imminent danger of capture of the Mississippi by the Atchafalaya. Like the engineers, he knows it would be unwise to wait 40 years before taking action to prevent this possible capture. "The problem of preventing the enlargment of the Old and Atchafalaya Rivers has received official attention for many years. "The first report submitted by the Mississippi River Commission, which was created by a Federal act of 1879, included estimates of costs for checking the expansion of Old River. "George Hudson, chief of the engineer division in the office of Col. John R. Hardin, United States district engineer at New Orleans, has studied early recom mendations concerning this problem. The first commission report proposed (1) separation of the Red from the Atchafalaya by diversion through upper Old River and (2) closure of Old River. A board of engineers rejected both proposals on grounds that they would increase the danger of floods. "Unlike some problems, enlargement of Old River isn't one which everybody always talked about and nobody ever did anything about. In 1889, something was done about it. "To limit the flow from Old River down the Atchafalaya River, two sills, or sunken dams, were placed in the Atchafalaya River near Simmesport. The sills were about 250 feet wide, with their crests just below the low-water mark-except in the middle of the channel. There they were lower, to permit navigation. "Studies in 1894 indicated that these sills halted the expansion of the Atchafalaya. "Meantime, in the low-water season of 1888-89, a dam was started west of Turnbull Island to divorce the Red from the Atchafalaya. This structure was intended to force the Red River to flow into the Mississippi instead of the Atchafalaya. The plan didn't work, and the project was abandoned. "Despite this failure, the annual report by the Mississippi River Commission in 1913 included discussion of a project for closing Old River with a dam connecting the levee lines, with a lock for navigation. "The flood of 1927 changed thinking about ways to prevent floods. After that disaster there was greater effort to find new ways for the main river to reach the Gulf and less talk about stopping up natural outlets. "The Atchafalaya apparently has been a natural outlet for the Mississippi for several centuries. Earliest maps of the region which are available to the Corps of Engineers show the Mississippi River connected to the Atchafalaya in the vicinity of the present Old River. Some of these maps were prepared by followers of De Soto. "Because the 1927 flood magnified the need for better, newer flood-control works, it was followed by strong sentiment in favor of new spillways to relieve burdened leveees. Consequently, efforts to halt enlargement of the Atchafalaya were relaxed. Sills which had been sunk near Simmesport were permitted to wash away. People along the big river's banks were more concerned with getting lots of water out of the Mississippi at. high stakes than with keeping the Mississippi's banks full at low stages. "As a result, the Old and Atchafalaya Rivers have continued to enlarge during the past two decades. In 1927 approximately 75 percent of the water originating above Old River passed to the Gulf by way of the Mississippi River channel. The other 25 percent flowed down the Atchafalaya Basin. "Today, almost 22 years after the 1927 flood, approximately 72 percent of the water originating above Old River is flowing down the Mississippi to the Gulf. The remaining 28 percent takes the route down the Atchafalaya. "If this ratio were constant, the engineers would be unconcerned. But it isn't. At some future day, 29 percent of the flow will go down the Atchafalaya. Later, unless new control steps are taken, more water will move down the Atchafalaya than down the Mississippi. "There's no mystery about why the water is flowing in increasing volume down the Atchafalaya. The reason is simple: From Old River to the Gulf via the Mississippi is 322 miles; from Old River to the Gulf via the Atchafalaya is 159 miles. Obviously, the route which is 163 miles shorter is the one the water seeks to follow. "Limits in the carrying capacity of the Atchafalaya River alone have forestalled capture of the full flow by that channel. "United States engineers say they can keep that carrying capacity limited by following a plan which has been approved by the Chief of Army Engineers and which will be considered by the present Congress. Part of the plan is old; part is new. "First, completion of the Morganza floodway is expected to slow the expansion of Old River. This structure was started under the Flood Control Act of 1928, as amended, but construction was delayed by World War II. On the basis of expenditures which have been made and which remain to be made, the floodway is about 33 percent complete. Guide levees from Morganza to the Gulf have been finished. Utilities, including railroads, highways, and communications lines, have been elevated at Krotz Springs. Utility crossings are being raised |