Summaries of projects recommended by Senate committee:

LACKAWAXEN RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES, PENNSYLVANIA

(H. Doc. No. 113, 80th Cong., 1st sess.)

Location.-Lackawaxen River rises in northwestern Wayne County and flows southeast for 23 miles to Honesdale, where it is joined by Dyberry Creek, thence 10 miles southeast past White Mills to Hawley and eastward 16 miles to join the Delaware River. The Lackawaxen River drains an area of 588 square miles of the Appalachian Plateau in northeastern Pennsylvania. Based on the 1940 census, the permanent population of the Lackawaxen Basin is approximately 27,700, with 5,687 in Honesdale, the county seat of Wayne County and largest population center in the watershed. These data indicate an increase in population since 1930 of approximately 2,600 for the basin, and 197 for Honesdale. One-fifth of the total population is urban and the balance is rural. Farming, dairying, quarrying, and the manufacture of textiles, ceramic, and glass products, leather goods and machinery are the principal occupations. Honesdale and Hawley are the principal centers of trade and industry. The Lackawaxen River Basin is provided with a comprehensive system of paved highways that is ample for communication within the area, and with the surrounding territory.

Report authorized by.-Resolution of the Committee on Flood Control of the House of Representatives adopted October 8, 1942.

Existing project.-There are no existing Federal projects for improvement of Lackawaxen River or its tributaries for flood control or navigation.

The Works Progress Administration, in 1937 and 1938, restored and extended stone masonry walls on the right bank of the river at Honesdale and at Hawley to provide protection from ordinary freshets. These were overtopped and in places damaged by the flood of May 1942. The State of Pennsylvania has spent about $325,000 in clearing and improving the channel at Honesdale and in various reaches to above Prompton. Four bridges at Hawley, Honesdale, and Prompton, destroyed by the flood of 1942, were recently replaced by the State with structures having greater waterway capacities.

Plan of recommended improvement.-Provides for construction of an earth-fill dam 94 feet high on Dyberry Creek 2.7 miles above the mouth to control a drainage area of 65 square miles and provide a reservior with a capacity of 20,800 acre-feet; construction of an earthfill dam 102 feet high on the Lackawaxen River, just above Prompton which would create a reservoir with a capacity of 19,200 acre-feet; and the removal of the three small dams at Honesdale. (Removal of these dams has been accomplished by local interests.)

Estimated cost to United States for construction.-$12,150,000.

Local cooperation.-Provided that responsible local agencies furnish assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of the Army that they will (a) remove the three existing low dams in the river at Honesdale (removal of these dams has been accomplished by local interests) and (b) establish satisfactory measures to preserve the flood-carrying capacities of the stream channels below the proposed reservoirs. Annual cost of maintenance to United States. $18,000.

Benefits. The recommended plan of improvement will provide protection against future loss of life and property, and substantially improve the general welfare of the benefited communities.

Remarks.-The run-off from the steeply sloping watershed causes torrential floods to occur with little time for evacuation of the residents from the occupied flood plain. As a result, the floods of the Lackawaxen River in addition to causing extensive property damage constitute a serious hazard to the safety of those occupying the valley as evidenced by the loss of 24 lives caused by the flood of May 1942. The committee is convinced that large intangible benefits would accrue from the project, and recommends an initial authorization for construction of the Prompton Reservoir.

WILKES-BARRE-HANOVER TOWNSHIP, SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, PA.

Location. The city of Wilkes-Barre, with Hanover Township adjoining, is located in the central part of Luzerne County, Pa., on the left bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, approximately 62 miles above its mouth.

Existing project.-The Flood Control Act approved June 22, 1936, authorized the construction of a system of levees and floodwalls as follows: About 25,350 feet of earth levee and 161.5 feet of concrete flood wall along the left bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, extending from high ground at the Lehigh & West Virginia Railroad near Union Street in Wilkes-Barre downstream to high ground near the mouth of Solomon Creek; eight pumping stations for the disposal of interior drainage; and appurtenant drainage structures and electric substations. The project is complete except for a section of 7,400 feet through the city park that was left 2 feet low as desired. by local interests at the time of construction.

Plan of recommended improvement.-Raising a low portion of the embankment at Wilkes-Barre an additional 2 feet by embankment or low concrete wall for a distance of 7,400 feet between Old River Road and Union Street.

Estimated cost to United States for construction.-The project has been completed at a cost of $3,538,000. The cost of the additional work proposed is $250,000.

Local cooperation.-The completed project has been turned over to local interests for maintenance and operation. The cost to local interests for lands and damages was $210,000. For the additional work local interests should provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for the construction of the project; hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction work and maintain and operate the works after completion.

Annual cost of maintenance to United States.-None.

Benefits. The project will provide flood protection for the city of Wilkes-Barre and the borough of Hanover Township. When the original project was under construction the city officials objected to adding the last 2 feet in elevation on the levee through the city park, as it obstructed the view of the river. They desired to add sandbags to the levee during flood periods. Several floods have occurred when they obtained sandbags but had difficulty obtaining labor to fill them. Construction of the proposed work will raise the low section to the height of the rest of the levee.

Remarks. The proposed improvements are a part of the original authorized project at Wilkes-Barre and were omitted at the time of construction at the request of city officials. Since the project has been completed and turned over to local interests for operation and maintenance, authority to raise the low section to project grade will require a modification of the existing project. The committee deems the work essential to protect the Federal investment in the project.

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA

Location. The area under consideration embraces about 15,570 square miles in central and southern Florida.

Report authorized by.--Flood control acts approved August 28, 1937, August 11, 1939, August 18, 1941, and July 24, 1946; River and Harbor Acts approved March 2, 1945, and July 24, 1946; and various congressional resolutions which authorized preliminary examination and survey of reviews of prior reports as provided by law, of rivers, lakes, and canals in central and southern Florida.

Existing project.-Provides for levees around Lake Okeechobee and a navigable channel 8 feet deep from the intercoastal waterway at St. Lucie Inlet on the Atlantic coast across the State of Florida by way of the St. Lucie Canal, Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf of Mexico at Punta Rassa. The total length of the waterway is 155 miles. The project is substantially complete.

In connection with reclamation projects within the State of Florida, drainage districts were organized under the laws of the State and have conducted extensive flood control and drainage work.

Plan of recommended improvement.-Provides for levees, channel works, and control structures at lake outlets in the St. Johns and Kissimmee areas; for increased levee protection around Lake Okeechobee and enlargement of its outlets, the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie waterways; for enlargement of existing drainage canals, and the construction of new canals and levees and pumping plants, for control of water in the Everglades area; and levees and channel work for protection of the area along the east coast.

Estimated cost to United States for construction.-$171,041,000. Local cooperation.-Lands, easements, and rights-of-way; contribute 15 percent of the construction cost, not to exceed $29,152,000; hold and save United States free from damages, due to the construction and operation of the works; maintain and operate all works after completion, except the levees, channels, locks, and control works of the St. Lucie Canal, Lake Okeechobee, and Caloosahatchee River and the main spillways of the conservation areas.

Annual cost of maintenance to the United States.-$749,000 which includes $326,800 for maintenance and operation of the existing Federal works.

Benefits. The plan would provide annual benefits estimated at $24,573,000 which yield in comparison with annual charges a benefitcost ratio of 2.05.

Remarks.-The Chief of Engineers recommends adoption of the comprehensive plan of improvement as a long-range plan of development by progressive stages at a total estimated cost of $208,135,000, of which $171,041,000, is Federal cost. Early initiation of the first phase for protection of the highly developed east coast area at a

Federal cost of $60,000,000, with partial authorization covering the most urgently needed works in the first phase, will permit planning of individual features; coordination of the plan with State, local, and Federal agencies; and early construction of the emergency improvements. Benefits will accrue proportionately as successive features are completed.

The plan presented by the Corps of Engineers is a long range comprehensive plan for flood protection and corollary benefits for drainage and recharging of ground water in the central and southern areas of Florida. The committee recognizes that the water problems in these areas are so extremely complex that they must be treated as a whole in formulating the most efficient and effective solution. Due to the press of time, the committee has deemed it desirable to reserve its approval of the entire comprehensive plan, pending more adequate opportunity to analyze thoroughly all aspects of the plan. The committee, however, is impressed with the necessity for starting the most urgent initial measures contemplated in this plan in order to be prepared to avoid a recurrence of the startling losses sustained in the 1947 flood. It has therefore analyzed the first phase of the plan and is of the opinion that in view of the continuous threat of a recurrence of these disastrous flood conditions, approval should be granted for the first phase of the plan and a small authorization should be provided to permit starting construction of the most urgent features which will in themselves provide needed flood relief. This will also afford the State and local agencies the opportunity to proceed with the legal arrangements for their share of the work.

APPROACHES TO CERTAIN BRIDGES ON ARKANSAS RIVER

The bill as passed by the House contains a modification of existing projects for flood protection on the Arkansas River which were authorized by section 10 of the Flood Control Act approved December 22, 1944. That modification is intended to reestablish the general distribution of Federal and local participation in the first cost of alterations to highway bridges and approaches at Morrilton and at Van Buren-Fort Smith, as set forth in House Document No. 447, Seventyeighth Congress. The present estimated cost of these alterations is $571,000. United States Highways 64 and 71 are strategic highways and State Highway No. 9 is a secondary Federal-aid road. Due to changes in design of the structures, channel changes caused by floods, and the emergency nature of accomplishing these alterations in a satisfactory manner at an early date, the committee believes that a Federal contribution to the modifications on a basis of approximately 50 percent is desirable and, therefore, recommends that the figure in the House bill be raised from $200,000 to $300,000.

BRADENS BEND, OKLA.

Location.-Bradens Bend is a sharp turn in the Arkansas River about 8 miles southwest (upstream) from Fort Smith, Ark.

Existing project. The approved multiple-purpose plan for the Arkansas River Basin, as described in House Document No. 758, provides for navigation by means of locks, dams, canals, channel cutoffs, bank-stabilization works, dredging, snagging, and sediment con

trol. Lock and dam No. 24 will be located several miles downstream from Bradens Bend. Since 1900, local interests have constructed, with varying degrees of success, remedial works, consisting of riprapped dikes, brush mattresses and dikes, concrete paving, and stone riprap. The only work presently effective consists of 7,000 feet of dumped rock riprap constructed in 1931.

Plan of recommended improvement.-The construction of a system of permeable pile dikes with a total length of about 10,000 linear feet. Estimated cost to United States for construction.-$1,000,000.

Local cooperation.-That local interests give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of the Army that they will provide without cost to the United States all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for the construction of the project, and hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works.

Annual cost of maintenance to United States.-$5,000.

Benefits. The right bank of the Arkansas River has been actively sloughing into the stream since 1900. Active bank caving is now taking place downstream from the existing riprap. The branch line of the Kansas City Southern Railroad has been abandoned because of the bank caving, and United States Highway No. 271 relocated out of the area since it was severed. There now remains about 3,500 feet between the present bank line of the Arkansas River and the Poteau River. An existing draw between the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers would provide a pilot channel for the Arkansas River to change its course into the Poteau River, forming a double channel and isolating upward of 7,300 acres of high quality cultivated farm land comprising 45 farm units. This would have a detrimental effect on construction of the authorized navigation project at a later date.

Remarks. Existing legislation limits emergency expenditures on works of this type to $50,000 at any one location. Measures for prevention of further caving in this area will be necessary under the authorized project for improvement of the Arkansas River. The dike system proposed will prevent this caving and tend to cause the river to return to its original channel because of the accretions behind the dikes. The committee considers this project to be of an emergency nature and recommends its adoption.

RED RIVER OF THE NORTH DRAINAGE BASIN, MINN. AND N. DAK.

Location.-Red River of the North is formed by the confluence of Otter Tail and Bois de Sioux Rivers at Wahpeton, N. Dak., and Breckenridge, Minn. It flows 400 miles to the international boundary between the United States and Canada, thence northeast 155 miles to Lake Winnipeg in Canada.

Report authorized by.-Flood control acts approved August 11, 1939, August 18,1941, December 22, 1944, and July 24, 1946; the River and Harbor Act approved March 2, 1945; and a resolution of the Committee on Commerce of the United States Senate adopted December 1, 1938.

Existing project.-The Lake Traverse and Bois de Sioux River project, which is substantially complete is the only flood-control project constructed in the basin by the Corps of Engineers. Other flood control projects located in the basin and authorized for construction by the Corps of Engineers include the Baldhill Reservoir on Shey