into further," looking at it in an abstract financial way. But the answer to those two is that the Army engineers have adequately taken care of the power potential which may exist.

Second, the local participation is just about up as far as it can go. The county has no more money than that, and the State, $1,500,000 from the State budget on this matter was considered just about as much as we could get from the legislature.

Senator SPARKMAN. In other words, you feel that local governing bodies have participated about as fully as they could be expected to. Senator MAGNUSON. There is no question about the county, and the State-there was a long debate on the matter in the State legis lature at this session and finally it was unanimously approved that that was about as far as they could go considering our financial situa tion in the State.

It is only natural, of course, that the Budget will want as much as they can get of local participation, but this is more than many, many flood-control projects that I have voted for all over the United States where in some cases there has been no local participation whatsoever.

Senator SPARKMAN. Yes; I was rather surprised myself at the amount of local participation, particularly where it is primarily, it seems to me, a flood-control project.

Senator MAGNUSON. The third thing that they referred to about it was that they did make some mention about the size of the dam, but that question can be answered very quickly as this matter has had exhaustive studies by the Army engineers and this is the plan that they suggest.

Senator SPARKMAN. And that they have recommended.
Senator MAGNUSON. And that they have recommended.
Senator SPARKMAN. Senator Cain?

STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY P. CAIN, A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

Senator CAIN. Mr. Chairman, I will just offer for the record a statement in support of this project and draw the attention of the committee to the fact that, as I understand it, we are considering this project now for possible inclusion within our omnibus rivers and harbors bill, and there has been a bill on this subject, particularly since the 18th day of March.

My only suggestion would be that if the committee determines to approve the authorization of the Green River project in the State of Washington that we would table the separate bill on the subject and include it in the omnibus bill before us, but I think that these statements introduced by Senator Magnuson and myself, together with a statement which has been or will be introduced by Mr. Thomas of Seattle those statements, in addition to the testimony given to us by Colonel Gee, will provide us with sufficient information from which to reach a decision.

Senator SPARKMAN. Do you have any further statement to make, Senator?

Senator CAIN. Yes, Mr. Chairman.

The Green-Duwamish flood-control project is a matter of no little concern to me. In fact, I have introduced in the Senate on March

18, 1949-and the bill is before this committee, of which I am a member-legislation to authorize construction of the Eagle Gorge Dam on the Green River to alleviate what all of us in Washington State recognize as a situation which must be remedied.

My personal interest, however, is not as important as is the conviction among a large number of Washington State residents that the continuing flood problem of the Green-Duwamish must be rectified in the common interest.

This conviction on the part of our people out in Washington is, perhaps, best illustrated by the fact that our State legislature several months or so ago passed a bill appropriating $1,500,000 in State funds to assist in defraying the cost of the project.

Not only did the legislature take this action, but it did so without a single dissenting vote, the attitude of the senate and house of representatives of our State legislature reflecting the approval of the committees which handled this bill, for the committee, too, were unanimous in thir action.

On top of this State action, Mr. Chairman, King County, in which the Green-Duwamish River originates and through which it flows on its 75-mile path to Puget Sound, likewise has demonstrated its cooperative interest in accomplishing this flood-controlling project. The board of King County commissioners, following the State action, met in special session and by amending the budget already adopted set aside $250,000 more in matching funds. An equal sum, $250,000, has been pledged by King County in its 1950 budget, making a total outlay toward the construction of the dam of $500,000. Thus, the people of my State are prepared to pay from local revenues $2,000,000 as a contribution toward this work.

I would like to make one more statement relative to these matching funds, Mr. Chairman, before I continue on with other phases of this project.

It is important, I believe, for the committee to take cognizance of the act by which the State appropriated this money. Expenditure of these funds is contingent upon "adoption and authorization of the project by Congress, and the making of a Federal appropriation therefor."

We should note, likewise, that State appropriations are limited to the biennium in which they are made, so if the local matching funds are to be used, and without the necessity of going through the process of reappropriation, action by the Congress is necessary this session.

Out in my State, Mr. Chairman, we have long been aware of the need for doing something about the recurring floods on the Green-Duwamish River. In fact, the original survey to set up a Federal flood-control project was made more than 20 years ago.

Proposals have covered many possibilities. The United States engineers have considered widening and deepening the river channel to carry a larger volume of water. They also have studied the feasibility of dikes or levees to protect the river valley from flood stages. The present proposal, construction of a dam in the upper reaches of the river, is considered the most efficient and practical and meets with unanimous approval by everyone concerned.

Let me say, Mr. Chairman, that there is no one in our State, of whom I know, who opposes this project. The Federal agencies concerned have all approved the project and the proposal of the engineers.

It remains now only for Congress to authorize the work and appropriate the funds representing the Federal portion of the investment. Controlling this situation has become of growing importance in the last few years. There was a time, when a flood-control project was first suggested, that the benefits would not justify the expense. But since that time this area has grown tremendously. Thousands of new resi dents have settled in the Puget Sound area and in the towns and communities along this river. The product of the fertile soil in the valley plain has become of immeasurably greater value to the people of Seattle and Tacoma, our most populous centers, and new industries have sprung up. Land values have increased until now the benefits which would be derived more than compensate for the estimated expense involved in construction of the dam.

In fact, on the basis of value to the people and the area, it would be perfectly legitimate for us to ask the Federal Government to undertake this project alone. But our people in Washington State are willing to demonstrate to the Congress that they feel this project is worthy and want to assist, to the limit of their ability, in its accomplishment.

I believe the Army engineers can testify to the degree of local cooperation and interest. I believe the engineers can attest to a solidarity in thinking and action, of volunteer effort and time given by dozens of interested persons, including accomplished engineers and other technical experts, in fostering the achievement of this development.

We have a large stake in this project, now and in the future.

The controlling of floods along this river is imperative in the public interest and health. Periodic floods have caused severe damage. costing millions of dollars over the years, in the devastation of farms and small towns, loss of productivity, erosion of the soil, and destruetion of highways and utilities.

Until we control this situation, this area is naturally retarded. It is difficult to zone the valley for most effective use. It is hard for the State to plan highways and other transportation facilities and for the railroads and utility companies to enlarge and improve on their

services.

All of us in the State know the flood danger, in itself, merits attention from the Federal Government. We know, too, that future development of the river valley, both to bring about increased agricul tural yield and as a site for new and expanded industry, depends on alleviation of the existing conditions.

Seattle visualizes the time when its southern boundaries will expand into this valley, for it is the only natural course of growth to the south of the city. Seattle looks toward the time when industrial plants will occupy areas now rural and when this property will become a greater source of employment and prosperity through the productivity which follows expansion and progress.

But this is a phase which lies in the future. It cannot and will not be unless we furnish the key, which is the control of the floods sweeping down this river channel from the high slopes of the Cascade Mountains

The Green-Duwamish River flood-control project is fundamentally and exclusively just what the name implies. The dam proposed will permit control of the river's flow by storage of water in heavy run-off periods. Release of water in dry seasons will help establish normal water flow and benefit the agricultural lands in the valley below.

It may be that at some future time this flood-control dam will also become a possible source of municipal water supply for one of the several communities in the area.

To control the floods on this river will increase the development of this area. It will mean more dollars for the farmers who have lands in the valley. It will mean more industrial plants, more people, and more productivity. And out of those returns will come more revenues for the operation of this Government in the form of greater tax receipts.

It would be repetitious for me to discuss with the committee the engineering phases of this proposal. They are well and ably presented by the United States engineers and some of the expert witnesses appearing at this hearing.

My personal conviction is that this is a meritorious undertaking in which the Federal Government has a direct responsibility.

My earnest hope is that you will find the facts conclusive and stimulate the progress of this area by authorizing Federal participation in this undertaking.

Senator SPARKMAN. Thank
you, Senator Cain.
Senator CAIN. Thank you, sir.

Senator SPARKMAN. Mr. Christy Thomas?

STATEMENT OF CHRISTY THOMAS, REPRESENTING THE SEATTLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, my name is Christy Thomas. I am manager of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce's Washington, D. C., office, a position I assumed 3 years ago following 25 years' service as executive vice president and general manager of the chamber at Seattle.

This brief background is recited for the committee at the outset to indicate my long and close association with the Green River floodcontrol project, for the alleviation of periodic floods in this valley has been a continuing major effort of the chamber of commerce and many other organizations in the Puget Sound area.

In fact, the chamber at Seattle assumed the responsibility of welding into a single group the multitude of interests and organizations likewise concerned with the achievement of this improvement. The result was a voluntary committee devoted to this single purpose. Its effect can best be illustrated, I believe, by the fact that the project, as presented before this committee today, has the unanimous endorsement of the city of Seattle, King County, the State of Washington, port of Seattle, labor, agriculture, and the various other segments of our community which were concerned in this matter.

Our State legislature, by unanimous action in both house and senate, appropriated funds to match those which the Federal Government would provide toward the cost of the required dam. Similarly, King County has agreed to put up a half-million dollars in participating

funds

The report of the Corps of Engineers provides the committee with detailed information concerning the Green River project which I cannot duplicate. Briefly, however, the problem involves the construction of a dam on the upper reaches of the Green River in Wash

ington State to eliminate periodic floods which have caused great damage in the past.

The Green River is a comparatively short stream, flowing only about 75 miles from its source in the Cascade Mountains to its outlet on Puget Sound in the heart of Seattle's industrial and harbor area.

However, the stream taps the high reaches of the Cascades where winter snows are often of tremendous depth and size. Too, the western slopes of these mountains are subject to heavy rainfall and the combination of rain and melting snow can, and often has, sent a torrent down the bed of this stream to devastate the fertile valley below. In its journey into Puget Sound, the Green River negotiates a rich agricultural area of some 470 square miles. The most recent floods of record have seen from 12,000 to 13.800 acres of this area inundated, including the urban areas surrounding Renton and the towns of Auburn, with a population of 6,000, and Kent, which has a population of 3,000.

Some 12 miles above its outlet, the Green River has its confluence with the Black River, at one time the outfall to Lake Washington. From this juncture to its mouth, the river is known as the Duwamish. The lower reaches from Puget Sound to a distance of approximately 4 or 5 miles from the mouth have been dredged and are navigable to a limited degree. This improvement has eliminated flood dangers within Seattle proper.

However, the city of Seattle has a distinct interest in this project. As the largest city in the State of Washington, Seattle pays a sizable portion of the State tax bill. And Seattle sees in this river a potential watercourse which will play a vital, if still intangible, role in the future industrial development of the city.

Seattle would be short-sighted, too, if it ignored the misery caused its neighboring area by the periodic floods. It has witnessed many times the destruction of property in both urban and rural areas, pollution of water supplies, erosion of agricultural lands, and menace to life resulting from high water.

The valley of the Green River provides the only natural, reasonably level outlet for Seattle to the south. Through it run the lines of three transcontinental railroads, as well as main highways and communication lines. All these facilities have, from time to time, been damaged and disrupted as the result of floods and permanent improvements have been difficult and extremely costly because of them. The construction of the Green River Dam at Eagle Gorge will solve this problem.

I am sure I reflect the thinking of our Washington delegation in Congress when I urge the committee to consider this project as one of an emergency nature. It is the consensus of the delegation, I know, that controlling the floods of the Green River is a matter of such importance that it transcends any other supplemental purposes for which the dam might conceivably be used in the future.

That this is an emergency in the minds of those most concernedthe people who live in Washington State and this particular valleyis demonstrated, also, by the fact King County and the State of Washington have met and met promptly the suggestion that a local contribution be made toward the cost of this improvement. In fact, the State and county acted months ago, and, together, have set aside $2,000,000 as a fund to match Federal funds.