the State. We believe that the justification and the need for them have been firmly established by the authorized reports of the Corps of Engineers and previous testimony before the committee. For your information, I will now list the projects for which we ask funds greater than the budgeted amount. The justification for these changes will be given in the presentations to follow by the various members of the flood control conference. For quick reference I am dividing these projects into three districts of the Corps of Engineers. The projects, the budgeted amounts and the recommended amounts are as follows: Should the Corps of Engineers report a greater construction capability, the commission will support the higher figure. Exclusive of general investigation funds. With respect to general investigation and survey funds, the commission requests that $1 million be allocated to California projects, which is an increase of $793,600 over the $206,400 in the budget. In addition to those items budgeted, we are requesting an additional $20,000 for the Whitewater River in Riverside County, and new money for the following authorized studies out of the $1 million. Russian River Basin review study___. Red Bank and Fancher Creeks in Fresno County-. Los Banos Creek in Merced County-- Merced County stream group review study. Napa River survey A representative of these projects will explain them later. NEW SENATE OFFICE BUILDING $50,000 10,000 10,000 20, 000 10, 000 Senator ELLENDER. For your information, sir, I fought against the erection of this New Senate Office Building because of its cost and if you will go around the building today before you leave, you will see many, many rooms such as this one. It is my belief that only a few will be used to the extent that they should. In other words, we are overloaded with space, in my own opinion, but you taxpayers will pay for it. Mr. BULL. Sir, I don't know about that particular item but I do know this hearing room compared with the other is really quite good. Senator ELLENDER. I am glad you enjoy the room. When you get your tax bill, think of it. Mr. BULL. At this time, I would like to introduce Mayor Stull of the city of Stockton. Senator ELLENDER. Fine. Come forward, Mr. Stull. NEW HOGAN DAM PROJECT STATEMENT OF HARVEY STULL, MAYOR, CITY OF STOCKTON, CALIF. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. STULL. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the lack of the New Hogan Dam project resulted in damage in the Tulare River watershed of more than $33 million in the recent flood. Much greater damage was prevented by the city of Stockton which has spent for flood control and flood protection, over $1 million in the past 3 years. This does not take into account the effort of welfare organizations and hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. The Red Cross alone has spent more than a quarter of a million dollars in the relief of our situation. Of the 15 flood control projects authorized in the Central Valley under the Flood Control Act of 1944, the New Hogan project is the only one without construction funds. Six are under construction and eight are completed. Seven hundred and forty thousand dollars has been appropriated for planning the New Hogan project and the design studies are complete. The eight reservoirs completed since 1954 have cost $131,558,000 and have prevented damage from floods estimated by the Corps of Engineers to amount to $60,900,000. These projects were completed in time to prevent or reduce damage from the floods of 1955, 1956, and 1958. This acocunts for the exceptionally high benefits returned in some 4 years. It also justifies the outlay for flood control projects of the same type as the New Hogan project. Twenty-nine years ago Stockton built the existing Hogan Dam at a cost of $3,220,000. Since that time it has maintained and operated the dam and has paid its own way for flood protection without assistance from the Federal Government. This dam has paid for itself in flood protection, but the reservoir is too small; less than one-fourth the capacity of the New Hogan Dam. The New Hogan project has been authorized for 15 years. Stockton has agreed to transfer the land that is required for the reservoir use. The State of California has assured the payment of reimbursable cost. Potential flood damage increases with the growth of the city and until the project is built, Stockton will continue to be threatened by floods. We earnestly request this committee to provide the $1,500,000 that the U.S. Corps of Engineers is capable of using in the fiscal year of 1960 to continue the New Hogan project. BENEFIT-COST RATIO Senator KUCHEL. Mr. Mayor, in your statement you say the benefitcost ratio for flood control is high. What is that cost ratio? Mr. STULL. 1.3 to 1. It is 1.7 overall; I believe. Senator ELLENDER. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Your statement will be inserted in the record at this point. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF STOCKTON, CALIF. The city of Stockton, Calif., urges your honorable committee to provide funds to continue the New Hogan project as rapidly as the capacity of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will permit. While the city is also deeply concerned with the conservation features of New Hogan project, it will limit this statement to flood control. The city will show that 1. Flood control reservoirs in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys have proved profitable. 2. The city of Stockton has carried for years and is continuing to carry the heavy financial burden of flood control. 3. The burden will only be reduced by the construction of the New Hogan project authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1944. At the request of the city of Stockton, the Sacramento district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has furnished the status of the 15 flood control projects authorized in the Sacramento district by the Flood Control Act of 1944. New Melones and Bear Creek Channel study are not included in this group. The New Hogan project has been designed. All other projects are under construction or completed. Eight reservoirs have ben completed, the first, Isabella on the Kern River, in 1954 and the latest, Folsom on the American River in 1956. Since the Federal Government has assumed the responsibility for flood control. Congress, and to a considerable extent, this Committee on Appropriations, has been charged with evaluating the relative merits of proposed flood control projects. A measure of its success in this field is illustrated by the effectiveness of the projects already completed in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. The eight completed reservoirs cost $131,558,000 and have prevented damage from floods estimated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers at $60 million. These projects were completed in time to prevent or reduce damage from the floods of 1955-56 and 1958. This accounts for the exceptionally high benefits of over 45 percent of the cost within the first 4 years of operation. In direct contrast, during the same period, because the New Hogan project was not built, the Calaveras River caused actual damage of more than $3 million. This damage would have been much greater if it had not been for the partial protection provided by the city of Stockton's existing Hogan Dam. The Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, in his annual report for 1957, volume 2, page 1590, which was published before the 1958 flood had occurred, evaluates this protection as follows: "The existing Hogan Reservoir, constructed and operated by the city of Stockton, effectively reduced flood flows and flood damages during the floods of December 1955-January 1956. The damages prevented by this project have not been evaluated in detail, but they were substantial, probably in the order of $10 million. Without the flood control provided by Hogan Reservoir, a much larger part of the city of Stockton and of the adjacent suburban area would have been flooded, and the flood damages would have been correspondingly larger than actually occurred." This Hogan Dam and Reservoir cost the taxpayers of Stockton $3,220,000. quotation indicates that it saved three times its cost in this one flood alone. In April 1958 there came a flood much more severe than this one of 1955–56. The existing Hogan Dam, built by the city of Stockton was not high enough to hold back this flood. Water poured uncontrolled over the dam. Providentially, the rain stopped and within 36 hours control was reestablished. Compared to the 1955-56 flood, the 1958 flood submerged 11,400 acres, 165 percent of the previous flood and caused agricultural damage of $413,000, 256 percent of the damage 2 years previous. This illustrates both the increased intensity of the flood and the accelerated rate of dollar damage as the water rises above anticipated flood stage. In a surprising contrast to the increased agricultural damage, the residential and commercial damage was reduced from $1,580,000 in the first flood to $185,000, or only 12 percent. This reduction in urban damage is gratifying. 38405-59-pt. 3-- -4 However, it has only been secured at heavy, continuing, and increasing cost to the citizens of the city of Stockton. They should not be required to pay the cost of this Federal responsibility. These two floods in 3 years have been a heavy blow to Stockton. They have discouraged potential new industry, retarded the city's growth and cost over $1 million for flood control, flood fighting, and for structures for anticipated future floods. These expenditures by city taxpayers do not include the thousands of manhours donated by hundreds of volunteers. Likewise, expenditures by welfare organizations are omitted. The Red Cross alone spent $263,000 on family relief. The city of Stockton has received and expects additional partial reimbursement from the Federal Government on the flood-fighting item under Public Law 875, but this only shifts the burden. It does not make it less. Few, if any, of these expenditures would have been required if the New Hogan project had been completed. As time goes on and population increases, damage from a given flood also increases. A flooded cow pasture becomes a flooded subdivision. The new Hogan project provides the only feasible protection from flood damage to the city of Stockton and to the agricultural area in the watershed of the Calaveras River. The benefit-cost ratio for flood control is high. The potential metropolitan damage is great and increasing every year. Stockton has spent millions of dollars on its own protection. Stockton has agreed to transfer its land that is required for reservoir purposes. The new Hogan project has been studied for many years. It has been authorized for 15 years. The payment of reimbursable costs is assured by the State of California. The design studies are complete. There has been $715,200 appropriated to date. It is sincerely hoped that your honorable committee will provide the $1,500,000 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is capable of using in fiscal year 1960 to continue the new Hogan project. Mr. CARR. Mr. Chairman, our next witness is Mr. Irving Neumiller, of the Stockton-East San Joaquin district. Senator ELLENDER. Come forward, Mr. Neumiller. NEW HOGAN DAM STATEMENT OF IRVING L. NEUMILLER, OF STOCKTON-EAST SAN JOAQUIN WATER DISTRICT, CALIF. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. NEUMILLER. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am the attorney for the Stockton-East San Joaquin Water Conservation District. I urge your approval of an appropriation of $1,500,000 toward the construction of the new Hogan Dam and Reservoir on the Calaveras River in California. As you know, this is a multiple-purpose project. It is for flood control, but water conservation is equally important. Our district contains approximately 80,000 acres of land of which about 15,000 acres include the city of Stockton and its adjacent urban and industrial areas. The agricultural land is very rich and produces a variety of crops. More than 18,000 acres are in orchards producing walnuts, cherries, peaches, and other fruits. More than 10,000 acres are in alfalfa and irrigated pasture, and about 22,000 acres are in miscellaneous field crops, of which tomatoes, beans, and sugar beets predominate. Our county is one of the largest producing counties in our State. Our district water use is about 138,000 acre-feet per year. Of this, about 66,000 acre-feet are supplied by the Calaveras River and about 33,000 acre-feet per year are derived from other sources of which underground inflow is the most important. DECLINE IN UNDERGROUND WATER ELEVATION This overdraft has resulted in serious decline in the underground water surface elevation. Between 1926 and 1954, the average decline throughout the area was about 34 feet. In 1953 and 1954, the average decline throughout the area was almost 9 feet, or almost 412 feet per year. Further decline in the underground water surface not only increases the cost of water for agricultural purposes, but imperials the quality of the water for municipal and industrial uses. This additional water would be a tremendous factor in bringing the underground water reservior and the pumping draft uses into balance. I was interested a few moments ago in the discussion had by Senator Kuchel and yourself relative to this $10 million that has been allocated by the State legislature to help take care of the use of the water that will be conserved behind new Hogan Dam for one, and particularly I had been informed that just yesterday the Senate finally passed a bill allocating another $3,700,000 which will fully cover the conservation aspects of the new Hogan Dam. I may state the position of this conservation district that I am appearing here on behalf of. It is simply this: We have already told the Army Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation that our district is ready, able, and willing to contract with the Bureau for the storage of water and the use of it that will be behind the new Hogan Dam. That was the reason for the organization of this district. Well, then, we will sell the water to the farmers in our area for a reasonable price and that money, of course, will then help pay back the State the amount that it has advanced to the Federal Government under this present setup. That is the ultimate hope. Thank you for permitting me to be here, Mr. Chairman. Senator ELLENDER. Thank you. PREPARED STATEMENT Your full prepared statement will appear in the record at this point. (The statement referred to follows:) Mr. Chairman and members of the Appropriations Committee, my name is Irving L. Neumiller and I am the secretary-attorney of the Stockton and East San Joaquin Water Conservation District. I am here on behalf of that district to present our views on the importance of expeditious completion of the new Hogan Dam and Reservoir on the Calaveras River in California and to urge the approval of an appropriation in the sum of $1,500,000 to the Corps of Engineers for the purposes of that project. |