General FLEMING. Yes, sir. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is donating all of the land for it except 20 acres for $1. Mr. BOLAND. I think the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has done a good job in this particular situation. I have said many times. before and it is true now that when the storm occurred in August it was the first State to move and was the State that moved the fastest. In other areas the damage was not as great as it was there; but, at any rate, we did move more rapidly than any other State and we were the first to move to combat the destructive force of the water at that time. General ITSCHNER. I might add a statement. We actually had in our fiscal 1957 budget request funds for the initiation of construction of this project prior to the August storm. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1956. OTTER BROOK RESERVOIR, N. H. Mr. MARSHALL. The next construction project is the Otter Brook Reservoir, N. H., for which $100,000 is requested. We will place pages 30 through 33 of the justifications in the record at this point and will be glad to hear your statement. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) Location.-On Otter Brook, 2.4 miles upstream from its junction with the Branch which flows 2.5 miles to the Ashuelot River at Keene, N. H. The junction of the Branch and the Ashuelot is 26.6 miles upstream from the Connecticut River at mile 139.8. The dam site is 2.3 miles northeast of Keene, N.H. Authorization.-Flood Control Act of 1954. Benefit-cost ratio.-1.2 to 1.0. Type: Uncontrolled concrete ogee weir and chute in rock. Reservoir capacity: Power_.. Permanent conservation.. Flood control__ Total___. Power installation: None. Acre feet 0 700 17, 600 18.300 Status (January 1, 1956): New in fiscal year 1956; continuing in fiscal year 1957. Completion schedule: Entire project: November 1958. Land acquisition: December 1957. Dam closure: May 1957. Water in intake channel: May 1957. JUSTIFICATION The project is a necessary element of flood control in the Connecticut River Basin and will operate as a unit in a comprehensive plan which provides for construction of both local protective works and reservoirs. Local protective works have been constructed downstream, but are subject to failure in major floods unless flood heights are reduced by more upstream storage. Five reservoirs constructed to date do not provide adequate storage. The southern part of the basin constitutes one of the more important industrial areas of the Nation and the output of the area is of major importance in the national and local economy. The project, in addition to providing flood reductions to damage centers on the Connecticut River, will provide urgently needed flood protection at Keene, N. H., to augment partial protection provided by the existing Surry Mountain Reservoir. Flooding in November 1950 caused damages of $100,000 in Keene, with the Surry Mountain project in operation. Operation of the project would probably be necessary several times each year. The State department of public works and highways has postponed initiation of public works valued at $2,500,000 in an effort to reduce relocation costs which would result from construction of the project and has induced commercial enterprises not to build in the area. The project has been approved by the State and is included in the Connecticut River flood-control compact approved by Congress on June 6, 1953. Fiscal year 1956.-The requested amount of $100,000 will be applied to initiation of road relocation under an agreement with the State of New Hampshire Department of Public Works and Highways. Fiscal year 1957.—The requested amount of $1,250,000 will be applied to: Expenditure of these funds will provide the minimum economical prosecution of the project during the fiscal year. Non-Federal costs.-None. 14, 000 90,000 1, 250, 000 Summary construction program (PB−1) fiscal years 1956 and 1957 Colonel PENNEY. Otter Brook Dam is a flood-control project in the Connecticut River Basin, in New Hampshire. The dam site is on Otter Brook, about 21⁄2 miles upstream from its junction with the Branch which flows 2.5 miles to the Ashuelot River at Keene, N. H. The Ashuelot River joins the Connecticut River just north of the Massachusetts boundary. The project is a new start authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1954. The estimated Federal cost is $4,800,000 of which $260,000 has been appropriated to date, including $160,000 in fiscal year 1956. The amount requested at this time is $100,000 which, if granted, will leave $4,440,000 required to complete it. The benefit-to-cost ratio is 1.2 to 1. The estimated Federal cost and the benefit-to-cost ratio have not changed since the project was defended before this committee last year. The Otter Brook project is a rolled earth fill dam which will store 17,600 acre-feet of water for flood control and 700 feet in the permanent conservation pool. This project is a necessary element for the control of floods in the Connecticut River Basin and will operate as a unit in the comprehensive plan. The project, in addition to providing flood reductions to damage centers on the Connecticut River, will provide urgently needed flood protection at Keene, N. H., to augment partial protection provided by the existing Surry Mountain Reservoir. The flooding in November 1950, caused damages of $100,000 in the town of Keene with the Surry Mountain project in operation. The project has been approved by the State and is included in the Connecticut River flood control compact. The $100,000 requested for the balance of this fiscal year will be used to initiate a continuing contract for a road relocation. The availability of this amount and the amount scheduled for fiscal 1957 would make possible advancement of the completion date as much as 8 months with an efficient construction rate. The plans are sufficiently complete so that the first contract for the highway relocation could be awarded in March of 1956, with the work to start about May 1, 1956. The first construction work on the dam could start early in the next fiscal year. The lands and rights-of-way for relocation of the road will be furnished by the State. That is all I have to tell you on Otter Brook. BENEFIT-COST RATIO Mr. MARSHALL. I notice the benefit-to-cost ratio is 1.2 to 1 on the basis of its working in connection with the existing flood control reservoirs. Would the ratio be changed if all of these proposed flood control projects are actually constructed? Colonel PENNEY. No, sir. That is on the basis of its operation in the system that is under consideration. Mr. MARSHALL. In your planning report, regarding the benefit-tocost ratio of 1.2 to 1, you say the benefits are based on the operation of the project in conjunction with the existing flood control reservoirs on the Ashuelot in the Connecticut River Basin. Colonel PENNEY. That is right. The benefit-to-cost ratio is based on the operation of this project in conjunction with the 5 completed projects which includes Surry Mountain on the Ashuelot and the other 4 completed projects and 10 additional projects that are part of the present contemplated plan. Mr. MARSHALL. The wording here in the planning report says "existing." You are basing this upon some future construction? Colonel PENNEY. It includes the system of 16. That is what it is based on. It should say "existing and authorized." Mr. MARSHALL. How much of the $160,000 appropriated in the regular bill for fiscal 1956 has been spent? General FLEMING. About $120,000. It is practically exhausted now. Mr. MARSHALL. Is there any local opposition to the construction of this project? General FLEMING. No, sir. CONNECTICUT RIVER BASIN PLAN Mr. BOLAND. In the general overall flood control project for the Connecticut River Basin you actually do not know, do you, as of this moment how many reservoir areas will be necessary and you are going to reevaluate the program? General FLEMING. That is correct. Mr. BOLAND. Now we have 5 that are completed and I think there are 21 in the overall plan. General FLEMING. Yes, sir. Mr. BOLAND. There might be more than that and you actually do not know how many more? General FLEMING. There will undoubtedly be more on some of the tributaries for the control of the Connecticut River itself, roughly about 2,500 to 2,600 square miles of the basin has to be under control. We are worried now, however, on some of the tributaries, for example Knightville Dam on the Westfield River. We know that one dam on that tributary is not adequate for control of the damage that the tributary itself does. That is true also of the Chicopee; it is true even to a greater extent on the Farmington. Mr. BOLAND. And Littleville, for which Congress has bills filed by my colleague, Congressman Heselton, and myself for authorization. That is not one of those included in the 21. General FLEMING. That is not in the authorized projects. We could figure now upon Littleville as being practically one project in the Connecticut Basin. BALL MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR, VT. Mr. MARSHALL. The next project is Ball Mountain Reservoir, Vt., for which $300,000 is requested. We will place pages 36 through 39 of the justifications in the record and will be glad to hear your statement on this project. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) Location.-On the West River, 29.0 miles above its junction with the Connecticut River at Brattleboro, Vt., and approximately 3 miles north of Jamaica, Vt. Authorization.-Flood Control Act of 1944. Benefit-cost ratio.-1.2 to 1.0. Height: 240 feet above stream bed. Length: 1,140 feet (including 470-foot spillway overflow section). Spillway: Type: Part of arch dam. Capacity: 148,000 cubic feet per second. Reservoir capacity: Power_ Flood control_ Total_ Power installation: None. Acre-feet 0 54, 600 54, 600 Status (January 1, 1956): New start in fiscal year 1956; continuing in fiscal year The project will be operated as a unit of a comprehensive system for flood control in the Connecticut River Basin. It is the initial unit of a three-reservoir system on the West River which is a principal flood-producing tributary. Control of the West River is of prime importance in the development of any system of reservoirs for the Connecticut River Basin. Dikes and floodwalls have been constructed downstream on the Connecticut River, but the effective grades of these local protective works are predicated on completion of a comprehensive plan of reservoirs. Five reservoirs constructed to date do not provide adequate storage. The southern part of the basin constitutes one of the more important industrial areas of the Nation and the output of the area is of major importance in the national and local economy. |