Falls last March 11th. I know that the time you spent in Idaho was worthwhile in that you were able to personally see the beneficial effect of the Project on the lands involved, and were also able to hear those persons who will benefit so much from the passage of H.R. 2474. Their collective testimony reveals the fact an accord has been reached among the various interests, and that a spirit of cooperation exists between all groups and the Bureau of Reclamation. Much credit for this accord must be extended to the oustanding efforts of members of the Bureau who so patiently drafted and redrafted the various alternatives. The bill before you today reflects the preferences expressed by these groups, and has received their endorsement. I won't needlessly go into detail on the plan of development, as I know that you are quite familiar with it by this time, and I know that Commissioner Armstrong and Dr. Lee, who are here this morning, will be able to answer any of the technical questions which you may raise. In the interest of time, I wish merely to reiterate my strong conviction that this piece of legislation directly relates to an important and high priority national goal-that of stemming the migration from rural areas. I was deeply touched by the testimony of Lyle Schnitker at the Senate hearings last summer. A member of the Salmon River Canal Company Board of Directors, he summed up the desperate situation on the Salmon Tract when he stated that of the 480 acres of fertile land which he owns on the tract, he can farm only 129 acres. Because of this, and because of rising production costs, he is unable to enlist any of his three sons-in-law to farming on the Salmon Tract in his place when he retires. There simply is no incentive for them there, so they have decided to locate elsewhere. Mr. Schnitker's dilemma dramatically illustrates in microcosm what is happening all across the nation. If we are to achieve the objective of a more prosperous rural economy by providing opportunities for people who prefer to live in rural areas, it will require that we lend assistance and encouragement with legislation such as you have before you this morning. For this reason, I urge the speedy approval of H.R. 2474. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for granting me this opportunity to present my statement in support of this bill. Mr. JOHNSON. Our next witness will be Mr. Ellis Armstrong, from the Bureau of Reclamation, and whoever he wants to bring with him. I see some of my old friends from Sacramento, Mr. Ed Sullivan from the region in which this area is proposed to be constructed. Glad to have you here. STATEMENT OF ELLIS L. ARMSTRONG, COMMISSIONER, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, ACCOMPANIED BY DANIEL MCCARTHY, DIVISION OF PLANNING AND EDWIN SULLIVAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, REGION 1, BOISE, IDAHO, AND W. ALLEN MCGREGOR, AREA PLANNING OFFICER, SNAKE RIVER PLANNING OFFICE, BOISE, IDAHO Mr. ARMSTRONG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Mr. Dan McCarthy, our chief, Division of Planning in Washington from Boise, Idaho, Mr. Ed Sullivan, the regional director; and backing us up is Mr. Allen McGregor, the area planning officer for the area in which this proposed project is located. We are pleased to appear today in support of the legislation to authorize the construction of the proposed Salmon Falls division. The feasibility report on this division was sent to Congress on June 29, 1970, and has been printed as House Document 91-359. The Department's June 15, 1971, letter to the chairman of the committee presents our views, as cleared with the Office of Management and Budget, on the proposed legislation and recommends enactment of H.R. 2474. Attached to that letter is a copy of a reevaluation state ment dated August 1970, and a copy of an environmental impact statement dated December 1970. My testimony will be consistent with those documents. The Salmon Falls division, as shown on this map, is located in south-central Idaho near the city of Twin Falls. The plan of development for the division provides for an irrigation water supply for 64,110 acres of land, lying in two adjacent units on the south side of the Snake River, of which 49,380 acres the area shown in greenare now irrigated. The Milner-Cottonwood unit would serve 24,170 acres of irrigable land, of which 18,320 acres are presently irrigated by ground water pumping. The Salmon Tract unit would serve 39,940 acres of irrigable land, of which 31,060 acres are now irrigated by use of waters of Salmon Falls Creek and ground water. The presently irrigated lands have an uncertain and dwindling water supply. The yield of Salmon Falls Creek, with regulation in the existing Salmon Falls Reservoir, is not adequate in most years to serve the developed Salmon Tract unit lands, and the ground water aquifers serving the Milner-Cottonwood unit are declining steadily, indicating a ground water withdrawal in excess of the natural recharge. The proposed plan of development includes facilities for diverting water from the Snake River and developing ground water to supplement existing surface and ground water supplies for irrigation of lands now inadequately supplied, and for irrigation service to presently dry lands. In addition, measures are proposed for mitigation and enhancement of upland game and waterfowl habitat. The divison would not provide flood control, outdoor recreation opportunities, or water quality control to any appreciable degree. There is no current need in the area for project-supplied municipal and industrial water and there is no opportunity for the economical development of hydroelectric power as part of the development. It is proposed to divert an average of 181,600 acre-feet of water annually from the Snake River to the Salmon Falls division lands to augment local irrigation water supplies. This would involve construction of Milner pumping plant, as shown on the map, a short distance upstream from existing Milner Dam on the Snake River, with the capability to lift 1.165 second-feet of water 115 feet into the proposed Milner-Salmon Falls Canal. This major canal would be approximately 47 miles long and would have an initial capacity of approximately 1,140 second-feet. There are four relift pump stations and smaller canals which would serve those lands which lie above the Milner-Salmon Falls Canal. Existing wells and pumps throughout the area and the existing works of the Salmon Falls Canal Co. would be integrated into the division and utilized to the extent of their safe vield of water. The availability of water from the Snake River varies substantially from year to year, with unregulated spills over Milner Dam occurring in 25 of the 35 years of record. The Salmon Falls division would utilize part of these spills through storage regulation in Ririe Reservoir which is now under construction and by a 1.000 acre-feet storage right in Palisades Reservoir. In years of low runoff, the total flow of the Snake River is already appropriated, and the division lands would continue to suffer extreme shortages unless an additional water supply is made available. 79 577--72--pt. 2 -3 To alleviate these potential shortages, we propose to develop a well field in the Snake River Plain, which is underlain by a very large and productive aquifer. In discussing the aquifer I want to refer to our other drawing as it will be helpful in understanding that situation. There are ample amounts of good quality ground water which could be pumped from that aquifer in those years when surface water resources are not sufficient to serve the Salmon Falls division. Mr. JOHNSON. Commissioner, if you would stop for just a moment, the chairman would like to have pointed out to him the underground aquifer there that would be the well drilling area where this supplemental water comes from in short years. Mr. ARMSTRONG. This is the Snake River aquifer, approximately 150 miles long and about 70 miles wide. On the basis of rather extensive studies that we have been conducting over the past several years in cooperation with the Geological Survey, it is estimated that there is upward of 100 million acre-feet of water existing in the aquifer. There is a flow through the aquifer of about 7 million acre-feet annually of which 412 to 5 million acre-feet discharge in the Thousand Springs area, along the north side of the Snake River in the area indicated. Mr. ASPINALL. Mr. Chairman Mr. JOHNSON. The gentleman from Colorado. Mr. ASPINALL. I understand all this about the aquifer. What I want to know is the relationship of aquifer to the proposed project as related to that on the map. Mr. ARMSTRONG. On that map the orange area indicates the Salmon Falls division. Mr. ASPINALL. Where is the aquifer, on the other land? Mr. ARMSTRONG. The aquifer is on the other side of the river. Mr. ASPINALL. Refer to the other map. Mr. ARMSTRONG. On the project map, the aquifer is back up the river. Mr. ASPINALL. Which is right? Back up the river or directly north? Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Chairman, let me show you. The aquifer extends from the Thousand Springs area up river a distance of about 150 miles. You see, our project map [indicating] is a large scale map of the area south of Twin Falls. Mr. CAMP. Will the gentleman yield? Where is Twin Falls? Mr. CAMP. Thank you. Mr. ARMSTRONG. Our feasibility report suggested that the auxiliary well field could be located in the Wendell-Jerome-Dietrich area, an irrigated area directly north of Twin Falls, which is served by the North Side Canal Co. This plan would be very efficient in water management as the well pumps could discharge directly into the existing North Side surface distribution system, thereby reducing the amount of Snake River water reqired to serve those lands and making that amount of water available to serve the requirements of the Salmon Falls division. Section 5 of H.R. 2474 is designed to assure the protection of the water supply, water rights, and the cost of service to water users in the exchange pumping area. However, the water users of the North Side Canal Co. and adjacent developed area have not indicated a favorable response to pumping in the Wendell-Jerome-Dietrich area. The Salmon Falls division purposes can be otherwise served by developing an alternate well field in the Snake Plain aquifer for direct discharge to the Snake River above the point of diversion to project lands. Recognizing this necessity, we have examined the feasibility and economic justification of the alternate plan. As set forth in the August 1970 reevaluation statement, which is attached to the legislative report, we found that the alternate plan can be built at essentially the same cost and would have about the same benefit-cost ratio as the feasibility report plan. We have concluded that sufficient flexibility exists by virtue of the availability of ample amounts of ground water to meet any contingency with regard to project water supply. Should the division be authorized, no construction would be undertaken until we are assured that an adequate water supply is available under valid water rights. The crops adaptable to the Salmon Falls division are those presently raised on the irrigated lands and on adjacent lands irrigated by the Twin Falls Canal. Alfalfa, feed grain, and pasture support the important livestock industry, and potatoes, beans, and other row crops would be grown as main enterprises or in a rotation cropping plan. The soil is generally productive, deep, and has good water-holding capacity. The land lies on long gentle slopes, and is favorable to irrigation and drainage. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, in helping to formulate this plan of development, found that loss of wildlife habitat by irrigating dryland areas could be mitigated and that substantial enhancement of wildlife could be created in conjunction with the division. Nonirrigable areas totaling 2,000 acres of public domain within or adjacent to the irrigated land service area would be reserved for upland game use, with small impoundments, plantings, and fences provided. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation finds the proposed fish and wildlife development to be consistent with the objectives of the Idaho outdoor recreation plan. The plan of development for the division was examined by the Federal Water Quality Administration (now the Office of Water Programs, Environmental Protection Agency). That Office advised that the division will probably affect the quality of local streams receiving irrigation return flows and the quality of the Snake River to some extent. However, the quantity of return flows will be small and will not adversely affect the other functional uses of the streams. The net effect of the consumptive use of water and of irrigation return flows from this division on existing downstream irrigation use will be insignificant and the benefits of the proposed development will substantially exceed any damages to other existing and anticipated water uses. We plan a cooperative program of appraisals of the effects of further development on water quality and investigations of measures for assuring compliance with water quality standards with the Office of Water Programs. The Salmon Falls division will make a positive contribution to the ecology and human environment of the area. The lands will continue to be used for general farming and livestock enterprises but increased production will bring about socioeconomic advantages and improved public service. Conditions for upland game and birds will be enhanced by development of nonirrigable areas for ponds and protected habitat. The estimated cost of constructing the division, at January 1969 prices, is $47,252,000. In addition, a portion of the cost of existing upstream storage, an assigned cost of $292,000, and the cost of generating the power and energy needed for pumping, an irrigation power suballocation of $4,154,000, must be added to obtain the total division cost of $51,698,000. The cost is tentatively allocated at $51,524,000 to irrigation and $174,000 to fish and wildlife enhancement. Irrigation benefits are estimated at $4,875,000 annually. The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife estimates the annual benefit from enhancement of wildlife habitat at $10,600. The annual equivalent Federal investment plus annual operation and maintenance costs total $3,443,000. Economic justification for the division is demonstrated by a benefit-cost ratio of 1.42-to-1. The interest rate used for this economic analysis was 47% percent, the rate computed by the Department of Treasury for fiscal year 1970. Application of that same interest rate and a total division cost of $62,258,000 based on January 1972 price levels and without any parallel increases in the benefits would still result in a benefit-cost ratio of 1.19-to-1. Farm budget studies indicate the ability of water users to pay all costs of annual operation and maintenance as well as a substantial portion of the cost of construction during a 50-year repayment period following a 5-year development period. A variable rate plan for water charges is suggested, with the annual charges to irrigation ranging from $10 per acre to $18 per acre. Of this $51,524,000 cost allocated to irrigation, the water users could repay the irrigation power suballocation of $4,154,000 from pumping power charges and $13,117,000 by annual contract payments leaving $34,253,000 to be returned from net power revenues of the Federal Columbia River power system. Adequate system revenues are in prospect to provide this necessary financial assistance. The Salmon Falls Canal Co., owner and operator of Salmon Falls Reservoir and the existing distribution system, has been granted a loan in the amount of $986,000 under the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956, as amended, to improve its main canal. The repayment of irrigation costs discussed above provides for the water users to repay the small projects loan concurrently with their payments for irrigation costs of the Salmon Falls division. This program would be fully compatible with construction of the division. The allocation of costs to fish and wildlife enhancement, $174,000, is composed of joint costs of $2,000 and separable costs of $172,000. In accordance with the Federal Water Project Recreation Act and the letter of intent dated May 3, 1967, from the State of Idaho Fish and Game Department, the State will repay one-half of the separable fish and wildlife enhancement costs, $86,000, plus interest during construction, $3,800, and will operate, maintain, and replace the facilities to be provided for that purpose. The remaining one-half of the separable costs and all of the joint costs would be nonreimbursable as provided by the act. The Salmon Falls division is an engineeringly feasible and economically justified multiple purpose reclamation development which represents the optimum development of the water and related land resources and is compatible with the comprehensive plan for the Snake River. It is urgently needed and strongly supported by the |