Modified Debler Plan

1. Go back to the original 9.5 million acre-feet of flood

storage on April 1st, and until (1) C.A.P. is on stream, (2) the Upper Basin States are using at least 90% of their allotment, and (3) the National Weather Bureau has proven that they have perfected their

snow melt forecasts to everyone's satisfaction.

Plan to be looked at annually, and modified temporily if Federal Climatologists predict the starting of a drouth cycle.

2. One Half of the 9.5 million acre-feet of flood storage on April 1st to be in the Upper Basin reservoirs, and especially on Lake Powell. Purpose is to protect the integrity of Glen Canyon Dam.

3. Flood releases should be programed to go up and down in moderate amounts, and not more than 1,000 c.f.s. per day if possible. 4. Open an 800 phone line to Boulder City advising all potential flood victims as to current conditions whenever flood releases seem

a possibility.

5. Form an Advisory Review Board that includes, in addition to the regular State and Federal representatives, potential flood victims (farmers from seepage, recreation industry, etc.) and "experts" from other than Water User Agencies.

6. Request that the States include potential flood victims within their State in their review procedure. At the present time most State Water Agencies have only representatives from Water Users, and have had little, if any, concern for true prudent flood control. 7. Once a revised Flood Plain and Flood Way is determined (est. 28,000 c.f.s. at Needles), local governments to protect and police the Flood Plain.

The City of Needles wishes to add the following Testimony

into the record of the Congressional Hearings held in Yuma and Needles on September 8 and 9, 1983, and as an addition to the Testimonies given for the City by Mayor David Daniel, and Utility Board Members W. M. Claypool III and Robert Chesney.

The Hearings showed that (1) the 1983 flooding was unnecessary and was caused by a bad management plan, (2) slight changes in the management plan can eliminate floodings in the future except for the true "Act of God" flood, (3) continued floodings will occur every 5 to 10 years unless these changes are made, (4) the main reason for the bad management plan is the lack of balance in the Advisory Group approving the plan, in that the Water Users have had all of the imput, and at the expense of Flood Control and Power interests, (5) the Bureau of Reclamation operated by the bad plan, but could do an excellent job given a good plan.

In addition it was pointed out that (1) some of the damage was to persons knowingly in the flood plain, but that (2) many innocent victims have been hurt who are not in the flood plain, or who built without knowledge of the flood plain. Two examples of innocent persons hurt are the farmers suffering from seepage caused by a long sustained flood flow, and the 60 homes in the Topock Rancheros area. Some means has to be obtained for taking care of the innocent victims.

It was pointed out that a prudent Flood Management Plan would allow for a slightly lowered flood plain and flood way, but once these are determined these areas has to be protected in the years ahead by the local governments.

The hearings placed on the record the fact that the present flood needn't have happened, and that it will occur often in the years ahead if the Flood Management Plan is not slightly changed. No actual laws have to be changed, just a better understanding as to the necessity of prudent flood control if the Bureau is going to be able to continue to obtain the public funds needed for prudent water storage and prudent power production.

The Bureau of Reclamation has already admitted at least 70 to 95 million in damages to their properties (Glen Canyon Dam, levee damages, silting in the upper end of Lake Havasu, etc.). It is on the record that this needn't have happened, and is the result of 90% full reservoirs at the beginning of the snow melt runoff period, and resulting from a bad plan asking for unreasonable amounts of water storage.

If the Bureau loses their creditability with Congress, the Eastern Congressmen will refuse to continue to vote monies to the Bureau, and to their projects like the Central Arizona Project. It is therefore to the interest of the Water Users to use good sense and let the Bureau develop a modified flood management plan that will allow maximum prudent water storage, maximum prudent power production, and prudent flood protection for those living south of Hoover Dam in the United States

and Mexico.

Continuing to be selfish can cause the Water Users to lose what they have to have a maximum storage of water for use in the dry years that do lie ahead. By using good sense, the Water Users will be assured a continued supply, while at the same time producing power by all water as it passes the dams, and flood protection for those living south of Hoover Dam.

With the above in mind, the City of Needles wishes to ask Congress to consider the following Program.

Program that the City of Needles wishes to solve the problems of the 1983 Colorado River "Controlled" Flooding:

1.

Finish the Central Arizona Project as soon as possible, and get it on stream.

In years of flood releases, 3,000 c.f.s. of "free" water can be taken out by C.A.P. and dumped into the ground water basins until needed at a later date. This will help flooding at the Parker Strip, Yuma farming area and Mexico.

2. Modify the Water Control Plan for Flood Control on the Colorado River, and using the guidelines on the attached "Modified Debler Plan". 3. If future unnecessary flooding is caused by undue pressure from single purpose Water User Agencies, make them responsible for damages to both the Federal properties and the Private properties.

4. Re-determine both the Flood Plain and the Flood Way according to the Modified Debler Plan (estimated 28,000 c.f.s. flood plain at Needles, and lower as you go down stream), and once fe-determined, make the local governments protect and police.

5. Pay one time damages to innocent victims by either (1) a Disaster Plan as presented at the hearings, or (2) having the government rebuild damaged properties. Special problems are presented by the

Topock Ranchero area, and by the damage by seepage in the Mohave

Valley, Parker Valley, Palo Verde Valley and Yuma Valley.

Statement of Raymond C. Burt

Concerning 1983 Colorado River Operations and Flood

U. S. House of Representatives

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Hearing

Needles, California

September 8, 1983

I am Raymond C. Burt, Engineer in Charge of Power

Operation and Maintenance for the City of Los Angeles Department

of Water and Power. The Department of Water and Power serves as

Operating Agent for a portion of the Hoover Power Plant.

We are appreciative of the opportunity to testify before

the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee regarding the

Colorado River Operations and 1983 Flood.

Our primary interest in the Colorado River operations is

from a power production viewpoint and, thus, we will focus our

remarks mainly on aspects which affect power production. It