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Show program, while authorizing a broad program in- cluding construction of reservoirs and treatment of watersheds, emphasized the multiple-purpose possibilities of such reservoirs in only part of the country. In 1938, however, Congress broad- ened the provision assuring protection of future power development in connection with flood control dams. Magnitude of Flood Control Program Between July 1, 1936, and June 30, 1949, the expenditures by the Army Engineers for flood control exceeded 1.75 billion dollars, over one- half the amount spent in over a century in Federal navigation improvements. These expenditures climbed from 90 million dollars in 1936 to over 450 million dollars for 1950 and, before the Korean war, were scheduled at 534 million dol- lars for 1951. The flood control item in the original budget for the 1951 fiscal year consti- tuted 41 percent of the total national water re- sources budget, with reclamation second at about 27 percent. In 1948 the Army Engineers estimated that the flood control program, when completed, will have cost 12.3 billion dollars. On the basis of current costs, the figure would be nearer 15 billion dol- lars. The Engineers also estimated the total cost of the hydroelectric power program, of which a major portion would be constructed in connec- tion with flood control and navigation projects, at 24 billion dollars, or 29 billion dollars at current costs. The basis of cost allocation where power is installed at multiple-purpose projects is not indicated. These figures indicate the importance of as- suring that the Federal investment in the flood control program is based on the most careful weighing of all alternative means of accomplish- ing the objectives, and especially that it be under- taken as an essential element in multiple-purpose programs so as to provide the greatest possible benefits. Power as a Measure of Conservation Storage Congress fairly early specified that all flood control examinations and surveys must include data relating to "a comprehensive study" of the watershed, and each report thereon must include data relating to the extent and character of the area to be affected by the project, the probable effect on any navigable water, and the possible economical development and utilization of power. But it was not until the Flood Control Act of 1936, providing for flood control dams with power facilities included if authorized by the Secretary of the Army on recommendation of the Chief of Engineers, that conservation stor- age and the development of hydroelectric power began to take an important place in the flood con- trol program. Although there are many other advantages which are offered by conservation storage of flood- waters, the most important one in many basins is the potential hydroelectric power which it offers. Without conservation storage, making possible flow regulation, many possible sites for power development cannot be economically utilized. For this reason, in some basins the place of power development in the Army Engineers' program becomes a fair measure of the extent to which the flood control program has shifted toward multi- ple-purpose undertakings with conservation of floodwaters as its fundamental principle. Latest figures show seven Army Engineers' projects, which include hydroelectric power, in operation, with ultimate design capacity of 1,207,900 kilowatts. There are 22 Army En- gineers' projects under construction with ulti- mate installations of 5,797,000 kilowatts and 45 with ultimate installations of 8,515,800 kilo- watts authorized. But of the authorized total, 6,623,600 kilo- watts, or more than three-quarters, will be de- veloped in the Columbia basin where the Federal Government has assumed a utility responsibility for power supply. The remaining 1,892,200 kilo- 143 |
