good afternoon today the septa meeting continues its work on a water resources development ads of twenty t n and had made of a new water resources bill to address the current needs of the nation is a high priority of mine and i am certain of all of our committee members last congress a committee were successful in moving a water resource bill resources bill that contained close to seven years worth of projects studies new authorization project modifications there was such a broad support for that legislation that congress soundly overrode president bush's veto with what was only the hundred seventh veto override in history the consideration in the water resources development at and every person that submits must submit something in their own districts  we can be very supportive of projects that we know are needed but it takes someone from that area to sponsor it and alice forward to working with mr bowles one ranking member and continuing to the cordial bipartisan work of putting together water resources and real absolute high and low and i can't find a democrat republican water no roads they don't go with the label sold we will not be gone by a label here as we saw with the presidential override last congress water related and from structures not a partisan issue these for control navigation environmental restoration other water related projects are far too important to our constituents our local economies and the american people's lives and livelihoods this afternoon we will receive testimony from distinguished members of congress regarding projects and ho for consideration the upcoming water resources development act intent today is to receive testimony and began to gather information on individual project requests so that we can be in a position to move a new vehicle next year given today's economic circumstances this is no small task but with the growing need an opportunity to improve our water infrastructure and restore the environment we must rise to the occasion and move forward without delay is my hope that unlike his predecessor mr president obama will join us and a sweeping bipartisan support for continued  we do appreciate your leadership and i totally agree with your statements about water being certainly nonpartizan today the subcommittee is he meeting to hear testimony from members of congress are guarding their requests for a potential water resources development act of two thousand and ten during the hundred tenth congress the subcommittee developed legislation authorizing army corps of engineers projects those inactive in november two thousand and seven to two thousand and seven was essentially catch up legislation since most members were only allowed to request projects that were included in previous war efforts the subcommittee on water  now giving members of congress an opportunity to make new requests to the committee this legislation reaffirms our commitment to developing the nation's water resources by responding to the request of members of congress related to projects in their districts and policy issues affecting the entire army corps of engineers civil works program the army corps of engineers is a very unique agency its military function began with the construction of  fortifications in preparation for the battle of bunker hill and seventeen seventy five and in the early parts of the nineteenth century congress directed the corps of engineers to open that nation's waterways to commerce from the beginning the corps of engineers has been the only multi dimensional and enter graded federal agency that supports economic and national security through its civilian and military functions the current system works very well w integrated water resources resource missions including navigation and flood control the corps helps improve the the nation's economy having a civil works mission in the u s army also provides a ready made team of experienced engineers scientists and other professionals that we can call upon in times of national emergencies and threats for example the corps undertaken reconstruction efforts in afghanistan iraq the world trade center and elsewhere the most effective and efficient way to maintain this capability in a state of readiness is by keeping the corps within the department of defense so the functions and capabilities can contribute to both the military and civil works missions the water resources development act provides authority for the corps of engineers to carry out its missions navigation improvements at harbors and water wise flood damage reduction in our communities and environmental restoration at our lakes rivers and wetlands these projects reduce transportation costs they save lives homes and businesses from the ravages of floodwaters and improve the quality of life these projects also provide jobs and stimulate the economy today's hearing allows members of congress to explain their water resources needs of their districts and how this relates to the water resources needs of the nation i look forward to hearing from my colleagues and with that i yield back madam chair thank you important opportunity for congress to reassess the challenges our nation faces with water use and water quality the many challenges in my grin my own state employees facing his third year of drought farmers are residents are facing water rationing and water usage is causing environmental damage and disrupting food chain our legislature in california passed the lemon point four billion water by for next year's ballot hopefully it will address the water supply water treatment and environmental restoration but i'm glad our subcommittee is plans to address these challenges through warda errs a committee to look towards recycling reuse and desalination we was make critical investments in underground storage water replenishment and remediation of rock a first and address the fact climate change is forcing us to change our water habits and be less dependent on traditional water sources such as rivers and dams madam chairwoman there for specific project in my district will be requesting inclusion in the ward of the include promoting a city ground authorized six an authorization of seven and a half million to provide greater reliability improvement quality within the peak water district system requires extensive rehab replacement several of the most critical elements including water transmission distribution pipelines water supply well as treatment facilities in the key research one pumping station facility another one would be the city's water system regional intertie project two hundred fifty thousand to renovate inactive intertie and build new intertie which would enable the city to live or receive water with adjoining water systems you know we're divided only by streets we don't have a great amount of land between of next one is also angeles county flood control district in the side of the a river watershed environmental assessment and restoration project for fifty million to prepare a feasible the study in addition to developing an constructing demonstration projects eco system restoration flood control water quality control water supply storage and outdoor recreation enhancement for the single real river watershed using a watershed systems approach the city will provide a detailed analysis of the current state of the river and how it can be transformed into a valuable resource despite the urban one of the most important pieces of legislation this committee will tackle this year it is important not only for the projects that will be authorized for the army corps of engineers to study but also for the p policy changes that will be implemented as we have discussed at length in this committee the army corps of engineers is a critical yet often a sale federal agency they play an extremely important role in my district which includes orleans and jefferson parishes of louisiana hurricane katrina revealed multiple flaws in the levees of my district that resulted in one of the largest these askers in the history of the united states as you know my district has been waiting for over four years now for the army corps of engineers to install storm protection mechanisms aff mandated by congress in tune of two thousand six temporary hydraulic pumps with gates were constructed at lake ponchartrain but these are not the most reliable and would bring and not the most reliable mechanism for storm storm protection to our communities in june two thousand and seven eye walls were replaced at the point of breach the seventh street in the seventeenth street canal orleans avenue and london avenue on june fifteenth two thousand and six eight hundred four million was signed into law to implement one hundred one hundred year storm protection this was to be used for pumping stations at the seventeenth street orleans avenue and london avenue canal at the tional e u supplemental spending authorized and funded for vacations of existing internal pumping station system wide engineers testified recently i asked where is the additional storm protection what is causing the delays why has the corps not started this construction and i have yet to receive the answers to these questions we need action now this project cannot be delayed any longer additionally we need to have a reasonable understanding of the storm protection and flood control need officials and others to identify the projects which are of the greatest need and i look forward to discussing each of these projects individual e with you further this is an important effort and i look forward to  reduction mitigation and eco system restoration the last word a bill was passed in two thousand and seven to address a backlog of project authorisations modifications and studies census previous authorization in two thousand i to commend the committee's leadership on getting this bill signed into law for overriding president bush's veto making it the first congressional over i during president's bush's administration unfortunately despite the hard work of this committee many of these critical projects  authorized have not been appropriated and still await funds i have seven lots in my district two hundred forty seven miles of the mississippi river i toured one of the locks in quincy illinois in the lockmaster asked me to take my fist in to hit one of the pillars i did that and a piece of concrete the size of a football came out and he in for me said if you think this is bad you see the lock north of us so we meet here today to hear proposals for crafting the next word of bill and although there are many important issues that we need to address to get our exists not there is a sions from word two thousand and seven appropriated so just fix it in funding the mechanisms of the inland waterway trust fund we must meet the responsibility of addressing new water resource issues which have risen in the past two years as we all know the current economic slowdown has caused the loss of many jobs and the downturn of many sectors these factors none of us have caused many economists to call the current situation the worst economic crisis since the great depression i'm a firm believer that investment in infrastructure is an investment in our economy in addition to a long term service transportation authorization word projects if appropriated can and will provide crucial funds to strengthen the infrastructure workforce of this country is now upon the subcommittee to ensure that the next word is crafted wisely and will meet the water resources demands of this country alone forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses and i to again thank you chairwoman johnson  resources and development act and i look forward to working with both of you to pass this much needed legislation i am hopeful that we can work with our friends in the other body to adopt this legislation in a timely manner and closer to our goal of a biannual bill my district in compas is three hundred miles of eastern long island coastline which includes some of the most popular and beautiful beaches in the country and waterways that i am very proud to represent maintaining our coastal resources is an important objective not only in my district but to the tourist and fishing economies of our states that rely on clean navigable waterways long island benefits from the good work that the army corps does for coastal communities by helping small towns deal with everything from erosion to long standing environmental concerns the is currently working on several projects on eastern long island that will dredge in let's study coastal health and restore damaged ecosystems i'm very pleased to see this subcommittee consider several pieces of legislation including this new world a bill that will benefit long islanders and everyone who visits public beaches throughout the country i gan thank you madam chair for your hard work on this issue and i look forward to working with you in our colleagues to pass legislation i yield back thank you very much before we proceed  l and analysts consent that the testimony of congressman bart stupak and congresswoman in maryland bordello be entered into the record coast of central florida this project was the county's number one funding priority for the school year two thousand and ten appropriations and is also supported by a number of other users including commercial businesses in the county this project was first approved for study by the army corps in one thousand nine hundred one the study was completed in september one thousand nine hundred nine and authorized in that years were to bill the course study recommended the construction of a one thousand foot long seaward extension of the existing south what based on the one hundred ninety eight prices the fund the funding level authorized was a total of five point point four five million for the project all the necessary nonfederal funds based on this funding level have already been secured by the county with the state of florida and the florida in the navigation district also contributed to the project has received federal funds in fiscal years over five zero six and zero eight additionally i helped to secure the final portion of the federal funds required by the original authorization in the omnibus appropriations act two thousand and nine and in the fiscal year can energy and water development appropriations act which would have allowed construction could begin this year unfortunately based on rising granite prices on another jetty project in florida insulation and a redesign to address concerns over surf conditions army corps revised its cost estimate this summer to eighteen point seven million in order to comply with section one hundred two maximum cost requirements this revised estimate requires reauthorization of the project therefore i am here today to ask you to consider including language to modify the original authorized funding level in the water resources development and ten this request stems from a meeting i convened in august with volusia county and with the jacksonville district of the army corps including the new district head colonel pantano and the project manager we met in order to establish an action plan to address the rising costs at the meeting all parties including myself agreed to pursue additional funding as well as to investigate the possibilities of reducing costs by studying options such as mixing different material with the granite and constructing a shorter jetty even with a very tight budget the lucia county committed to meeting the revised nonfederal cost share despite its quadrupling from two point four six million to eight point one five million and volusia county has maintained as fruitful partnership with the jacksonville district with your approval i would like to submit a letter from the county stating its strong support for this project into the record you along with volusia county i believe we must complete this project otherwise the inlet will continue to be extremely dangerous for nag navigation including access to the nearby coast guard station more specifically this proposal will improve navigation and safety for commercial recreational and coast guard boat traffic by moving the deepwater channel from the north side to the center of the and let the inlets current instability allows for excessive shoaling and with sediment deposited in the mouth of the jetty this is to cause the capsizing of numerous boats and even boat related deaths the reduction of sediment deposition in the and what and the at my intake intercoastal waterway will also result in the accumulation of sand on south facing beaches which will lead to the reversal of current erosion patterns and will help to reduce the federal recurring operations and maintenance costs associated with the and what additionally the county expects that are probably approximately eighty new jobs which are greatly needed in central florida would be created by this project in conclusion construction of the south jetty extension will create a complete solution with the north jetty by providing a safe and and let for boaters and protecting valuable beaches and surf conditions thank you again for allowing me to testify and i look forward to working with you to complete this vital project thank you very much let me say that  how much time you take is no bearing on your project leave that one thank you to our chairwoman johnson and ranking member bozeman it's i really appreciate the opportunity to testify today as a former member of the subcommittee charged with addressing critical water resources infrastructure i'm really pleased to return today to provide remarks regarding a very important issue madam chair i ask unanimous consent to put my full statement in the record as we start work on the water the water resources development act i'm very concerned about the the negative impacts on federal ports and harbors that cannot be fully maintained with existing u s army corps of engineers funding levels because most ports do not have naturally deep harbors they must be regularly dredged and maintained to allow ships to move safely through federal navigation channels manager i'm seeking full access for our ports to annual revenues deposited into the harbor maintenance trust fund generated by the ad valorem harbor maintenance tax for operations and maintenance dredging in the united states in two thousand and eight the harbor maintenance tax collected more than one point six billion dollars from shippers for the purpose of funding dredging projects however only seven hundred sixty six million dollars of dredging and related maintenance cost were reimbursed from the fun whereas ports and harbors were unable to dredge to their authorized project dimensions our ports and harbors or the gateways to domestic and international trade connecting the united states the world responsible for removing responsible for moving more than ninety nine percent of the country's overseas cargo u s ports and waterways handle more than two point five billion tons of domestic and international trade annually and that volume is projected to double within the next fifteen years particularly after the expansion of the panama canal in two thousand seven there were thirteen point three million port related jobs nine percent of all jobs in the united states that account for six hundred forty nine billion dollars in personal income a one billion dollar increase in exports creates an estimated fifteen thousand new jobs there are many examples of dredging problems in ports and harbors across the nation in many cases vessels must light load because of dredging shortfalls the economic implications of light loading or enormous a ship that is light loaded reduces it to fission seas in the same way that a commercial airline that is required to set aside seats with no passengers would quickly lose its efficiencies america's deep draft navigation system is at a crossroads our waterways ability to support the nation's continuing growth in trade and in the defense of our nation hinges on much needed federal attention to unresolved funding needs that are derailing critical channel maintenance and deep draft construction projects of the water highways to our ports the subcommittee should use this unique opportunity to make the changes that need to be made now so that future port dimensions affecting trade jobs and our national defense will not be compromised medicare in addition to my testimony i also would like to submit to the record a copy of a bipartisan letter sent to chairman oberstar and ranking member my mica which is signed by fifty three members from various parts of the country in support of this proposal and i'd be happy to take questions thank you madam chair thank you very much lobe that's ok thank you i want to thank the chairwoman johnson ranking member balls mine that distinguished subcommittee members forgive me the opportunity to speak to the merits of projects for inclusion in the upcoming water resources of i'm an act of two thousand and ten and i will be a little bit briefer than i plan to be thank you chairwoman johnson for that suggestion in my in my home state of iowa the importance of water infrastructure was brought to the forefront the summer of two thousand and eight many communities and i wakes variance flood levels that exceeded the estimated five hundred year flood level just fifteen years after the last five hundred year flood of one thousand nine hundred three my district was in particularly hard by this flooding especially the city of cedar rapids which suffered arguably the most damage of any city in the midwest the city of cedar rapids surrounds the cedar river which reached across the thirty one point one two feet eleven feet above the previous record set in  given this record crest what flood protection was and place in cedar rapids was breached resulting in widespread evacuations there were over seven thousand properties including over five thousand residential properties damaged or destroyed by the flooding causing literally billions of dollars of damage in this city and county alone i want to thank my colleagues for working with me last congress to pass two different disaster relief supplemental appropriations bills while these funds have gone a long way toward our recovery a critical piece remains for the city of cedar rapids and that's flood protection along the river cedar rapids already begun to take steps to address this need currently the city is in the process of implementing a hazard mitigation voluntary buyout program to make way for future flood protection and prevention opportunities and to implement a collaborative neighborhood in downtown redevelopment plan which includes significant amounts of levee parks and greenway areas removeable and permanent floo watershed management and land use and zoning changes the city is working to coordinate their activities with the army corps of engineers a feasibility study was authorized in two thousand and six for a small area of the cedar river prior to the two thousand and eight flood a cause share agreement was signed in may of two thousand and eight one month before the devastating flood as a result the study was expanded in may of two thousand and nine to include the entire span of the cedar river within the city limits to examine flood risk management options this is the largest urban flood risk management study ever undertaken by the rock island corps of engineers as of october the study was approximately forty five percent complete the cor estimates a draft feasibility study will be ready in early two thousand and ten with the chiefs report ready by the end of two thousand and ten the seven point five million dollars study has received around three point eight five million dollars in our a funds two million in local funds and appropriations in previous years through congress the corps progressing at a rapid speed and is aiming to complete the study in a little over a year where similar course studies generally take three to five years the flood risk management all turn is being developed by the corps will pose challenges for the community and the construction of a flood project protection project will require close cooperation between congress the corps and the city just as many flood protection projects in the past  required given the timing critical nature and speed with which the corps will complete this study i look forward to working with the subcommittee in the future to ensure an opportunity to pursue flood risk management options with participations from the of the gulf hurricane protection project is a sixty four mile long system of levees locks floodgates all in south louisiana when complete protect about one hundred twenty thousand people and seven thousand eight hundred square miles of land against that thirty percent of the seafood consumed in this country and our communities a great place to live with some of the nation's most stable housing prices and lowest unemployment rate it is the working coast of the united states  considered in the early one nine hundred ninety s when a reconnaissance study was completed to determine if providing hurricane protection to south east louisiana was in the federal interest until ultimately the study found that the contributions eased communities make to our nation energy security made it in the federal interest to protect this area from hurricanes and storm surge while word of two thousand included an authorization from our dance to the gulf it was contingent upon a chief report being completed that year the corps of engineer missed that deadline and progress on more ganza screeched to a halt however more ganz is so critical in protecting these communities from hurricanes the locals passed a tax and sales to try and build part of the levee system on their own instead of standing idly by and waiting for the federal government to save them the citizens of this area have been have been and still are taxing themselves at a rate of six million dollars a year to protect this important area not only for their livelihood and their property but for the that of the country and the state of louisiana has also committed significance resources to begin construction without bedroll assistance but they need the federal government to be a partner in this project and have anxiously follow the progress of word of four years hoping for a full authorization from organza in november of two thousand and seven word overcame a presidential veto and authorized more gants to the gulf at eight hundred eighty six point seven million dollars a cost estimate supplied by the court into seven december of two south two thousand and seven one month later the court decided that the project would it seed its authorization level by more than twenty percent and must be reevaluated this is an unusual treatment for a project that has not received any post authorization federal construction appropriations to make matters worse the corps essentially stopped all progress on this project since its authorization while they completed a re analysis do in december of two thousand and twelve engineering and design work that was funded and ongoing in two thousand and six again has been halted this past spring two thousand and nine after reviewing for nearly a year and re reviewing alternatives that were also the process while the chiefs report the core returned to its position of supporting the project alignment that was within the chiefs report completed in august of two thousand and two seven years without hurricane protection and the corps was right back where it started it is an excusable to me that the corps failed to move this project forward even after a long process of becoming authorized by this committee worst yet federal dollars it could be better spent on construction  did on continuing studies for elements already studied and settled upon as a core evaluates morgana of the gulf for the third time keeping the clock running doing their decades of analysis my constituents remain exposed to the gulf of mexico and the deadly storms that continue to batter our coast by delaying progress arme organza the federal government is turning a deaf ear to the hundred twenty thousand americans in south louisiana who currently have little or no defense against storms are like sitting ducks in the path of the next hurricane and we are jeopardizing the energy security of our entire nation at the same time as we remember all too well from hurricanes katrina and rita shutting down the infrastructure in south louisiana and in the gulf of mexico that supports oil and gas production has been a serious economic impact on this entire nation to address this i plan to work with the committee between now and december third to find a way forward an ex but i construction of the mortgage are again protection project the time for delays and endless riyad valuations as fast we must move forward whether is by constructing elements that are already to be built now or b building the entire system a project that has already completed the need process and included in the chief report more ganza to the gulf will provide critical hurricane protection to well over one hundred thousand americans in south louisiana help prevent further loss of wetlands and increase our nation's energy security we can't afford to lay it any longer and i thank you for the time that you've rendered thank you very much m thank you chairwoman johnson and ranking member boozman for holding this important hearing and for your leadership working with chairman over star and ranking member mica in pushing forward with the new water resources development act for two thousand and ten as well know w was originally designed to be a buy into a bill but during this decade congress fell off course and failed to pay its password a bill after two thousand and till two thousand and seven for seven years critical army corps projects and studies fell behind schedule due in part to congressional inaction a particular concern to my constituents in florida was the comprehensive everglades restoration project otherwise known as surplus originally authorized in word of two thousand serp represents the largest ecosystem restoration effort in the history of the united states working with the u s corps of engineers its purpose is to restore the historic water flow of florida's unparalleled everglades ecosystem through a variety of component projects such as the creation of storm water storage reservoirs aquifer storage and recovery wells strong water treatment areas as state senator in the florida legislature during this time is one of the authors and co sponsors of the everglades forever act which was our florida legislative act i know that the federal government in action was incredibly frustrating in light of the fifty fifty agreement between state and local entities and the federal government in our view florida was pouring billions of dollars into everglades restoration while the federal government was failing to live up to its end of the bargain that's why i want to commend this committee for helping to fulfill the federal government's commitments everglades restoration through your leadership in the last year we made a significant step forward in everglades restoration with word of two thousand and seven and with the passage of the word of bill in this congress and we continue our commitment by authorizing a new set of surprise checks i want to highlight one important project in my backyard known as the broward water preserve area project which is located in central and southern broward county and the northern miami dade county areas the project there designed to improve everglades water quality by  buffer between residential development and protected ever glen's everglades wetlands capture and divert storm water runoff and reduce underground seepage this project is shovel ready and ready to go all construction plans and specifications are complete and all federal state and local permits have been issued that's why it's critical that this project be included with your support in this new world of bill i strongly urge this committee to consider this project along with other everglades projects that members of the florida delegation will be submitting so that we can continue our historic commitment to restoring the river of grass and keep the unparalleled natural splendor a national treasure for generations to come thank you madam chair committee to move forward on this important legislation i represent louisiana's first congressional district which encompasses all or parts of six parishes in the greater new orleans area including jefferson orleans st charles st tammany tangipahoa and washington parishes southeast louisiana has faced many challenges since the destruction caused by hurricane katrina storm surge and the failure of the federal levees in new orleans while major investments have been made to the infrastructure in our region and i think this subcommittee for your work on the two thousand and seven much of the region remains completely unprotected from hurricane storm surge and the corps continues to ignore their own reports that have identified the best options for pursuing the strongest level of protection for the people and also the national assets in southeast louisiana to illustrate this point i'd like to offer just a few examples and would like to ask unanimous consent to submit a more detailed record statement for the record the corps told our delegation that the category five report titled louisiana coastal protection and restoration study will be released this december not only is this report long past due but when it's finally released we're being told it will not include specific project recommendations for this committee and this congress to move forward on while the report will not list specific project recommendations as was intended by congress when it was authorized one key alternative that should be presented in the report provides an option for a lake ponchartrain barrier plan which would provide storm surge protection to residents on both the north and south shores of lake ponchartrain it is critical to note here that this project would provide much needed protection to st tammany parish on the north shore which currently has no protection whatsoever from hurricane storm surge entering lake pontchartrain in the wake of hurricane betsy over forty years ago congress authorized a similar hurricane protection project that proposed locks that chef pass in the wrigley's to prevent storm surge from entering the lake barriers in these locations which again would protect both the north and south shores of the lake could have prevented the massive breaches in the federal levees that much left much of my district and the city of new orleans inundated we must revisit the feasibility of building storm surge barriers at the wrigley's and shaft pass to provide the strongest level of protection to the people and businesses on both the north and south ponchartrain while the project i just described was halted not by the corps but by outside radical environmental groups in the one nine hundred seventy s we continue to wrangle with the corps on various projects in my region at both the study level and the construction level for example despite congressional intent and direction to modify the three outfall canals and jefferson orleans parish has the corps continues to proceed with a plan called option one which does not provide the best level of hurricane protection for the people in these  corps has noted in its own report to congress that two different plans called options two and two way are more reliable options for hurricane and flood protection there are also a number of projects in addition to this one in which the corps continues to delay critical reports and studies that were authorized by congress as we work toward this next word of bill i look forward to working with you all to expedite these studies and reports address critical cautionary issues and improve and secure our nation's key federal navigable waterways in south louisiana one final thing i would like to note is the importance to our country of coastal protection and restoration of crucial component of comprehensive hurricane protection includes rebuilding and restoring our coastline coastal erosion in louisiana has catastrophic levels louisiana loses approximately twenty four square miles of coastal wetlands each year not only are our wetlands important to louisiana in the gulf coast these wetlands also protect infrastructure of national significance five of the largest ports in the u s are located in south louisiana about one third of all the oil and gas production comes across the coast of louisiana and we provide twenty six percent of the commercial fish landings in the lower forty eight states in two thousand and six louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to dedicate the state's share of offshore oil and gas revenues to hurricane protection and coastal restoration projects our state has made this commitment but in order to protect these invaluable national resources the federal government must join us in our efforts to make meaningful investments in coastal restoration i look forward to working with your committee on these projects as award a bill as drafted for two thousand and ten and again i appreciate the opportunity to speak before the committee today thank you madam chair thank you very much  without objection your document will be entered into the record mr chairman you are lazy johnson and ranking member bozeman and other members of the committee i want to thank you for your patience and giving us an opportunity to talk about some problems in our district on january twenty second two thousand and seven almost three years ago i was startled to hear from the national the national district office of the army corps of engineers that wolf creek down which is located on the cumberland river in my district was at high risk for failure as a matter of fact the corps at that time placed the rehabilitation of this dam was one of  top five national priorities the corps said at that time that if this dam failed it would result in loss of life flooding all the way to nashville tennessee which is about one hundred miles away and billions of dollars in private property damage in order to immediately address the problem and remove the possibility of failure that the corps directed the lowering of the pool level from seven hundred twenty three feet in the summer and six hundred ninety feet in the winter immediately to six hundred eighty feet now this is had three impacts on the community first of all congressman how rogers and i working with the governor and others were instructed we need to get warning sirens because the threat of dam failure is so immediate that it was in terraces that people be notified if it happened we were successful in doing that the second thing that happened was this is a huge recreation area and in the summer the pool levels were so low to keep pressure off of the dam that many businesses in the area went out of business and there were many bankruptcies through no fault of their own because they had nothing to do with the safety of this band the third thing that has occurred is that now it's my understanding that the corps of engineers has said that this is that the rehabilitation in the money spent on this dam is not safety related which is totally unbelievable to us in the area because even the national corps of engineer office has said this is always been a safety issue now the reason it's an important to determine if it's safety related or not is because of the way it's going to be paid for under section twelve zero three of the water resources development act if it's determined not to be a safety issue then the electric rates for everyone in that area will be increased by forty six percent at a time when we have high unemployment we have many people without jobs and we have many businesses that literally went bankrupt through no fault of their own so i would simply ask the committee respectfully as you move forward on this legislation that we be given an opportunity to work with you to do everything that we possibly can to make sure that these electric rates are not increased because of the cold war in a capricious manner in my view as determined now at the national level that this is not a safety issue which is unbelievable because all along it was made very clear to us that it was in imminent danger of breaking life's were threatened property damage was threatened and it was an emergency issue so i want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify and i look forward to working with you on this issue as well as the issue affecting those people who went bankrupt thank you thank you very much and thanks to all of you for coming in presenting your needs and thanks to the members of the committee for coming in listening in as well we all