71.

.1n '3115 OW

TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA

967 PROJECT, OREGON—WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT

Storage

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON

WATER AND POWER RESOURCES

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

coN INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS

..n

—

UNITED STATES SENATE

0 NINETIETH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

r-9

ON

S. 485

A BILL TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN THE TOUCHET

DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT, OREGON-WASHINGTON,

AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

AUGUST 10, 1967

Printed for the use of the

Committee on Interior and In4u1ar Affairs

KANSAS STATE L ATY LIBRARIES

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

82-619 WASHINGTON : 1967
coMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS

HENRY M. JACKSON,

CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico

ALAN BIBLE, Nevada

FRANK CHURCH, Idaho

ERNEST GRUENING, Alaska

FRANK E. MOSS, Utah

QUENTIN N. BURDICK, North Dakota

CARL HAYDEN, Arizona

GEORGE McGOVERN, South Dakota

GAYLORD NELSON, Wisconsin

LEE METCALF, Montana

Washington, Chairman.

THOMAS H. KUCHEL, California

GORDON ALLOTT, Colorado

LEN B. JORDAN, Idaho

PAUL J. FANNIN, Arizona

CLIFFORD P. HANSEN, Wyoming

MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon

JERRY T. VERKLER, Staff Director

STEWART FRENCH, Chief Counsel

WILLIAM VAN NESS, Special Assistant

E. LEWIS REID, Minority Counsel

ROY WHITACRE, Professional Staff Member

SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER RESOURCES

CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico, Chairman

HENRY M. JACKSON, Washington

FRANK CHURCH, Idaho

FRANK E. MOSS, Utah

QUENTIN N. BURDICK, North Dakota

CARL HAYDEN, Arizona

II

THOMAS H. KUCHEL, California

GORDON ALLOTT, Colorado

LEN B. JORDAN, Idaho
CONTENTS

Page

S.485 

Departmental reports:

Bureau of the Budget 

Department of the Interior _ 

STATEMENTS

Ahlquist, H. Maurice, director, Department of Water Resources, State of

Washington 31

Di Luzio, Hon. Frank C., Assistant Secretary, Water Pollution Control,

Department of the Interior; presented by Dr. James J. Flannery, Chief

Economist, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, Department of the Interior 18

Flathers, Ben

'

vice president, the Walla Walla County Port Commission 30

Holum, Hon. Kenneth, Assistant Secretary for Water and Power Development, Department of the Interior, and G. G. Stamm, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; accompanied by Dr. James L.

Flannery, Chief Economist, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration; and Hon. Stanley A. Caine, Assistant Secretary for Fish and

Wildlife; and James T. McBroom, Director, Bureau of Sport Fisheries

and Wildlife 10

Magnuson, Hon. Warren G., a U.S. Senator from the State of Washington 8

Marl!, Vernon, president, Touchet Valley Irrigation District, Dayton,

Wash 27

Martin Dorsey M., vice president, State of Washington Rivers and

Harbors Conference 34

May, Hon. Catherine, a Representative in Congress from the State of

Washington 9

Stamm, G. G., Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation 14

Woolson, Hon. H. N., mayor of the city of Dayton, Wash., on behalf of the

port district of Columbia County 29

COMMUNICATIONS

Alexander, Henry, president; and H. G. Wells, secretary-treasurer, Washington State Reclamation Association: Telegram to Hon. Henry M. Jackson,

chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated August 8, 1967_ 38

Baker, Charles, president, Inland Empire Waterways Association: Letter

to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs

Committee, dated July 24, 1967 39

Brewington, Clark A., president, Dayton Junior Chamber of Commerce:

Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular

Affairs Committee, dated July 24, 1967 40

Cadman, Roy, chairman; Maurice Witt, commissioner; Holt Boone,

commissioner, Columbia County Board of County Commissioners:

Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular

Affairs Committee, dated July 24, 1967 40

Cummins, Melville, secretary, Westside Irrigation District No. 5, Touchet,

Wash.: Letters to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and

Insular Affairs Committee, dated March 31, 1965 and August 5, 1967_ _ 35

Dumas, Loren F., Waitsburg, Wash.: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson,

chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated July 20, 1967_ 37

Evans, Daniel J., Governor, State of Washington: Letter to Hon. Henry M.

Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated

August 4, 1967 31

III
IV CONTENTS

Friedman, Dr. Byron, president, Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce: Page

Letters dated August 7, 1967 and July 25, 1967 35, 41

Hofer, Glen, Waitsburg, Wash.: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated August 10, 1967_ _ 34

Keve, Ivan K., secretary, Waitsburg Commercial Club, Inc.: Letter to Hon.

Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee,

dated July 20, 1967 40

Land, Albert, mayor, City of Waitsburg, Wash.: Letter to Hon. Henry M.

Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated

August 4, 1967 36

Markham, L. W., general manager, Spokane Chamber of Commerce:

Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular

Affairs Committee, dated July 27, 1967 39

Mead, Charles S., III, chairman, Port of Columbia County, Dayton,

Wash.: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior and

Insular Affairs Committee, dated July 27, 1967 11

Montgomery, "Monty" A. P. Monty's Radio and TV Sales and Service,

Dayton, Wash.: Letter to Hon. Henry M. Jackson, chairman, Interior

and Insular Affairs Committee, dated July 27, 1967 39

Pollock, H. W., supervisor, Division of Water Resources, Department of

Conservation: Letter to Norman H. Mcrore acting regional director,

Bureau of Reclamation, Boise, Idaho, dated May 24, 1967 33

Ray, William D., president, Port of Walla Walla: Letter to Hon. Henry M.

Jackson, chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, dated

July 26, 1967 39

Sharpe A. A., secretary-treasurer, Dayton Chamber of Commerce: Letter

to Hon. Henry M. Jackson

'

chairman, Interior and Insular Affairs

Committee, dated August 5, 1967 36

Tollefson, Thor C. director, State of Washington Department of Fisheries:

Letter to Mr. H. Maurice Ahlquist, director, Department of Water

Resources, Olympia, Wash., dated August 2, 1967 33
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT,

OREGON-WASHINGTON

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1967

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER AND POWER RESOURCES

OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS,

Washington, D .0 .

The subcommittee met pursuant to notice at 10:05 a.m., in room 3110,

New Senate Office Building, Senator Henry M. Jackson presiding.

Present: Senators Jackson, Burdick, Allott, and Jordan of Idaho.

Also present: Jerry T. Verkler, staff director; Stewart French, chief

counsel Roy Whitacre, professional staff member; William Van Ness,

special assistant, and Darryl Hart, assistant minority counsel.

Senator JACKSON. The committee will come to order.

This is a public hearing by the Water and Power Resources Subcommittee of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee on S. 485, a bill

to authorize the construction and operation of the Touchet division,

Walla-Walla project, Oregon-Washington.

S. 485 is sponsored by myself and my senior colleague from the State

of Washington, Senator Warren G. Magnuson.

At this time, I will direct that the text of the bill, together with

reports from the executive agencies be made a part of the record at

this point.

(The documents referred to follow:)

[S. 485, 90th Cong., first sess.]

A BILL To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain

the Touchet division, Walla Walla project, Oregon-Washington, and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and Hoase of Representatives of the United States

of America in Congress assembled, That (a) for purposes of supplying irrigation

water initially for approximately ten thousand acres of land, providing municipal and industrial water, flood control, water quality control, the enhancement

of fish and wildlife resources, and the enhancement of recreation opportunities,

the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the Secretary) is authorized to construct, operate, and maintain the Touchet division of the Walla

Walla project, Oregon-Washington, in accordance with the Federal reclamation

laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto). The principal works of the division (hereinafter referred to as

the project) shall consist of the Dayton Dam and Reservoir, fish passage facilities, a diversion dam, and associated drainage facilities.

(b) The Secretary is authorized to construct the Dayton Dam and Reservoir

to the physical limitations of the site and to recognize the cost of providing such

additional capacity as a deferred obligation to be paid, in accordance with section

2 of this Act, at such time as the additional storage capacity is contracted for:

Provided, That until such additional storage capacity is contracted for, operation

and maintenance costs attributable to the excess capacity shall be funded and

added to the construction costs allocated to deferred capacity.

(c) In order to assure a realization of the fish and wildlife enhancement

benefits contemplated by this Act, the Secretary shall adopt appropriate measures

1

•
•

TOTJCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

to insure the maintenance of a streamflow between Dayton Dam and the mouth

of the Walla Walla River that is not less than thirty cubic feet per second unless

he determines that a water shortage or other emergencies exist or that lesser

flows would be adequate for the maintenance of fish life.

SEC. 2. Irrigation repayment contracts shall provide for repayment of the

obligation assumed thereunder with respect to any contract unit over a period

of not more than fifty years, exclusive of any development period authorized by

law. Construction costs allocated to irrigation beyond the ability of the irrigators

to repay shall be returned to the reclamation fund from revenues derived by the

Secretary from the disposition of power marketed through the Bonneville Power

Administration from the McNary Dam project.

SEc. 3. (a) The Secretary is authorized, as a part of the Touchet division, to

construct, operate, and maintain, or otherwise provide public outdoor recreation

facilities, to acquire or otherwise to include within the project area such adjacent

lands or interests therein as are necessary for present or future public recreation

use, to allocate water and reservoir capacity to recreation, and to provide for the

public use and enjoyment of division lands, facilities, and water areas in a manner

coordinated with other project functions. The Secretary is authorized to enter

into agreements with Federal agencies or State or local public bodies for the

administration of project land and water areas and the operation, maintenance,

and replacement of facilities and to transfer project lands or facilities to Federal

agencies or State or local public bodies by lease agreement or exchange upon

such terms and conditions as will best promote the development and operation

of such lands or facilities in the public interest for recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement purposes.

(b) Joint costs allocated to recreation or fish and wildlife enhancement shall

be nonreimbursable.

(c) All costs allocated to the enhancement of anadromous fish species shall

be nonreimbursable.

(d) (1) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, if, before commencement of construction of the division, non-Federal public bodies indicate

their intent in writing to agree to administer project land and water areas for

recreation or fish and wildlife enhancement or for both of these purposes pursuant to the plan for the development of the project approved by the head of the

agency having administrative jurisdiction over it and to bear not less than onehalf the separable costs of the project allocated to either or both of said purposes, as the case may be, and all the costs of operation, maintenance, and replacement incurred therefor, not more than one-half of the separable costs and all the

joint costs of the project allocated to recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement shall be borne by the United States and be nonreimbursable.

(2) No facilities or project modifications which will furnish recreation or

fish and wildlife enhancement benefits shall be provided in the absence of the

indication of intent with respect thereto specified in subsection 3(d) (1) of

this Act unless (i) such facilities or modifications serve other project purposes

and are justified thereby without regard to such incidental recreation or fish

and wildlife enhancement benefits as they may have or (ii) they are minimum

facilities which are required for the public health and safety and are located

at access points provided by roads existing at the time of project construction

or constructed for the administration and management of the project or facilities for the enhancement of anadromous fish species. Calculation of the

recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement benefits in any such case shall

be based on the number of visitor-days anticipated in the absence of recreation

and fish and wildlife enhancement facilities or modifications except as hereinbefore provided and on the value per vistor-day of the project without such

facilities or modifications. Project costs allocated to recreation and fish and

wildlife enhancement on this basis shall be nonreimbursable.

(e) The non-Federal share of the separable costs of the project allocated

to recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement shall be borne by non-Federal

interests, under either or both of the following methods as may be determined

appropriate by the head of the Federal agency having jurisdiction over the

project: (i) payment, or provision of lands, interests therein, or facilities for

the project; or (ii) repayment, with interest at a rate comparable to that for

other interest-bearing functions of Federal water resource projects, within

fifty years of first use of project recreation or fish and wildlife enhancement

facilities: Provided, That the source of repayment may be limited to entrance

and user fees or charges collected at the project by non-Federal interests if the

fee schedule and the portion of fees dedicated to repayment are established on

z
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 3

a basis calculated to achieve repayment as aforesaid and are made subject to

review and renegotiation at intervals of not more than five years.

(f) Notwithstanding the absence of an indication of intent as specified in

subsection 3(d) (1), lands may be provided in connection with project construction to preserve the recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement potential

of the project:

(1) If non-Federal public bodies execute an agreement within ten years

after initial operation of the project (which agreement shall provide that the

non-Federal public bodies will administer project land and water areas for

recreation or resident fish and wildlife enhancement or both pursuant to the

plan for the development of the project approved by the head of the agency

having administrative jurisdiction over it and will bear not less than one-half

the costs of lands, facilities, and project modifications provided for either or

both of those purposes, as the case may be, and all costs of operation, maintenance, and replacement attributable thereto), the remainder of the costs of

lands, facilities, and project modifications provided pursuant to this paragraph

shall be nonreimbursable. Such agreement and subsequent development, however, shall not be the basis for any reallocation of joint costs of the project to

recreation or fish and wildlife enhancement.

(2) If, within ten years after initial operation of the project, there is not an

executed agreement as specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the head

of the agency having jurisdiction over the project may utilize the lands for any

lawful purpose within the jurisdiction of his agency, or may offer the land for

sale to its immediate prior owner or his immediate heirs at its appraised fair

market value as approved by the head of the agency at the time of offer or,

if a firm agreement by said owner or his immediate heirs is not executed within

ninety days of the date of the offer, may transfer custody of the lands to another

Federal agency for use for any lawful purpose within the jurisdiction of that

agency, or may lease the lands to a non-Federal public body, or may transfer the

lands to the Administrator of General Services for disposition in accordance with

the surplus property laws of the United States. In no case shall the lands be used

or made available for use for any purpose in conflict with the purposes for which

the project was constructed, and in every case except that of an offer to purchase made, as hereinbefore provided, by the prior owner or his heirs, preference

shall be given to uses which will preserve and promote the recreation and fish

and wildlife enhancement potential of the project or, in the absence thereof,

will not detract from that potential.

(g) As used in this Act, the term "nonreimbursable" shall not be construed

to prohibit the imposition of entrance, admission, and other recreation user fees

or charges.

(h) Costs of means and measures to preVent loss of and damage to fish and

wildlife resources shall be treated as project costs and allocated among all project purposes.

SEC. 4. The interest rate used for purposes of computing interest during construction and, where appropriate, interest on the unpaid balance of the reimbursable obligations assumed by non-Federal entities shall be determined by the

Secretary of the Treasury, as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which construction is initiated, on the basis of the computed average interest rate payable

-by the Treasury upon its outstanding marketable public obligations which are

neither due nor callable for redemption from fifteen years from date issue, adjusted to the nearest one-eighth of 1 per centum.

SEC. 5. For a period of ten years from the date of enactment of this Act, no

water from the project authorized by this Act shall be delivered to any water

user for the production on newly irrigated lands of any basic agricultural commodity, as defined in the Agricultural Act of 1949, or any amendment thereof, if

the total supply of such commodity for the marketing year in which the bulk of

the crop would normally be marketed is in excess of the normal supply as defined

in section 301(b) (10) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended,

unless the Secretary of Agriculture calls for an increase in production of such

commodity in the interest of national security.

SEC. 6. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated for construction of the

new works involved in the Touchet division, $16,630,000 (January 1965 prices),

plus or minus such amounts, if any, as may be required by reason of changes

in the cost of construction work of the types involved therein as shown by engineering cost indexes and, in 'addition thereto, such sums as may be required to

,operate and maintain said project.
4 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,

BUREAU' OF THE BUDGET,

Wash,ingtcm„ D.C., August 9,1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR Mn. CHAIRMAN: This is in response to your request of January 30, 1967,

for the views of the Bureau of the Budget on S. 485, a bill "To authorize the

Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain the Touchet division, Walla Walla project, Oregon-Washington, and for other purposes."

The purpose of the bill is clearly stated in its title.

The Department of the Interior, in a report being submitted to your committee, recommends enactment of the bill with certain perfecting amendments.

Accordingly, the Bureau of the Budget would have no objection to the enactment

of S. 485, if amended as proposed by the Department of the Interior.

Sincerely yours,

WILFRED H. ROMMEL,

Assistant Director for Legislative Reference.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,

Washington, D.C., August 9, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: This responds to your request for the views of this

Department on S. 485, a bill "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

construct, operate, and maintain the Touchet division, Walla Walla project,

Oregon-Washington, and for other purposes." The bill is identical to 'S. 1088,

89th Congress, as passed by the 'Senate.

We recommend that the bill be enacted, if amended as suggested below.

The Touchet division of the Walla Walla project would be located in southeastern Washington. The principal facility of the division would be the Dayton

Dam which would impound a reservoir of 52,600 acre-feet of water, maximum

feasible at the site. These waters would be used for irrigation, flood control,

water quality control, and municipal and industrial supplies, recreation and fish

and wildlife enhancement.

Irrigation water would be supplied initially to approximately 9,960 acres of

land. A full supply would be provided to 3,520 acres, and a supplemental supply to

6,440 acres that are now irrigated from diversion works on the Touchet River

downstream from the damsite, but suffer from seasonal deficiencies in water supply. The lands proposed to be irrigated are of high quality and very well suited to

sprinkler irrigation.

Assurance of a full irrigation water supply may be expected to produce a shift

in irrigable land use from forage crops to row crops, such as vegetables, for

canning and freezing. Water for irrigation will be 'diverted from the river below

the dam into existing distribution systems owned by the irrigators. No distribution facilities are proposed to be constructed in connection with the project.

The Committee is aware of the current activities of the Department of the

Interior, the Water Resources Council, and others in developing a policy position

with regard to the evaluation of benefits and the reimbusability of costs allocated

to water quality control under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and

related statutes. On January 9, 1967, this Department was requested by the Committee to present facts and recommendations on this subject.

We have recommended to the Water Resources Council that the evaluation of

water quality control benefits be based upon a recognition that the improvement

of water quality serves one or more of the basic water use functions, namely,

irrigation, municipal or industrial water supply, fish and wildlife enhancement

or recreation. To the extent that the benefit to any of those functions is derived

separately from water quality improvement, as distinct from that derived from

quantitative requirements for flowing water or water in storage, a definite benefit

attributable to water quality control may be claimed. This benefit, applied

through the customary cost allocation procedures, will determine the portion of

the project cost properly allocable to water quality control.

A need has arisen to reconsider our interpretation of the guidelines regarding

the reimbusability of project costs allocated to water quality control in an mul-
TOITCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 5

tiple-purpose project. These guidelines were set out by Congress in the 1961

amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (75 Stat. 204). The

enactment of the Federal Water Project Recreation Act provides a formula for

determining the financial obligation of non-Federal entities for fish and wildlife

enhancement and recreation. We have recommended that the basic cost-sharing

formula of the Recreation Act be applied to the water quality control function.

Although administrative guidelines have not yet been developed it is expected

that some non-Federal entity, probably an affected State, would accept the responsibility of repaying one-half of the separable costs allocated to water quality

control and the costs of operation, maintenance, and replacement allocated to

that purpose. The other half of the separable cost and all joint costs allocated

to water quality control would be nonreimbursable.

We propose to follow the policy and procedures outlined above on a project-byproject basis until such time as an agency-wide Federal policy is developed. Thus,

we have made an alternative analysis of the Touchet division. This plan of development does not provide any facilities or storage capacity in Dayton Reservoir

specifically for water quality control purposes. The reservoir operating regulations would provide water releases from the reservoir for irrigation and fish and

wildlife enhancement sufficient to assure adequate control of water quality

during the months of May through September. Flow during other months

will be adequate in quantity to assure a resultant quality within the criteria

for all project purposes.

There would, therefore, be no basis for an allocation of costs to water quality

control. Thus, we recommend that on page 1, lines 5 and 6, the words "water

quality control," be deleted.

The allocation of costs of the Touchet division as presented during the hearings on S. 1088, 89th Congress, and with the water quality control functions

eliminated is shown in the following tabulation:

Cost allocation

As presented in

hearings on S.

1088, 89th Cong.

Reanalysis

Irrigation 

Municipal and industrial 

Flood control 

Water quality 

Fish and wildlife 

Recreation 

Highway Improvement 

$5, 612, 000

110, 000

808, 000

1, 428, 000 

8, 357, 000

187, 000

128, 000

$6,249,000

141,000

883,000

9,035,000

194,000

128,000

Total 16,630, 000 16, 630,000

Reimbursable costs:

Irrigation 5, 612, 000 6, 249, 000

Municipal and industrial 110, 000 141, 000

Fish and wildlife 656, 000 656, 000

Recreation 81, 000 81,000

Total 6, 459, 000 7, 127, 000

Nonreimbursable costs:

Flood control 808, 000 883, 000

Water quality 1, 428, 000 

Highway 128, 000 128, 000

Recreation 106,000 113,000

Fish and wildlife 7,701, 000 8, 379, 000

Anadromous (6, 295, 000) (6, 763, 000)

Other (1, 406, 000) (1, 616, 000)

Total 10, 171, 000 9, 503, 000

The effect of the elimination of water quality control as a project purpose is to

increase the allocation of joint costs to all other purposes. The irrigation and

municipal and industrial allocations would increase by $637.000 and $31,000,

respectively, and the amount of financial assistance required from the Columbia

River Federal Power System would increase by $376,500. The benefit-cost ratio

under this analysis would be 2.35 to 1 for all benefits and 1.83 to 1 for direct

benefits only.

The bill would authorize construction of Dayton Reservoir to the maximum

practical capacity of the site as proposed in our project report. This would result

in an annual water yield in excess of immediate demands. This additional water

supply can serve future irrigation or municipal water requirements. The potential irrigable lands in the valley far exceed the area which could be irrigated
6 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

with this water. Based upon the supposition that the water will ultimately be

used for irrigation, the deferred costs for unassigned space in the reservoir,

amounting to $3,287,000 exclusive of funded operation and maintenance costs,

have been allocated to irrigation, and are included in the $6,249,000 figure in the

ta,ble of allocations above. Two million nine hundred and sixty-two thousand dollars of the irrigation allocation represent costs associated with immediate irrigation uses.

All costs allocated to irrigation would be reimbursable. Paying in accordance

with their ability, the water users would return $1,281,000 of the $2,962,000 of

present-use irrigation costs over the 50-year repayment period established by the

bill. The remainder of the present-use irrigation allocation ($1,681,000) would

be repaid from revenues derived from the sale of Federal power marketed )ay the

Bonneville Power Administration.

To reflect the consolidated payout system now in effect for the Federal Columbia River power system, irrigation financial assistance should be indicated as

deriving from the system as a whole and not one of its elements. Therefore, the

second sentence of section 2 should be amended to read as follows:

"Construction costs allocated to irrigation beyond the ability of the irrigators

to repay shall be charged to and returned to the reclamation fund in accordance

with the provisions of section 2 of the Act of June 14, 1966 (80 Stat. 200), as

amended by section 6 of the Act of September 7, 1966 (80 Stat. 707)."

Flood control operation will be based on snow forecast and joint use of 15,000

acre-feet of Dayton Reservoir storage capacity on a seasonal basis. The effectiveness of such an operation plan was most recently demonstrated in the December 1964 floods in the Pacific Northwest. Joint operation of the reservoir for flood

control and conservation will require the establishment and operation of a hydrometeorological network of snow courses, gages, and forecasting equipment. This

network is included in the costs of the division allocated to flood control. Pursuant to reclamation law, the flood control allocation is a nonreimbursable cost.

The city of Dayton, Washington, has indicated its intent to purchase 1,000

acre-feet of water annually from Dayton Reservoir for municipal and industrial

purposes. Five hundred acre-feet would be used during the first 10 years of

project operations, and the full 1,000 acre-feet thereafter. Costs allocated to

municipal and industrial water supply would be repaid within 50 years with

interest at the rate specified in section 4 of the bill, subject to the deferral provisions of the Water Supply Act of 1958, as amended.

As the only sizable lake in the area, Dayton Reservoir is expected to be a popular recreation attraction. Recreation uses of the division land and water areas

will include boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, picnicking, and hunting.

Costs allocated to recreation have been treated in accordance with the Federal

Water Project Recreation Act (Public Law 89-72). Amendments to apply the

precepts of that legislation to the recreation aspects of the Touchet division

appear later in this report.

Potentially significant benefits to anadromous fish species exist at the Touchet

division. The project plan of development seeks to capitalize upon the opportunities presented. The division will store enough water to enable releases to be

made to reestablish anadromous fish runs in the Touchet River. Temperature

control over these releases, which is essential, would be maintained by building

Dayton Dam with outlet works at several levels. Among the special facilities

proposed to be built for an'adromous fishery enhancement are a trap, hopper and

tramway to carry upstream migrants over the dam and a collector system for

downstream migrants. Consistent with our position on S. 1088, 89th Congress,

we again recommend that all costs assigned to anadromous fisheries enhancement be nonreimbursable. However, the Department does not consider this to be

a continuing policy to be applied to all future projects because further consideration needs to be given to this matter. In the way of local benefits the reservoir would create a lake sports fishery; also, waterfowl hunting opportunities

are expected to materialize on project lands.

To make applicable the precepts of the Federal Water Project Recreation Act

(Public Law 89-72) regarding costs of the Touchet division allocated to recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement, and our recommendation that all costs

assigned to the enhancement of anadromous fish species be nonreimbursable, the

following amendments should be made to the bill:

(1) Delete all of section 3 (line 10, page 3, through line 13, page 8).

(2) Insert a new section 3 as follows:

"The conservation and development of the fish and wildlife resources and the

enhancement of recreation opportunities in connection with the Touchet division

shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Water Project Recre-
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 7

talon Act (79 Stat. 213). All costs allocated to the enhancement of anadromous

fish species shall be nonreimbursable."

On the basis of the foregoing proposed amendments, the recreation and fish

and wildlife enhancement costs of the Touchet division would be assigned to

the reimbursable or nonreimbursable category as follows:

Recreation:

Reimbursable (50 percent of separable costs) 

Nonreimbursable (joint costs, plus 50 percent of separable costs) _

$81,

113,

000

000

Total 

Fish and wildlife enhancement:

Reimbursable (50 percent of separable costs attributable to benefits realized at the project) 

Nonreimbursable (joint costs, separable costs attributable to enhancement of anadromous fish, and 50 percent of separable

costs attributable to benefits realized at the project) 

194,

656,

8, 379,

000

000

000

Total 

A letter has been received from the Port of Columbia County

9, 035, 000

(Columbia.

County Port District) expressing its willingness to assume the responsibility for

administering the land and water areas for recreation and fish and wildlife

enhancement and to assume the non-Federal costs in accordance with the Federal Water Project Recreation Act (79 Stat. 213).

Since the Department's feasibility report was completed, the State of Washington has upgraded its highway design standards. The road which must be

relocated around Dayton Reservoir, therefore, will be of a higher standard than

the existing road. The incremental cost of that improvement, estimated at

$128.000, would be nonreimbursable under provisions of the Flood Control Act

of 1962.

A statement of personnel and other requirements that enactment of this legislation would entail is enclosed in accordance with the provisions of Public Law

801, 84th Congress.

The Bureau of the Budget has advised that there is no objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the Administration's program.

Sincerely yours,

KENNETH HOLUM,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT, WASHINGTON-OREGON

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL MAN-YEARS OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT AND EXPENDITURES FOR THE 1ST 5 FISCAL

YEARS (AS REQUIRED BY PUBLIC LAW 801, 84TH CONG.)1

1st year 2 2d year 3d year 4th year 5th year

Estimated additional man-years of civilian employment:

Executive direction 

Administrative services and support:

Administrative officer 

Clerical and stenographic 3.0 3.0 2 1.0

Total, administrative 3.0 3.0 2 1.0

Substantive (program):

Engineering aids and technicians 6.0 6.0 6 2.0

Engineers 

Inspectors 

Other personnel 

Total, substantive 6.0 6.0 6 2.0

Total positions 9.0 9. 0 8 3.0

Total estimated additional man-years 4.8 8.2 6 1.5

Estimated additional expenditures:

Personal services 2

All other 

$200,000 $177,

1, 127,

200

800

$286,

7, 048,

074

926

$307,

6, 462,

053

947

$110,

597,

910

090

Total estimated expenditures 200,000 1,305,000 7,335,000 6,770,000 708,000

1 Salaries based on scales effective July 3, 1966.

2 1st year activity will utilize general investigation personnel and details from other offices.

Advance planning.
8 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

Senator JACKSON. The Touchet division will be wholly within

Washington although the Walla Walla project extends into Oregon

as well. It is a multipurpose development, located in the valley of the

Touchet River in south Central Washington. The Touchet is a tributary of the Walla Walla which in turn flows into the Columbia River.

The principal feature of the Touchet division would be Dayton Dam

and Reservoir on the east fork of the river, 6 miles upstream from the

city of Dayton, the largest community in the valley. The proposed

structure would be a 200-foot high earthfill dam creating a 52,600 acrefoot reservoir.

Also included are fish passage facilities at the dam and at existing

downstream dams, recreation developments at Dayton Reservoir, and

minor drainage facilities where needed. The development plan does not

contemplate construction of distribution works. Water users will continue to divert water directly from the river through individually

owned systems.

Dayton Reservoir would control the unpredictable flow of the

Touchet River, thus protecting against floods which have in recent

years caused hundreds of thousands of dollars damage and would also

provide for more dependable and extensive irrigation uses in the

Touchet Valley. Under the provisions of S. 485, 6,440 acres would receive supplemental water, guaranteeing adequate irrigation supply and

about 3,520 acres of presently dry-farmed land would receive a full

supply of irrigation water.

In all, the project will permit efficient, stable production of specialty

crops on 10,000 acres of land. This would enable farmers to shift their

crop pattern from dryland wheat, the area's principal crop, to diversified cash crops such as apples, asparagus, peas, and sugar beets.

The benefit-cost ratio is a favorable 2.77 to 1.

I have received many communications from organizations and individuals in the area, stating in their own words the need for the project

and its benefits to the economy of the entire region. I ask that these

communications be printed at the conclusion of the oral testimony on

this bill.

Due to previous commitments Senator Magnuson is not able to be

here today. He has, however, prepared a statement in support of S.

485. Senator Magnuson's statement will appear at this point in the

record.

STATEMENT OF HON. WARREN G. MAGNUSON, A U.S. SENATOR

FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

Senator MAGNUSON. The multipurpose project for the Touchet division of the Walla Walla project is an important addition to the irrigation, recreation, and conservation activities within the State of Washington. The Touchet River, now uncontrolled, will through this project assume a significant role in the economy of the entire region. The

proposed Dayton Dam will curb destructive floods, control water pollution, and provide full irrigation for at least 10,000 acres, making

fruit and vegetable production possible in an area now devoted mainly

to wheat.

Backwaters will also provide municipal and industrial water for

the city of Dayton and will create the only sizable lake in the area for

swimming, boating, and sport fishing. Salmon facilities included in
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 9

the project will produce annually approximately 40,000 salmon for

harvest in the Pacific Ocean and lower Columbia River. Thus, fishermen from the entire northwestern seaboard will share in the benefits

of this project.

Each portion of the proposal has a favorite benefit-cost ratio, the

overall ratio being 2.77 to 1 over a 100-year period.

The long-term advantages that the Touchet project will bring to

the region, coupled with its favorable economic stance and approval

by departments and agencies involved, make it a proposal I am pleased

to support. I would hope that Congress can act expeditiously to make

this project a reality.

Senator JACKSON. It is my pleasure to welcome those of you from

the State of Washington who have come to appear before this subcommittee.

We appreciate your contribution. I would especially like to welcome

the Honorable Catherine May, U.S. Representative, Fourth District;

the Honorable H. N. Woolson, mayor of Dayton; Benjamin B.

Flathers, vice president, Walla Walla Port District; Vernon Marll,

chairman, Touchet Irrigation District; and Glenn Hofer, vice president of National Association of Wheat Growers.

Our first witness this morning is the Honorable Catherine May, the

Congresswoman from the Fourth District.

We are glad to welcome you to the committee, Mrs. May.

STATEMENT OF HON. CATHERINE MAY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

Mrs. MAY. Thank you.

I am Catherine May, Representative in Congress for the Fourth

Congressional District of the State of Washington.

The bill before you today, S. 485, will authorize the Secretary of

the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain the Touchet division

of the Walla Walla project in my district. I am here to support S. 485.

I am sponsor of a similar bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 860.

Several knowledgeable witnesses from my district are in the committee room today to add their supporting testimony to that of Government witnesses. They will be glad to discuss with the subcommittee

the benefits to the people of the region that will result from this project, and are prepared to answer any questions you may have. In view

of this my statement will be very brief.

This project. is needed for several very vital reasons. The Dayton

Dam and Reservoir on the Touchet River, to be built 6 miles upstream

from the city of Dayton, will regulate the undependable flows of the

river.

This will mean irrigation water for nearly 10,000 acres of farmland.

It will mean the area will be protected from the kind of severe flood

damage that occurred in December of 1964 and January of 1965. It will

mean favorable fish, wildlife, and recreation benefits to this growing

area. And it will mean a much-needed domestic and industrial water

supply for the city of Dayton and the lower Touchet Valley. The

benefit-to-cost ratio of this $16.63 million project has been estimated

at better than 2 to 1.

I was pleased that the Senate approved this project in the previous

Congress, and I am hopeful of bearings in the House of Representa-
10 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

fives and enactment of this legislation in this current congressional

term.

Thank you very much, Senator Jackson, for this opportunity to

make this brief statement in support of S. 485.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mrs. May.

Senator Jordan, do you have any questions?

Senator JORDAN. Just one. We passed this bill in the last session.

What happened to it in the House?

Mrs. M. It did not get called up by the chairman of the House

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Senator Jordan.

Senator JORDAN. Do you have any idea why not?

Mrs. MAY. Well, I can only speculate as to what might be the background of this. I have talked to the chairman on a number of occasions.

In fairness to him, he has had a very full schedule on various projects,

and I can only tell you in quoting him that he just has not had time

to schedule this for hearings, he tells me.

Senator JORDAN. Does the project look a little better this year?

Mrs. MAY. I would say to the Senator that the fact that the Senate

itself was holding these hearings could help our chances to get a hearing on the House side very much, particularly since the chairman has

told me that we have not had a report from the Department on the bill

that I have introduced yet. Now, there is a new report on the bill on

the Senate side. I have talked to the Department and I am very hopeful a report, which has been requested by the chairman of that committee and myself, will be up to us very shortly. In this case, we can

go back to the chairman and show him we now have a report on the bill

so that this is not a stumbling block for the calling of these hearings.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mrs. May. I know you have a committee hearing in process. We are delighted to have you here this

morning.

Mrs. MAY. Thank you.

Senator JACKSON. Our next witness is the Honorable Kenneth

Holum, Assistant Secretary for Water and Power Development; accompanied by Mr. Stamm, Dr. Flannery, and Secretary Caine, of the

Department of the Interior. We are delighted to have you.

Secretary CAINE. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF HON. KENNETH HOLUM, ASSISTANT SECRETARY

FOR WATER AND POWER DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTERIOR, AND G. G. STAMM, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION; ACCOMPANIED BY DR. JAMES I.

FLANNERY, CHIEF ECONOMIST, FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION

CONTROL ADMINISTRATION; AND HON. STANLEY A. CAINE,

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE; AND JAMES

T. McBROOM, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF SPORT FISHERIES AND

WILDLIFE

Mr. HoLum. We are happy to appear before the committee and particularly happy this morning to have with me at the table my colleague, Assistant Secretary Caine.

He had planned with me that another one of my distinguished

colleagues, Assistant Secretary Di Luzio, would be here with me,
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 11

too, this morning. Because of obligations to another committee of the

Senate, Secretary Di Luzio is not here, but he is represented by Jim

Flannery of the Water Pollution and Control Agency.

I also have with me Assistant Commissioner Stamm.

I think the fact that we are here with this group indicates that water

resource planning, development, and management now and for the future is becoming an increasingly complex job involving many values

that have to be considered and evaluated in the process.

I think the fact that I am able to bring with me these colleagues from

the Department of Interior indicates that, following the reorganization

and transfer of the water pollution control to the Department of Interior, the Department is ready to do a job of evaluation on the recommendations we make to Congress.

The fact that we are here does not indicate that there are any problems on this project. In fact, it was passed by the Senate in 1965, but

it does indicate that we wanted to make these resources available to

the committee.

The Touchet Division is a worthy multiple-purpose water resources

development on the Touchet River in southeastern Washington. It

was discussed at some length before this committee in April 1965, in

connection with your consideration of S. 1088 of the 89th Congress.

Later the Senate acted favorably on S. 1088, on July 26.

Representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation and other bureaus of

the Department are prepared to supplement the record of the 1965

hearings with such additional information as the committee may desire.

I would like to address my remarks this morning to two aspects of

this proposal which involve executive interpretations of the Federal

Water Project Recreation Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and its amendatory or related legislation.

Although the Federal Water Project Recreation Act does not specifically so provide, we are recommending that the costs assigned to the

enhancement of anadromous fisheries be declared nonreimbursable.

This is consistent with our position on S. 1088 in 1965. We wish to

make clear to the committee, however, that the Department does not

consider this position on the Touchet division a precedent-setting recommendation since we in the executive branch are currently engaged

in the development of a policy for administering this matter within

the framework of existing legislation.

The plan of development for this division contemplates substantial

provisions for establishing new populations of salmon in the Touchet

River, where steelhead are now the only anadromous species which can

survive.

To this end, the plan includes continuous releases of water from the

reservoir specifically to maintain an adequate flow of water of suitable

temperature and quality from the proposed dam to the mouth of the

river, mechanical means of permitting adult salmon to pass the dam

on their way to upstream spawning areas, and specially designed outlet facilities to permit young fry to swim safely past the dam on their

way to the sea.

The costs associated with conservation and enhancement of anadro-

'mous fish total $6,763,000, of which $4,628,000 is associated with separable facilities, and the remainder with joint facilities.

This is the first hearing before this committee this year on a multiplepurpose proposal where water quality control is involved. It is also our
12 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

first appearance since January 9, 1967, when the chairman requested

us to provide facts and recommendations on this subject.

On June 16, 1967, Secretary Udall approved a statement submitted

jointly by Assistant Secretary Di Luzio and myself setting forth

recommendations for a departmental policy position on reservoir

storage for flow regulation for water quality control on Federal and

federally supported projects.

That statement delineates Interior Department policy, and copies

have been made available to the Water Resources Council and the

Bureau of the Budget for consideration as the policy of the

administration.

We propose to use the June 16, 1967, policy in formulating and

analyzing Interior Department projects until an administration policy

is determined.

We have now had some 5 years' experience working with the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of

1961, which asserted, in brief, that all Federal agencies should give

consideration in reservoir projects to inclusion of storage capacity for

water quality control, that the value of such storage shall be included

in the economic value of the project, that costs shall be allocated to the

purpose, and that the costs shall be nonreimbursable if the benefits are

widespread or national in scope.

The difficulty in computing benefits for the water quality function is

due to the inability to separate water quality as a function from the end

use of the water. In other words, the major benefits from improving

water quality are generally reflected in the measurement of the water

supply for irrigation, municipal and industrial uses, recreation, or fish

and wildlife enhancement uses.

Therefore, we came to the realization that our previous policy of

estimating water quality control benefits as the cost of the most, likely

alternative means of realizing the same benefit usually resulted in some

duplication of values reported for other functions.

The June 16, 1967, departmental policy on evaluation of water quality benefits and on reimbursability of costs allocated to water quality

is based upon this conclusion.

Federal multipurpose water resource development projects can

often contribute measurably to the goals of controlling water quality

and cleaning up polluted waters through reservoir storage releases and

the other methods when the highest, practicable levels of waste treatment will not achieve acceptable standards of water quality.

Such measures also are useful in dealing with natural and dispersed

pollutant sources. However, a rigorous analytical procedure is necessary to determine when, where, and how much water must be supplied

specifically for water quality control.

It is the intent of our evaluations procedure that water quality

facilities and releases therefrom would not be proposed except as justifiable and necessary to attain quality conditions not met by operation

of the project for other identifiable water resource purposes.

Because of the States' basic responsibilities for water management

within their boundaries, specific provisions to protect water quality

releases and to maintain necessary minimum flows in the streams are

essential to this program.

The application of this policy to specific projects requires an analysis

f the effect of proposed operating criteria for each of the basic water
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 13

use functions; namely, irrigation, municipal and industrial water

supply, fish and wildlife enhancement and recreation, to insure that

the quality needs and characteristics of each function will be met and

that the benefits may thus be fully realized.

When an identifiable portion of the downstream benefits is found

to be due to water quality enhancement as distinct from water supply

availability, such portion of the benefits would be assigned to the

purpose of water quality control.

The cost of any reservoir storage capacity or other facility required

specifically to provide releases of water for this purpose would be

specific costs chargeable to water quality control. The benefits and

costs attributable to water quality control, as thus defined, would then

be used in usual cost allocation procedures to determine the cost allocation to this purpose.

Parenthetically, Mr. Chairman, we are saying that the question of

water quality benefit evaluation has not been approached heretofore

in a manner which is at once scientifically supportable and technically

defensible and also relates costs to the identifiable objectives of improved water quality. Our new policy approach will correct this

shortcoming.

Although the 1961 amendments and the foregoing discussion allude

specifically to reservoir storage for water quality control, it is our

intention that the policy be applied in the same manner to other forms

of water quality technology which may be proposed.

We have in mind such measures as instream aeration, importing

dilution water from another stream, or withholding highly polluted

water from the stream. Still other measures may be devised as the

still new technology of water quality control advances.

As a result of studies and conferences regarding the respective

roles and responsibilities of the States and the Federal Government

in providing for water quality control in such projects, we believe that

some measure of non-Federal cost sharing would be equitable. In the

absence of other specific criteria we suggest use of the formula which

the Congress included in the Federal t- ater Project Recreation Act,

which requires that the non-Federal entity repay one-half of the separable construction costs and all of the operation, maintenance, and

replacement costs on such separable facilities. All the joint costs and

half of the separable construction costs are considered a Federal responsibility and would be nonreimbursable. The necessary administrative procedures have not yet been developed to implement this costsharing proposal.

The affected State, interstate or other responsible non-Federal public entities would be expected to give written assurances that they

would assume the responsibilities discussed, both as to financial participation and as to the guarantees of the inviolate water releases for

quality control.

Application of the foregoing principles and procedures to the

Touchet division resulted in a finding that the plan of operation for

the division will result in maintaining acceptable standards of water

quality through reservoir releases for other purposes.

All of the water proposed to be released for irrigation, municipal

and industrial supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement

is needed on a quantitative basis; no increment over those amounts is

needed to attain additional quality objectives. Therefore, no portion of

82-619-67- -3
14 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

the cost of the division is allocated to water quality control. This is a

departure from the findings we reported to the committee in 1965.

Our report on the bill sets forth the impact of the deletion of water quality control as a function of the division on the economic and finan- cial analyses.

Because the policy questions involved in your considerations of our recommendations with respect to S. 485 are of principal importance

to other areas of the Department, I have asked my colleague, Assistant

Secretary Caine, to accompany me this morning. I am sure he can

and will make a useful contribution to this hearing.

Representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of

Sport Fisheries and Wildlife are also present to discuss their plans in

more detail as the committee considers appropriate.

I also have at my right, Assistant Commissioner Stamm, who is

prepared, Mr. Chairman, to present any additional information on the project itself that you and the committee might desire to have at this time.

Senator JACKSON. Maybe it would be useful if the committee proceeded to hear from Secretary Caine before we begin our questions.

Do you have a statement?

Mr. CAINE. I do not, Senator.

Senator JACKSON. Do you wish to supplement or comment on Secretary Holum's statement with regard to the fishery resource aspects of this project?

Mr. CAINE. You will notice in his testimony, Senator, that we are recommending that the cost related to the fish that are caught downstream from the project not be reimbursable because we find it impos- sible to separate the off-site fish that will result from the project from other fish.

We find it impossible, once they are mixed in the streams, to distin- guish between those which are caught commercially or by sport fishermen elsewhere, and in any case about 70 percent of the Columbia River fish are caught in the open ocean.

For this variety of reasons, that position in Secretary Holum's testimony was mentioned very briefly, but not developed.

Senator JAcKsoN. This is the position of the Department taken arlier in the previous bill, too.

Mr. CAINE. That is correct.

• Senator JACKSON. All right, sir.

Mr. Stamm, I believe you have a statement.

Mr. Houum. If I might interject, Secretary Di Luzio did have a pre- pared statement. I would like to ask Mr. Flannery to read it or that

it be submitted for the record.

Senator ,T.\('Ksorr. All right. Let us wait until we hear from Mr.

Stamm.

STATEMENT OF G. G. STAMM, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, BUREAU

OF RECLAMATION

Mr. STAMM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to present details of our plan for the Touchet division, Walla Walla project.

We appeared before this committee in April 1965, when S. 1088,

89th Congress, was under consideration, and presented the physical,

econome, and financial data,.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 15

With your permission, therefore, today we will summarize those

data and explain the effects of the changes in the analyses to which

Mr. Holum referred.

The Walla Walla project will encompass several divisions which

together will conserve •and utilize the water resources of the entire

Walla Walla River Basin that straddles the boundary between Oregon and Washington.

Today we are concerned only with the Touchet division which will

put the waters of the tributary Touchet River to use for irrigation,

municipal and industrial water supply, flood control, fish and wildlife

enhancement, and recreation.

This division is entirely in the State of Washington.

Touchet River now has no reservoir regulation. Every year, in the

pattern of all tributary streams in the Pacific Northwest, it floods its

valleys in the spring, and by late summer the flow is drastically diminished. Although some lands were irrigated a century ago only 5,000

to 6,000 acres are now irrigated, and much of this land sloes not have

a full water supply.

Irrigation from the river has been primarily by simple gravity diversion but in recent years the acreage served by pumping has increased.

Water rights on the river have been adjudicated and a complex system of priorities has been established.

It is proposed to build Dayton Dam and Reservoir on Touchet River

a few miles upstream from Dayton, Wash. The dam would be a rolled

earthfill structure about 200 feet high. The reservoir would have a

storage capacity of 52,600 acre-feet, of which the bottom 4,400 acrefeet is inactive capacity and will provide a minimum pool for fish,

33,200 acre-feet would be used for conservation storage, for irrigation, municipal water, and fish and wildlife purposes, and 15,000 acrefeet for joint storage to be used seasonally for flood control and

conservation.

Reservoir right-of-way required for all project purposes totals 1,473

acres, all of which is now in private ownership. Of this total, two 20-

acre tracts would be acquired specifically for recreation use.

Facilities for fish enhancement would consist of a trap below the dam,

a hopper and tramway to carry upstream migrants over the dam,

multilevel outlets in the dam for temperature control of water releases

and a collector system for downstream migrants.

Recreation facilities would include boat ramps and docks, sanitary

facilities, access roads and parking areas, and overnight camp units.

The entire reservoir area would be fenced.

A hydrometeorologic network of snow courses, gages, and forecasting equipment would be operated in conjunction with the division.

Water would be released from Dayton Reservoir into the Touchet

River channel, from which it would be diverted by the irrigators and

the city of Dayton there through their own facilities.

Irrigation water would be served initially to some 9,960 acres of

land, 3,520 acres requiring a full supply, and 6,440 acres requiring

only supplemental water. These lands are located in a narrow band

along the Touchet River. About 2,000 acres are in two established irrigation districts. The remainder is in the newly formed Touchet Valley

Irrigation District lying upstream.

The lands are admirably suited to sprinkler irrigation, being about

61 percent class 1. Ownerships are generally in small tracts, and no.
16 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

difficulty is anticipated in complying with the excess land provisions

of reclamation law.

The full supply land proposed to be irrigated is now used for dry

farming or forage crops. Under project conditions row crops would

become important, dry-farm wheat acreage would be replaced by other

crops, and the acreage of speciality crops, mainly vegetables for cannine,and freezing, would increase. The production of livestock also

would increase.

Dayton Reservoir would support a substantial resident sport fishery

and provide waterfowl and wild life habitat. Water would be released

as needed to establish anadromous fish runs in Touchet River.

The city of Dayton, Wash., has indicated its interest in participating

in the project by purchasing 1,000 acre-feet of water annually from

Dayton Reservoir. The estimated use for this purpose is 500 acre-feet

for the first 10 years, and the full 1,000 acre-feet thereafter.

Flood control is an important purpose of the Touchet division.

The reservoir operation plan is based on runoff forecasts and joint use

of a portion of the storage space for flood control and conservation on

a seasonal basis.

Unpredictable rain floods having high peak and low volume runoff

frequently occur in the basin. These could generally be controlled in

Dayton Reservoir.

The December 1964 and January 1965 floods in the Touchet River

Basin were especially destructive. Incidentally, the committee was

provided with pictures of the damage done at that time.

The estimated peak flow at the Dayton damsite was 5,450 cubic

feet per second, approximately 31/2 times the previous record. Many

homes, irrigation and municipal water diversion facilities, highways,

and bridges, and a section of the Northern Pacific Railiroad were extensively damaged in the narrow river valley.

Silt and debris deposition in urban and rural areas was widespread.

The entire river basin was declared an emergency flood disaster area.

Damages of $1,290,000 would have been prevented had Dayton Reservoir been in operation during these floods an amount substantially

exceeding the total proposed allocation to flood control in the Touchet

division.

Dayton Reservoir would be a popular recreation attraction, as it

would be the only sizable lake in the general area. The National Park

Service prepared a recreation plan for the reservoir including facilities for 'boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, picnicking, and

hunting.

Dayton Reservoir is designed to the maximum economic capacity

of the site and will provide the practical limit of control of the water

resource. The average annual water yield through storage regulation,

will exceed the initial water requirements by about 23,700 acre-feet

annually.

The potential irrigable lands in the valley, far exceed the area which

could be irrigated with that water and there are indications that the

deferred yield will be subscribed shortly. Future needs of the city of

Dayton and other municipalities may also require some of this water.

Touchet River flows in the summer months diminish to a trickle or

occasionally dry up entirely. At such times the affluent from municipal

and industrial plants, particularly canneries, even though treatment

plants are in operation, impose severe pollution loads on the stream.
4

TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 17

However, studies indicate that normal operation of Dayton Reservoir for other, purposes will provide sufficient dilution to maintain

acceptable quality standards in the river. Therefore, we do not now

recommend an allocation of costs to water quality control.

The estimated cost of constructing the Touchet division is $16,630,-

000 at January 1965 prices. The allocation of costs now recommended

is compared with the allocation we presented in 1965 in the following

tabulation.

With the decrease of the allocation to water quality control the cost

allocation to other functions has increased. The irrigational allocation

increases from $52612,000 to $6,249,000.

Flood control increases from $808,000 to $883,000, minimal and industrial water from $110,000 to $141,000.

Water quality control previously was $1,428,000 and is deleted completely, fish and wild life enhancement, from $8,357,000 to $9,035,000.

Recreation increases from $187,000 to $194,000. Highway improvement does not change. It remains at $128,000 because this represents

the State having increased its standards in the interim, and this,

under separate legislation, would authorize supplying funds to provide the highway higher standards on a nonreimbursable basis.

In accordance with reclamation law, the costs allocated to irrigation

would be reimbursable without interest. The water users in the initial

development would pay a total of $1,281,000 in 50 years. This amount

of repayment is based on three levels of charges: $5.40 per acre for

those lands having no present irrigation supply; $3.80 per acre for

those having a partial but seriously deficient supply; and $1 per

acre for those having a reasonably good supply with shortages only in

mid and late season.

A development period of 10 years is recommended for the lands

which have no existing water supply rights, and a 3-year period for

those which have a partial but seriously deficient water right.

The remainder of the irrigation allocation associated with the initial

development—$1,681,000—would be repaid from revenues derived

from the sale of Federal power marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration and the sale of municipal and industrial water.

The deferred costs for unassigned reservoir storage capacity amount

to $3,287,000 all of which is tentatively allocated to irrigation. If the

deferred use storage capacity is not contracted for within the repayment period, that cost would be repaid from power revenues.

Costs allocated to municipal and industrial water supply would be

repaid with interest as provided by the Water Supply Act of 1958.

The municipal and industrial water rate is expected to be $10 per acrefoot, plus annual operation and maintenance costs. The city of Dayton

will divert directly from the river, using its own facilities.

The costs allocated to recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement

total $9,229,000. With the exception that the share of the costs properly

assignable to anadromous fishery enhancement is considered nonreimbursable

'

the provisions of the Federal Water Project Recreation

Act apply too this allocation.

We find that $8,492,000 would be nonreimbursable with interest.

The amendments to S. 485 proposed in the Department's legislative

report to the committee are designed to bring the bill in conformance

with this act.
18 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

We have received a letter from the port of Columbia County, which

states that it is willing to assume the responsibility of administering

and cost-sharing the land and water areas for recreation and fish and

wildlife enhancement at the Dayton Dam and Reservoir.

Since the Bureau's feasibility report was completed, the State of

Washington has upgraded its highway design standards. The road

which must be relocated around Dayton Reservoir therefore will be

to a higher standard than the existing road, and the incremental cost

of that improvement, estimated at $128,000 would be nonreimbursable

under provisions of the Flood Control Act of 1962.

The Touchet division is a thoroughly justified and feasible multiplepurpose reclamation development. Its economic justification is demonstrated by the favorable total benefit-cost ratio of 2.35 to 1 at January

1965 costs and a 3.18-percent interest rate.

The direct benefit-cost ratio under the same basis would be 1.83 to 1.

The potential water users are completely in accord with the plan of

development and are prepared to contract for water service.

I recommend this committee act favorably on S. 485 with the amendments proposed by the Department.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mr. Stamm.

Mr. Flannery, you have a statement from Mr. Di Luzio. I wonder

if you could hit the high points of it and maybe the rest could be put

in the record.

Dr. FLANNERY. It is a brief statement, and I can submit it for the

record.

Senator JACKSON. Go ahead and read it.

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK C. DI LUZIO, ASSISTANT SECRETARY,

WATER POLLUTION CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR:

PRESENTED BY DR. JAMES J. FLANNERY, CHIEF ECONOMIST,

FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Dr. FLAN NERY. The subject of my statement is "Storage and Flow

Regulation for Quality Control in the Context of Water Pollution

Control and a Water Quality Management."

The philosophy basic to the Department's new policy regarding flow

regulation for water quality control has implications and objectives

beyond reservoir construction and beyond its proposed immediate application to the Touchet division of the Bureau of Reclamation's Walla

-Walla project. As I view it, our new policy approach has valid meaning and applicability over the entire realm of water pollution control

and water quality management, and, by logical extension and necessity,

over the entire realm of water resource development and conservation.

Water quality and water supply are the two sides of a single coin.

The essence of our thinking is that the attainment of water quality

goals cannot be divorced from the attainment of water supply goals—

whether the schemes used are local, regional, or national in scope. With

this in mind, we also think and know that the attainment of water

quality goals can be achieved through a wide combination of means.

Waste treatment—though the mainstay of pollution control in this

combination—can be supplemented and augmented by a whole range

of pollution control means and choices, including land use controls,

reservoir storage and releases and other hydrologic-engineering tech-
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 19

niques and this enables us to devise efficient and effective plans and

projects. The results will not, and cannot, be optimal, however, unless

we look at the total system, consider the total needs quality and supply—and utilize the best combination of tools available to us. The

statutes which authorize the use of these tools are the responsibility

and concern of several Federal agencies. State governments also share

in this responsibility and concern. A thoroughly integrated and efficient program to restore and enhance the quality of our Nation's waters

must take best advantage of the contribution from each of these governmental entities.

We in the Department of the Interior are most fortunate now to

have the major share of the statutory responsibilities and agencies

involved in water quality control and enhancement. Thus, in addition

to having the lead role agency, represented by the Federal Water

Pollution Control Administration, and the major statute, the Federal

Water Pollution Control Act, we have the opportunity to bring to

bear a formidable array of skills and authorities in closely related

fields of Federal water activity. This includes the Fish and Wildlife

Service; the Geological Survey; the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation;

the National Park Service; the Bureau of Land Management; to name

some of the major ones. In the *Western States, moreover, these skills

and authorities are even further augmented by the Bureau of Reclamation and the body of reclamation law.

As Mr. Holum pointed out, the Touchet division is the first reclamation project before this committee which conforms to the Department's new policy concepts regarding the role of reservoir storage

and releases for flow regulation for quality control. To facilitate the

committee's understanding of the reasons which have led us to advocate this policy approach at this time, I should like to devote the

remainder of my statement to a more detailed explanation of our

thinking. It is well known that reservoir storage and releases—for any

purpose—affect water quality in some manner. Our policy approach

emphasizes this fact and impels the several agencies to consider the

mutuality of interests in water resource development and, consequently, in water quality, so that project design and operation can

further fulfill the quality objectives.

As I have said before, water uses cannot be considered apart from

the quality characteristics basic to, and necessary for, those uses.

Quality and quantity are integral parts of the whole, and we maintain that this physical fact must be acknowledged, measured, and

analyzed when considering how the river is to be used downstream.

Thus, fish and wildlife and recreation uses of water, for example,

being particularly sensitive to quality constraints, can be fulfilled and

realized only if the dual and integral essentials of quality and quantity

are sought and provided simultaneously. This is the key factor and

analytical feature in our policy approach.

In fact, it is also the thrust of the water quality standards which

the States have been induced to develop under the -Water Quality Act

of 1965, and which the Secretary is now reviewing for adequacy prior

to their implementation.

Two major features are involved, both relating to management

aspects. One requires that the study and analysis of a project be integrated among the several agencies with responsibility for water use
20 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

and development. The construction agency puts the project together,

after close interplay and continuous analysis of various choices and

combinations suggested by the agencies participating in this formulation process.

Quality is the unifying and essential concept. The project must be

designed not only to provide for specific uses but must be operated

to avoid detrimental effects.

That latter objective reveals the necessity of another major feature

of the policy that is, it points to the present deficiencies in laws and

institutions to manage the river for the various uses in regard to

quality. Some agency or .arrangement must be devised and instituted

to assure that the flows in the river will be maintained to fulfill the

planned purposes without adverse depletions or diversions. Such management must be in conjunction with waste controls and land drainage controls.

The attainment of this objective requires the full participation of

the States, not only in the planning process but in the management

system as well. The contemplated .financial participation of the States

will increase their appreciation of the very important stake they hold

in the game. And the State programs of water pollution control and

the State implementation plans for the water quality standards provide impetus for this participation. All in all, there is a most viable

policy base here.

For instance, in the particular project of concern here today, the

irrigation releases and the releases for fish and wildlife purposes are

sufficient, in combination with high-level treatment of cannery wastes

and other industrial and municipal wastes, to meet the quality needs

for all the water uses, especially during the critical periods of the

year and in the critical stretches of the river when fish travel and

spawning grounds are at stake. The close participation of the several

responsible agencies in the Department makes this result an achievable

reality.

. We. are ,woPking to establish similar joint .analyses with the Corps

of Engineers. A major accomplishment in this regard is the recent

agreement between the Secretaries of the Army and Interior 011

the issuance of dredging permits by the Corps of Engineers.. The

several Interior bureaus concerned will advise the corps on the water

quality effects of dredging proposals to allow the corps to require the

necessary offsets to possible damages. A similar but more closely integrated role must be devised for Interior agencies to participate hi

corps reservoir project planning and operation and to provide, in

the operation of those reservoirs, particularly during emergency situations, that water quality effects are taken into positive account.

The State role is vital here, for the States must be able to protect

the hydrologic results—the streamflows—from detrimental diversion

and depletion and from degradation through waste disposal and land

drainage. As I mentioned earlier, implementation of the water quality

standards will facilitate this end, but legislation may also be required

in several respects. .

In conclusion, I wish to stress that the new policy approach is not

limited to reservoir storage and releases for quality control. Other

means, supplementing waste treatment and land drainage controls,

are involved. Such means as in-stream aeration, waste disposal diver-
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 21

sions, canals, and channel adjustments are included. The objective is to

consider water quality in terms of water uses, just as the quality standards require—in time and in place—and then to develop thoroughgoing analyses of all pertinent factors. In this way, the best combination of waste controls and drainage controls, in conjunction with control and management of the hydrology on a river system, utilizing

whatever statutes and agencies are available and necessary, can be

established.

Certainly, it is true that we must still gain the ultimate finesse in

this respect. Once a system is built and operating there is also still a

great need to achieve effective and efficient management, to maximize

the output contemplated in the design. Equally important, of course,

is the need to consider and analyze the management aspects in the

course of planning and thus optimize the design itself. The Department is turning its talents to these ends to complete the set of tools

and arrangements necessary to do the job as best it can be done.

Thank you, sir.

Senator JACKSON. Dr. Flannery, are you satisfied that the arrangements that are proposed with reference to the cannery waste disposal

will be satisfactory and can meet the standards that the Department

is laying down on water quality control?

Dr. FLANNERY. The water quality standards, under the Water Quality Act of 1965, do not pertain to that stretch. That stretch, apparently, is outside the interstate river definition. However, we have

supervision of the situation through the regular water pollution control program and the arrangements there are satisfactory between us

and the State. We will have that control.

Senator JACKSON. Wouldn't the fact that the Touchet, the water

from which eventually goes into the Columbia, bring it within interstate provisions?

Dr. FLANNERY. When we demonstrate that a pollution effect on a

tributary stream adversely affects the mainstream, yes.

Senator JACKSON. You would have to show that it has an adverse

effect on the mainstream?

Dr. FLANNERY. Yes.

Senator JACKSON. Mr. Holum, I address this to you and Mr. Stamm:

From your testimony here, I take it that the main change in your position and the position of the Department since last year is the elimination of water quality control as a nonreimbursable item. As a result of

that deletion, which amounted to $1,428,000, you have increased the

allocation for irrigation and municipal and industrial purposes

$637,000 for irrigation and $31,000 for municipal.

In addition, of course, you have increased the allocation from the

Columbia River Federal power system by $376,000. So that is, in

essence, the change, is it not, in the allocation of costs in connection

with this project?

Mr. HoLum. That is absolutely correct, Mr. Chairman. The only

significant change in the project that was favorably considered by the

Senate in 1965 and the project day is the deletion of water quality control as a nonreimbursable. That is why we have taken pains to bring

that forth.

In the Walla Walla project, we wrestled with this for awhile, and

then went along with the House decision to make it reimbursable.

Senator Allott ?
•

22 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

Senator ALLOTT. As I look at these figures, total costs are $16,630,000?

Mr. HoLum. That is correct.

Senator ALLOTT. And of this, only $5,461,000 is reimbursable, so that

only 42 percent, 42.3 percent of the cost is reimbursable?

Mr. HoLum. The reimbursable costs under the 1967 proposal is

$7,127,000, because the reanalysis for water quality drops out as a nonreimbursable function and it increases the allocations to municipal and

irrigation water and the other reimbursable functions.

Senator ALLOTT. In percentage terms, how much does that increase

the reimbursable costs?

Mr. HoLum. The percentage I haven't computed.

Mr. STAMM. We can provide those in a few minutes.

Senator JACKSON. It is about a 10-percent increase, is it not, in reimbursable costs? Are you referring to reimbursable?

Senator ALLOTT. Yes; reimbursable costs.

Senator JACKSON. It is pretty close to 10 percent.

Senator ALLOTT. What is the percentage of your reimbursable costs?

while you are computing that, I will ask another question.

On page 7 of Mr. Stamm's statement—I believe it is Mr. Stamm's—

in the middle paragraph he says that the costs of municipal and industrial water supply is expected to be $10 per acre-foot. Now as I

recall it, the costs in the previous contracts of reclamation have run

$25 to $30 an acre-foot for municpal and industrial water. How does it

come you are selling this water so cheaply, sir?

Mr. STAMM. Actually, the cost of municipal water from reclamation projects has varied from less than $10—in fact, out of the Colorado River storage it is about $7—up to substantially in excess of this,

up to $35 and $40, and we have one in prospect that may run as high

as $50 an acre-foot.

However, these relate both to the cost of providing the water and

the services provided. In many cases the cost of municipal and industrial water includes diversion and distribution systems. In this case,

the only cost is the reservoir storage and release, and the Federal Government would provide no diversion or conveyance facilities to the

city of Dayton. The water would merely be released at the reservoir.

Senator ALLOTT. What other projects have we had in the last 3 or 4

years that have as low a municipal and industrial water cost as $10 an

acre-foot?

Mr. STAMM. I think the established rate on the Colorado River storage project, again where it is only making stored water available with

no diversion or conveyance facilities, is $7 an acre-foot.

Senator ALLOTT. What project?

Mr. STAMM. Navajo. The same rate is provided for the several reservoirs on the Colorado River, and I think 

Senator ALLOTT. We had one here for Washington a couple of years

ago up in the Northwest that would cost around $30 an acre-foot.

Mr. STAMM. Again, I don't know any of the Northwest projects where

the Federal cost was that high, Senator Allott, and there is a municipal

and industrial rate for the—Senator Allott, I think the Tuaalitin

project, which was heard and enacted by the Congress last year, also

carries a municipal and industrial function, and I believe the rate there

is even less than this one. I believe it is $5 an acre-foot, but I would

have to check that to be really sure.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 23

Senator ALLOTT. For municipal and industrial water?

Mr. STAMM. Yes, sir. Again, this is merely making water available

in the river to the municipality.

Senator ALLorr. Now, sir, on page 6 of your statement you talk about

repayment of water for irrigation. You have a level of $5.40 for those

lands having no present irrigation supplies, which I think is reasonable. But you have $5.40 per acre. Now, what is this figure in acre-feet?

What do you figure that an acre requires for irrigation in that area?

Mr. STAMM. Three and a half acre-feet per acre, divided into $5.40

would be less than $2 an acre-foot.

Senator ALLOTT. Do you know of any other place that the water has

been supplied to irrigators at such a cost?

Mr. STAMM. Yes. I think there are a good many. This repayment in

all cases, as you know, and pursuant to the 1938 Reclamation Project

Act, is based on the water users' ability to pay, and these rates are established pursuant to detailed farm management analyses taking into

account all items of income and expenses of the farmer. Under our

policies he is required to pay at least 75 percent of his calculated ability

to pay. I recognize in these cases the cost to the farmer is going to be

substantially more than $5.40 per acre, because again they have their

own diversion facilities and their own pumping plants to maintain

power costs, and I believe the total costs raise the cost to the farmer to

about $17.

The pumping power amounts to about $7.90 an acre, the interest

and equity on investment, $1.65, and adding repairs, depreciation, and

operating interest brings those costs to $11.65, plus the $5.40, which

brings the total cost for sprinkler service to $17 an acre.

Senator ALLOT'''. Are these all going to be pumped out of the river?

Mr. STAMM. Some will be gravity diversion.

Senator ALLOT'''. Why is there a lower differential in the supplemental supply?

Mr. STAMM. Because they don't require as much project water to

supplement their nonproject entitlement.

Senator ALLOTT. Shouldn't there be the reverse? Shouldn't it be

more expensive rather than less expensive?

Mr. STAMM. Well, not necessarily so.

Senator ALLom You go as low as $1 per acre at 3.5 for the reason

you supply the shortages in the light season, so those people would be

paying less. Well, it is impossible to tell from the figures you have

here, but,-

Mr. STAMM. They would be getting quite a little less project water.

Some of those individuals may have a water supply that some years is

completely adequate. In other words, the diversion for those people

would probably be in the range of less than 1 acre-foot.

Senator ALLorr. One acre-foot. So the cost for them would go down

to a maximum of $1 per acre-foot for irrigation water?

Mr. STAMM. For the people who have a nearly adequate supply

now.

Senator ALLOTT. Do you have any area where a comparable price has

been set by the Department of the Interior on supplemental water?

Can you cite me an example?

Mr. STAMM. I think I could cite examples where we sell water to

irrigation districts, contract with the district for certain quantities of
24 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

water, and the district distributes that to its water users on the basis

of their need, and they pay in accordance with their need and the rates

and the charges to the individual water users do vary.

Senator ALLcrrr. You have taken the water quality control out as a

nonreimbursable item, and put it in as a roimbursable item?

Mr. STAMM. We have distributed it to the other functions, and to

the extent that the function itself is reimbursable, the reallocation and

the increased cost is reimbursable. To the extent that it has been reallocated to nonreimbursable functions it would be nonreimbursable.

Mr. HoLum. Senator Allott, underlying that is the determination by

the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration that the other

purposes of the project are designed to provide, particularly the water

available for irrigation, municipal and industrial water supply, and

fish and wldlife enhancement will maintain adequate quality, so there

is not a water quality benefit from the project. That is what led to it.

Senator AmAyrT. On your allocation of cogs, which total $16,600,000

at 1965 prices, you have allocation of costs of six and a quarter million,

in round figures, $6,249,000 to be exact, and six and a quarter million

to irrigation. Your fish and wildlife enhancement, which is a nonreimbursable item, is it not—

Mr. HoLum. Yes, sir.

Senator ALLorr (continuing) . Jumps to $9,035,000, so your nonreimbursable portion of this project for fish and wildlife enhancement

is 50 percent larger than the reimbursable portion for irrigation.

Mr. HoLum. That is correct.

Senator ALLorrr. And even if you add the $141,000 that you have in

for municipal and industrial water, it still is almost 50 percent more

than in the cost allocable to irrigation. Is that correct?

Mr. HoLum. This is a unique and significant opportunity to improve

the tremendously valuable fishery resource.

Senator ALLOTT. I am always interested in people who suffer from

the ravages of floods, and we have had such situations in Colorado, and

we tried to conserve water, too. I see no impetus on the part of the

Department of the Interior to report out the Narrows project in

Colorado, which has lost us upward of 300,000 acre-feet of water in

the valley, if it had been used.

What is the status of that project? I don't seem to be able to get any

satisfactory answers any other way, so I will ask it here.

Mr. HOLUM. Senator Allott, it is easy to understand your impatience,

and I can assure you that the Narrows project is under very active

consideration in the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Mr. STAMM. I might mention one aspect of the Narrows project that

is getting attention now in the Department—expedited attention, in

the Department. There is a water quality function involved in the

Narrows, and to maintain the appropriate water quality between the

Narrows damsite and the State line requires some water dilution.

The constitution of the State of Colorado is such that this function

could not be recognized, as I understand it, under the State constitution, and there is no assurance that if the water were put in the stream

at the dam that it would remain there until it gets to the State line

to serve this function.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 25

Recognizing this situation, the project was formulated eliminating

the water quality function, but in reconsideration, the decision was

made that this shouldn't be a Department of the Interior decision.

The State of Colorado ought to have the opportunity to decide

whether it can, through modification of the constitution or otherwise,

take advantage of the opportunities for quality control in connection

with this project, so we are preparing right now the alternative figures

to put in the report, and we hope to have this done rather soon, because

we also are anxious to get this project reported out.

Mr. HOLUM. I think we would be doing the State of Colorado a great disservice if, in our wish to move quickly, we don't provide an opportunity for this benefit to the State.

Senator ALLOTT. I appreciate your concern, and I am sure the people

of Colorado do. This project has been on the boards for some 20-odd

years, and we are concerned about it. I think there are ways, if they

are ever discussed with the Colorado people or their representatives

in Congress, that whatever problems there are could be worked out;

but at least we would like the opportunity to work them out.

Mr. HoLum. We are doing our best.

Senator ALLOTT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to go to the floor.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Senator Allott.

Senator Jordan?

Senator JORDAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Holum, the cost of this project has been given us as $16,630,000;

is that correct?

Mr. HOLUM. That is right.

Senator JORDAN. The cost of the fish and wildlife enhancement,

$9,035,000. Is that correct?

Mr. HOLUM. That is correct.

Senator JORDAN. I figure the cost of the fish and wildlife enhancement is nearly 55 percent of the total cost. Is that about right?

Mr. HOLUM. I would think so.

Senator JORDAN. What is the height of the proposed dam?

Mr. HOLUM. About 200 feet.

Senator JORDAN. Has the Department of Interior or anyone ever successfully passed fish over a 200-foot dam migrating upstream and the fingerlings downstream?

Mr. STAMM. Yes. The proposal here is to set up a mechanism to trap the fish below the dam and a tramway system to carry them up and release them above the dam. This has been done elsewhere, and when this procedure is followed, it doesn't make too much difference what the height is.

Senator JORDAN. If you take them up in elevators it wouldn't make

any difference in the upstream migrants. How about the fingerlings coming downstream?

Mr.''STAMM. I would prefer to have Secretary Caine answer that.

Senator JORDAN. I will put my question to Secretary Caine. Have

you evet successfully passed downstream fingerlings over a 200-foot dam?

Mr. CAINE. As I understand it, Senator Jordan, this dam is designed with a system to pass the fish down, and there are other cases where fish have been passed up over dams.
26 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

Senator JORDAN. Yes passed up. You could put them in elevators

and take them a mile high, but have you ever taken fingerlings successfully down over a 200-foot head?

Mr. McBnoom. My name is James T. McBroom. I am Assistant Director of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.

There are systems for downstream passage that work well on the

Pelton Dam and the Collins River Dam.

Senator JORDAN. What is the head of the Pelton Dam?

Mr. McBnoors. About 300 feet.

Senator JORDAN. Are you successfully passing the fingerlings downstream at Pelton?

Mr. MCBROOM. I would have to qualify the "successfully," sir.

Senator JORDAN. What is the attrition?

Mr. McBnoom I would say 60 percent, sir.

Senator JORDAN. What would you think it would be passing them

down a 200-foot head?

Mr. McBnoom. I would expect 75 or 80 percent.

Senator JORDAN. What is the head of the Collins ?

Mr. McBrioom. About 350 feet.

Senator JORDAN. What is the attrition rate there?

Mr. McBnoom. About the same as Pelton.

Senator JORDAN. About 60 percent?

Mr. McBnoom. Yes.

Senator JORDAN. Have you paced fingerlings downstream over heads

higher than those?

Mr. McBnoom. No, sir. As you know, Senator, there is research going

on, on this.

Senator JORDAN. We are all very much interested in it.

It seems like a very high percent of the cost of the project allocated

to nonreimbursable function to fish and wildlife enhancement when

the likelihood of success of the stream passage of the fingerlings is not

too promising.

Mr. MCBROOM. We believe that the costs here, Senator Jordan,

justify it. Of course, the main part of the project would provide better

flows downstream from the dam. We think this is very important as

far as the fisheries aspect of this project goes.

Senator JORDAN. What new devices are you using for passing these

fingerlings downstream? I wasn't aware of any successful devices that

were in operation to take care of such heads as we are talking about.

Mr. McBnoom. Of course, if the darn is spilling, there is no problem.

The fingerlings could pass over the spillway.

Senator JORDAN. But when they go through the turbines that is when

the damage is done?

Mr. McBnoom. Yes. If you have a low-head turbine, they could pass

through there without damage.

Senator JORDAN. That is right.

Mr. McBnoors. On the higher head, we hope the multiple outlets,

such as are being planned on the Dayton Dam, will allow them to pass

successfully.

We are also hoping to have an artificial outlet, floating at the top of

the dam, which will attract the fish to it.

Senator JORDAN. I note for a number of years dams were designed on

he Columbia at a maximum height of 90 to 100 feet. It was calculated
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 27

at that time as the limit over which you could pass the downstream

fingerlings without an attrition loss that would be excessive, but you

have now gone up to 200 and 350 feet, and you have said that you can

do this successfully?

Mr. McBRoom. We have a lot more research to do, Senator, but we are

satisfied that we can get enough fingerlings down to make our estimate on this project, and what it will do for salmon in the future.

Senator JORDAN. To the extent you can justify 55 percent total cost to

this function?

Mr. McBRoom. Yes, sir.

Senator JORDAN. That is all.

Senator JACKSON. The Chair would like to compliment our colleague

from Idaho in asking some excellent questions. Senator Jordan has

been involved in this problem for a long time. The questions were helpful, and this is a difficult problem.

As I understand it, what you are trying to do is restore the anadromous fish flow in this area. In the summer months there is not sufficient water in the Touchet River for the salmon to go upstream and

spawn, and by proper control of Touchet River waterflow you hope to

be able to restore the run of fish. There were a substantial number of

fish going upstream in years gone by?

Mr. CAINE. Yes, sir.

Senator JORDAN. May I interject another comment here, Mr. Chairman? I think this is highly important, because if we can successfully

pass these downstream fingerlings over a 350-foot head, then I want a

restudy made of the site on the Snake River in Idaho. If we can do it

over 300 feet, let's do it over 500 feet.

Senator JACKSON. Dr. Caine, you have your work cut out for you.

There is the added fact here, that you are not dealing with turbines,

because this is a nonpower project.

Thank you, gentlemen, we appreciate your testimony and having

your responses.

The Chair will call now the three representatives from the area, the

Honorable H. Woolson, mayor of the city of Dayton, Mr. Benjamin

Flathers, vice president of the Walla Walla Port District, Prescott,

Wash., and Mr. Vernon Marll.

If you gentleman will be seated.

Each of you have statements. I think in the interests of time, the

Chair will ask Mr. Marll to act as spokesman, and each of you can have

your statement put in the record.

All right, Mr. Marll, would you proceed with your statement.? Just

pull the microphone in front of you.

STATEMENT OF VERNON MARLL, PRESIDENT, TOUCHET VALLEY

IRRIGATION DISTRICT, DAYTON, WASH.

Mr. MARLL. My name is Vernon Marl]. I am a farmer at Dayton,

Wash., and president of the Touchet Valley Irrigation District.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify in support of the Senate

bill 485.

The Touchet Valley Irrigation District is located in the southeastern part of Washington State. Lands within the district lie along the

Touchet River and extend from the Dayton damsite about 4 miles
28 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

southeast of the community of Dayton some 50 miles to the community

of Touchet. The district forms a narrow arc whose radium extends

15 to 20 miles north from the city of Walla Walla, the principal community in southeast Washington State.

The district was formed in June 1964 with an overwhelming favorable vote of nearly 97 percent and comprises 7,950 acres suitable for

irrigation. In addition, the proposed Dayton Reservoir would provide capacity for an additional 9,000 acres—applications from owners

of lands outside the boundary to come into the district are already

before the district board and it is anticipated that practically all of

this area will eventually be included.

The district is in dire need of a full water supply during the full

irrigation season to properly irrigate our lands. Our cropping patterns and production are limited in 'varying degrees to existing water

rights and total water cutoff at the peak of the irrigation season. The

Dayton Reservoir will regulate the river flow and provide a supply

in the traditionally water short months.

At present our lands are devoted largely to production of wheat

and barley. The availability of a full water supply will bring a wide

diversification of crops, our soil and climate are ideal for production

of crops that can be processed in the new existing facilities in Walla

Walla, Waitsburg, and Dayton. The additional income would then

strengthen the economy of the entire region tremendously.

Of great importance to the valley is the large measure of flood control that would result from the construction of the dam. The history of

the valley is one of recurring floods, two of the most devastating having

occurred on December 22, 1964, and late January 1965, when conservative estimates by local, State, and Federal authorities placed losses

from flooding at many millions of dollars. Losses of roads, bridges,

and buildings have been restored from time to time, but the image in

terms of lost topsoil is irreplaceable.

Municipalities are discovering that a dependable water supply source

is of grave importance. We understand Dayton was forced to impose

rigid restrictions this summer.

Of great interest is the recreational potential of this project. The

Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington are famous as a recreational area. The need of additional facilities to serve our expanding

population is daily becoming more obvious. The planned construction of marinas and boating facilities in the reservoir area will serve

to fill the need for the entire area.

We also understand that the construction of this project will vastly

enhance the fish runs in the Touchet and Columbia Rivers through

improved water quality and increased streamflow of the Touchet

River. Not only will this bring through additional sport fishery a

much needed recreational value, but will provide a continuing supply

of commercial salmon for this valuable Pacific Northwest industry.

We thus respectfully submit that this project is justified on the

grounds that we have outlined above. •

The local farmer would benefit by saving continued erosion and

other losses from flooding, and by making available additional crops

that cannot now be produced. The crops would be procesed locally,

furnishing employment to many people of the area. A dependable
TOIJCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 29

municipal water supply would also be assured. The severe damage

suffered from floods would indicate that the project is necessary from

that point of view alone. The project would also provide recreational

facilities for many people of the region.

Thank you for your courteous time and attention.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, Mr. Mar11. We appreciate your

statement.

Mayor Woolson, would you like to make a short comment, and

your statement will be included in full in the record.

STATEMENT OF HON. H. N. WOOLSON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF

DAYTON, WASH., ON BEHALF OF THE PORT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

Mr. WooLsoN. Yes I am here in two capacities: As mayor of the

city of Dayton, and attorney for the Port District of Columbia

County.

Our problem is too much water in the wintertime and not enough

water in the summertime. We hope this can be controlled by construction of the Touchet Dam.

If the Congress sees fit to pass this bill, the Columbia County Port.

District, which I represent, is ready to construct the recreational

facilities at the lake.

Senator JACKSON. Yes. The water is important, and as I understand it, you will construct your own diversion work.

Mr. WooLsoN. Yes.

(The prepared statement of Mayor H. N. Woolson follows :)

STATEMENT OF H. N. WOOLSON, MAYOR, CITY OF DAYTON, WASH., ON BEHALF

OF THE PORT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY

I am appearing here on behalf of the City of Dayton, Washington, and also

on behalf of the Port District of Columbia County.

Insofar as the Port District is concerned, my appearance is to assure this

committee that the Port District is prepared to develop and maintain the

recreational facilities that would be established in the lake behind the proposed

Touchet Valley Dam.

The recreational facilities, of course, serve a purpose not only in our own

community but also in the Tr -Cities of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland and,

of course, the entire southeastern Washington area. Because of the shortage

of recreational facilities in that area, many of their residents take advantage

of the recreational facilities provided by the Blue Mountains, and we have

every confidence that if the Touchet Valley Dam is constructed, there would

be a much greater use of the Blue Mountain recreational area.

The Columbia County Port District has funds on hand for the construction

of the recreational facilities.

The other statement I would like to make is on behalf of the City of Dayton.

The clam, as you know, would be about four miles south of the City of Dayton.

Our problem within the city is too much water in the winter and too little in the

summer. In December of 1964 and again in January of 1965, our community

was struck by a disaster flood. The flood inundated our city water filter plants

as well as the city disposal plant. Many of the streets were covered with water

and a great amount of damage was caused to private property.

It is the hope that construction of the Touchet Valley Dam will assist

greatly in preventing future damage to our city by the flooding of the Touchet

River.

The terror of the night of the flood, of course, subsides in one's mind as the

days go by, ad on a hot day in August it is hard now to even imagine the

feeling of panic that was present during the flood.
30 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

The other side of the coin is the shortage of water during the summer

growing season. Three times this summer it was necessary for the City of Dayton

to ration the use of its water.

Our community, of course, is dependent almost entirely upon the production

of agricultural products and with the development of a greater amount of

irrigated land, there would be the obvious economic contribution to the community I represent as well as to the entire southeastern Washington area.

The water table level of our municipal well has dropped alarmingly within

the last four or five years. In fact, in that period of time it has dropped more

than fifty feet.

With the construction of the Touchet Valley Dam my community would be

assured of an adequate supply of water for both the domestic users as well

as the commercial enterprises within the area.

May I, therefore, respectfully suggest that the construction of the Touchet

Valley Dam would be of great benefit to our city in assuring it an adequate

supply of water and in lessening the danger of damage to our city by floods

and that the entire southeastern Washington area would be served by the

recreational facilities that the Port District of Columbia Couny is prepared to

develop.

Senator JACKSON. Mr. Flathers.

STATEMENT OF BEN FLATHERS, VICE PRESIDENT, THE WALLA

WALLA COUNTY PORT COMMISSION

Mr. FLATHERS. I am a farmer, and president of the Walla Walla

Port District.

With your permission, I request this statement of support on my

part, and also the Port Commission, be made a part of the record of

this hearing.

Senator JACKSON. Your statement will be included in full in the

record.

(The prepared statement of Ben Flathers follows:)

STATEMENT OF BEN FLATHERS, PRESCOTT, WASH.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Ben Flathers. I am a farmer and live

in Prescott in southeastern Washington on the Touchet River. My ranch was

homesteaded in 1859 by my grandfather and has remained in the family since.

In addition, I am Vice President of the Walla Walla County Port Commission

whose purpose is developing the economic growth within the county.

The hill ground of my farm is used for growing wheat and harley. However,

part of the fiat land of my property is irrigated with water from the Touchet

River adjudicated from a previous water right. This irrigated ground is planted

to asparagus which is utilized by local processors. The remainder of this flat

land raises wheat because of lack of irrigation. The irrigated ground supports

four men for eight months and at harvest time supplies work for up to eighty

men for three months. Whereas if this same land was in grain production every

other year, it would only require one man year round.

As a youngster, I recall helping my father and uncles build a temporary diversion dam every spring on the Touchet River about two miles north of Prescott.

In those days we used horses on fresnos and slips. The purpose was to divert

water to our ranch and others along the ditch for irrigation use. Not only would

a Touchet River dam provide a regular flow of irrigation water for ranches in

the valley, it would also provide the river with a much needed flood control

system. During winter or spring, floods can become one-half mile wide and

about six-feet deep. In the late summer the river is narrow enough to jump

across. These floods cover crops with silt, deposit gravel bars on rich soil and

leave debris that is expensive and time consuming to remove. We have a constant annual maintenance program after the flood season to keep the river from

cutting new channels.

Recently the Walla Walla County Port Commission built warehouse facilities

and a railroad siding to help establish a 3,200 acre farm operation out of what

was previously unproductive pasture land. That land once required approximately
TOITCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 31

100 acres to sustain one cow only six months. In 1965, prior to the farm operation, that land had an assessed valuation of $30,450 and a tax of $1,432.67. But

with water pumped from the Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River to irrigate the

farm operation, the 1967 assessed valuation rose to $259,800 with taxes at

$13,673.27, plus a personal property tax of $51,730 and an estimated annual payroll of $181,000 to $200,000. Fifteen full-time employees are required on the farm

operation plus seasonal employment for seventy-five more.

This success study has proven to the Port District and everyone in the area

the Importance of Irrigation to the future economy of this area.

Senator JACKSON. Any questions?

Senator JORDAN. I am pleased to have these men here from the State

of Washington. Dayton is a lovely city, the Touchet River and the

Touchet Valley, is a beautiful place. Thank you for your statements.

Senator JACKSON. Thank you, gentlemen. We appreciate having your

testimony.

A letter from the Governor of Washington, Hon. Daniel Evans, will

be included in the record at this point followed by a statement of

H. Maurice Ahlquist, director, Department of Water Resources of the

State of Washington.

(The data referred to follow:)

STATE OF WASHINGTON,

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR.

Olympia, August 4, 1967.

HOD. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: I am pleased that your committee has scheduled a

hearing August 10, 1967, on S. 485 for authorization of the Touchet Division of

the Walla Walla Project, Washington.

The rivers and streams of Washington State are major suppliers of salmon

stock to the Pacific Ocean, and, as such, are of tremendous value to both the sport

fishery and the commercial fishing industry.

The Touchet River is a stream particularly well adapted to support certain

species of anadromous fish. However, the appropriation of water to satisfy other

needs, and the loss of natural cover in portions of the watershed have depleted

the Rows beyond the point where these runs can now be adequately supported.

The Touchet Division's Dayton Dam would provide the required minimum flows

to maintain a valuable fishery resource, together with providing benefits to other

important multipurpose uses.

It is my belief that the long range benefits to the sport and commercial fishing

industries more than offset the Federal investment required as a non-reimbursable

allocation.

Over and above this inter-regional consideration, storage and regulated releases

are vitally necessary to the optimum development of the related land resources

of the Touchet Valley. Benefits from the project for municipal and irrigation

supplies, for water quality, flood control and recreation are highly important factors to the continued social and economic progress in this tri-state area, and particularly to the State of Washington.

I sincerely hope the committee will report favorably on this bill.

Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

DANIEL J. EVANS, Governor.

STATEMENT OF H. MAURICE AHLQUIST, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF WATER

RESOURCES, STATE OF WASHINGTON

We are advised that Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs will

hear witnesses and accept testimony on August 10 in Washington, D.C. on Senate Bill No. 485, authorizing the Touchet Division of the Walla Walla Project,

Washington.

The Department of Water Resources has reviewed reports of the Bureau of

Reclamation and others on this project. In accordance with state statutes, we sub-
•

32 TOD-CHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

mit herewith the official views and recommendations of the State of Washington

relative to this project and Senate Bill No. 485.

The Touchet River valley is one of a number of watersheds in this state wherein water supplies to the adjacent lands are limited to the available, but uncontrolled, natural stream flows. Much of the original ground cover in the Touchet

Basin has been removed due to logging operations, agricultural and urban development. At times these factors accentuate an early runoff, such that the natural flows available do not coincide with the water demands or requirements.

Full water rights are enjoyed by a comparably small number of owners of the

earlier-developed lands. On the present basis of natural flow, the bulk of lands

that could benefit from a full irrigation supply, are restricted to a very limited

period of water use or have no water available for use at all.

We particularly wish to emphasize that farms in the Touchet Valley are family

owned and operated. Landowner interest in the project has been outstanding, and

an irrigation district was formed in 1964 in anticipation of favorable action by

the Congress, and in support of the Bureau of Reclamation plan for this project.

Marketing and processing facilities in Dayton, Waitsburg, Walla Walla and

in the adjoining Columbia Basin area are capable of handling the additional

volume of production these lands could yield through an adequate and dependable water supply.

Although the allocation for flood control appears small in comparison with

benefits to irrigation, quality control and fish and wildlife enhancement, the

need is very real in both the urban and rural areas of the basin. As of July 1,

1967 a total expenditure of nearly $7150,000 in local, state and federal monies, has

been invested in flood control in the Touchet Basin. 'Despite this, the last major

floods of December 1964 and January 1965 resulted in $1.75 million of damages in

the basin. Storage above Dayton would be an integral part of the channel and

revetment improvements, and would have substantially reduced the damage

figures.

We concur with the report of the Bureau of 'Reclamation relative to municipal

water supply and quality control benefits to be derived from the project. and

understand that local agencies have indicated a willingness to assume those

responsibilities for reimbursable portions of separable costs.

'Senate Bill No. 485 brings into focus a basic point relative to fish and wildlife

enhancement. We concur that it is appropriate to allocate a calculable, nonreimbursable benefit for fish and wildlife that extends beyond the project area.

With a minimum flow of 30 c.f.s., made possible through the Division's principle

feature—the Dayton Dam, the Touchet River watershed is capable of providing

spawning area to a potential escapement of 5,0(X) spring Chinook and 5,000 Coho

salmon, annually. The commercial and sports catch of salmon incubated and

reared in the Touchet system would contribute to the fishery for at least 400

miles downstream from the Dayton Dam site to the mouth of the Columbia, as

well as in the Pacific Ocean fishery off Washington and adjacent coastal areas.

Based on the state fishery management catch-to-escapement ratio of 3:1, the

harvest value of the Touchet River salmon resource would amount to $14,750,000,

over a 50-year project life.

Further comments by the Washington State Department of Fisheries are

attached as an appendix to this statement.

The state also recognizes that the Touchet project can provide substantial

benefits to the steelhead fishery of the Columbia River system, and would provide

an additional, and much needed, fishing lake and game fish environment to the

area.

In accordance with Public Law 89-72 and data furnished us, it is our understanding that cooperative effort is required for recreation 'and sports fish and

wildlife, and that assurances are needed in support of these phases of the project.

These assurances for initial separable construction costs are understood to constitute one-half of the development costs. In addition, the assurance must cover

the annual operation and maintenance of those features.

The Department of Water Resources is confident that a fully competent governmental agency or agencies will be available to sponsor the reimbursable

aspects of recreation and fish and wildlife features of the project in order to

justify the benefits credited to it.

Please be assured that upon authorization of the project and availability of

firm design plans and project costs, this office will personally make every effort

that the details of individual agency assurances for the several parts of this

commitment will be arranged to meet the requirements of definite development

schedules and maintenance requirements.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 33

Finally, recognizing the need for and benefits of the project, the Department

of Water Resources has withdrawn all public waters of the Touchet River and

its tributaries from further appropriation for a period of one year. Extensions

will be granted as necessary so that the unappropriated supply will be available

for use in the development of the Touchet Division.

In view of these factors, the State of Washington strongly endorses Bureau

plan and urges speedy and favorable consideration of Senate Bill No. 485.

STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

Olympia, Wash., August 2, 1967.

Re Touchet River.

Mr. H. MAURICE AHLQTJIST,

Director, Department of Water Resources,

Olympia, Wash.

DEAR MR. AHLQUIST : In answer to your inquiry with reference to fishery

benefits referred to in the "Walla Walla Project, Touchet Division" as proposed

for the reservoir project by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Referring back to the initial data that was produced in 1956, the following

information is presented with the evaluation up-dated to 1967. Initially it is

considered that the Touchet River watershed has a potential annual escapement

figure of 5000 spring chinook salmon. The area is also capable of supporting an

escapement of 5000 coho salmon. With reference of our basic data of catch to

escapement at 3: 1 these figures are indicative of producing a catch of 15,000

fish per each species. These numbers of fish thus produced to catch are: spring

chinook-255,000 pounds, coho salmon-120,000 pounds annually, The first wholesale value at present day prices would thus be: spring chinook ct $.85 per

pound=--$217,000 ; coho salmon @ $.65 per pound=$78,000, which would produce

a total annual value of $295,000. On the basis of 50 year project life this product

value is $14,750,000.

As the development of water uses have exterminated the salmon runs from

this 'stream, the above value would totally be benefits.

It is well to relate some additional initial recommendations which have changed

through the period of evolution for development of the latest Bureau of Reclamation report.

1. Stream flows for transportation of fish should be not less than 50 cfs,

The Bureau of Reclamation indicated the reservoir capacity was not sufficient to support these flows, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed that 30

cfs is sufficient (this quality is defined finitely as transportation water and

would not take into account the present day problem of pollution which

actually requires considerably greater flow in able to supply water quality

•to maintain a desirable DO content). The April 1963 Bureau report, however, indicates a dam can be constructed to include 24,470 acre-feet of unassigned storage space. (annual filling may be questionable.)

2. Adequate fish passage will be needed, present and proposed, which include fish facilities at reservoir dams to allow spawning benefits of the

upper drainage basins.

3. Complete screening of the diversions will be necessary. This phase initially has been completed under separate Fish and Wildlife funding to

provide protection for the present existing steelhead run.

4. The flows referred to in the Touchet River must remain in the drainage

system through the lower Walla Walla River.

This department is heartily in support of this reservoir project which would

allow a re-introduction of salmon runs into the Touchet River.

Very truly yours,

THOR C. TOLLEFSON, Director.

MAY 24, 1967.

NORMAN H. MOORE,

Acting Regional Director,

Bureau of Reclamation,

Region 1,

Boise, Idaho.

DEAR MR. MOORE : This will acknowledge receipt of your notice dated May 23,

1967, of withdrawal of water under the provisions of 90.40.030 RCW, stating

that the United States intends to make examinations and surveys for the utilization of unappropriated waters of the Touchet River and all tributary channels
34 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

leading thereto, including all waste, seepage, drainage and return flow in connection with the development of the Touchet Division, Walla Walla Branch.

This notice will be made a matter of record in this office, and the waters in

question will be withdrawn from appropriation for a period of one year from.

this date.

Very truly yours,

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION,

H. W. POLLOCK,

Supervisor, Di/vision of Water Resources.

Senator JACKSON. The Chair wishes to state that a communication

has been received from Mr. Dorsey M. Martin, vice president of the

State of Washington Rivers and Harbors Conference, which will be

included in the record at this point.

A statement by Mr. Glen Hofer will likewise be entered in the record

at this point.

The statement by Mr. Byron Friedman introducing Mr. Ben Flathers who is here today, will be included in the hearing record.

A. letter from Melville Cummins, secretary of the Westside Irrigation District will be included.

A letter from Albert Land, mayor, city of Wolfsburg, Wash., will

be included.

A letter from the Chamber of Commerce of Dayton, Wash., will be

printed.

A letter from Loren Dumas, of Waitsburg, Wash., will be included.

And also a telegram from Henry. Alexander, president, Washington

State Reclamation Association, will be included in the hearing record.

Also numerous letters from chambers of commerce and other organizations in the area. They will all be included in the hearing record

at this point.

(The data referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF DORSEY M. MARTIN, VICE PRESIDENT, STATE OF WASHINGTON RIVERS

AND HARBORS CONFERENCE

I would like to make a statement on behalf of the Touchet Valley proposal

recommending it as a worthy and beneficial projeet for our area. Having worked

for the project the past several years, I feel that our community and area would

very much benefit from this project in the conservation of our resources, the

development of irrigation that is much needed in the Valley, and the control

of the flood problem.

AUGUST 10, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: My name is Glen Hofer, and I am a home and cropland owner within the boundaries of The Touchet Valley Irrigation District in

southeastern Washington. My property is located near the City of Waitsburg„

and I wish to represent to your committee the popular support prevalent throughout our entire community for the water storage project proposed in S. 485.

Our section of the Touchet Valley, already the site of a vegetable canning and

freezing industry, would benefit substantially from the considerable expansion in

row crop and fruit production that an adequate, consistent water supply would

make possible. In addition, the flood control capacity of, such a project would remove the threat of floods which have, with discouraging frequency, devastated the

entire valley.

Development of recreational facilities centering on the reservoir created by

such a project and the re-emergence of the Touchet-Walla Walla River system as

a salmon-spawning ground are further benefits which would accrue with the

realization of such a project.

With such positive factors in mind, it is readily apparent that the impact of a

Touchet Valley Dam would revitalize the economy of the entire area and help,
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 35

it stand firm against the trend toward centralization of our industry and population in urban areas.

My friends and neighbors join me in urging favorable consideration of S. 485.

Sincerely,

GLEN HOFER.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Walla Walla, August 7, 1967.

To Whom It May Concern:

Please allow this letter to introduce Mr. Benjamin B. Flathers, who is hereby

designated as a representative of the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce regarding the Touchet River Project.

In addition to his position as a Commissioner of the Walla Walla County Port

District of Washington State, Mr. Flathers is a member of the Walla Walla

Chamber of Commerce.

He strongly feels, as the Chamber does, that the Project should be authorized

for completion at the earliest possible time.

We consider completion of the Touchet River Project critical for irrigation,

flood control, domestic water supply and recreational purposes.

Sincerely,

DR. BYRON FRIEDMAN, President.

WESTSIDE IRRIGATION DISTRICT No. 5,

Touchet, Wash., March 31, 1965.

Senator HENRY M. JACKSON,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: I am writing you in support of the "Dayton Project" in

Columbia and Walla Walla counties, Wash., soon to be considered by the Senate

Interior Committee.

I represent the Westside Irrigation District No. 5, organized in 1919 to irrigate

approximately 1,300 acres near Touchet, Wash., on the lower Touchet River.

The major crops raised in this district are alfalfa (for hay and seed), sugarbeets, pasture grass, used in beef and dairy, and cannery crops, mainly asparagus

and sweet corn. Cereal grains, when grown are used as rotation crops and account for less than 3 percent of acreage in crops.

Supplemented water for irrigation has long been recognized and even more so

today. During the period this district has been in operation great strides in increasing efficiency of crop production has been made but the end is in sight unless

sufficient water can be made available when needed. You will note that the crops

raised in the district are not "surplus."

Water resource development is needed for irrigation, industrial purposes, water

quality control ( the Touchet River gets pretty bad in late summer), fish, wildlife,

and recreation. (I am also an ardent fisherman.) And last but not least, flood control.

Last December 21, 1964, a disastrous flood on the Touchet River caused untold

flood damage to farmlands within the district and caused $10,00 damage to the

facilities of the irrigation district.

It is the history of the Touchet River and of the farmers in this irrigation district to see water, literally thousands of acre-feet go downstream in winter and

spring runoff only to have a meager amount to irrigate with in July and August, a

very critical time for the crops being grown.

The directors of the irrigation district have been behind the Dayton project

from the very start. They are willing and the landowners are 100 percent ready

to enter into an agreement for the delivery of as much of the stored water as will

be necessary to insure a full water supply when needed.

Sincerely yours,

MELVILLE CUMMINS, Secretary.

WESTSIDE IRRIGATION DISTRICT No. 5,

Touchet, Wash., August 5, 1967.

Senator HENRY M. JACKSON.

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: The directors of this Irrigation District have authorized me to again enter the enclosed letter (dated March 31, 1965), as testimony

for the "Dayton project". May I again stress the point that the crops being

grown on this project are not surplus. Alfalfa hay, the major crop grown, suffers
•

36 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

Immeasurably from the lack of water at this time of year. The U.S. crop reporting

service, according to a report crossing my desk just recently, states there is

a shortage of hay in the state of Washington.

Water is a wonderful commodity but if it runs down the river and on the

ocean, it does us no good. We have long visualized a storage Dam on the Touchet

River. It seems that with the increasing concern of an expanding population,

now is the time to get this project underway. Next year may be too late.

We are in accord with the testimony of the Touchet Valley Irrigation District

and stand willing and ready to contract for our allotted share of the stored water.

Sincerely yours,

MELVILLE CUMMINS, Secretary.

CITY OF WAITSBURG, WASH., August 4, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR Mn. JACKSON: We note that a hearing is to be held on the Touchet River

Dam on August 10, 1967. It is our sincere hope the outcome will be favorable

and this project can be started in the very near future.

You no doubt are aware of the very serious floods that struck our city and the

whole Touchet Valley on December 21 and 22, 1964 and again on January 29,

1965. The U.S. Corps of Engineers preliminary estimate of the damage to public

and private property in the City of Waitsburg alone amounted to nearly $375,-

000.00. This is nearly $375.00 per capita.

We were very grateful for the assistance given us under the Disaster Program,

Public Law 875 and Public Law 99, but our local government and citizens still had

to spend many thousands of dollars to repair the damages.

Although the Touchet Dam probably will not be the entire answer to the flood

problems, we feel that it will be a long step forward toward preventing a repeat

performance of the past destructive floods.

We are of course very interested in the irrigation and recreation phase of the

project also, but we feel that the increasing flood threat due to the intense

logging operations in the Touchet watersheds make it imperative that immediate

steps be taken to lessen the danger.

Although we are sure you will give this measure your wholehearted support,

we feel that by contacting you in this way, you may be able to persuade some

of your colleagues to support the measure also.

Thanking you for all past favors and hoping for the success of this measure,

we remain,

Yours truly,

ALBERT LAND, Mayor.

DAYTON, WASH., August 5,1967.

Senator HENRY M. JACKSON,

Old Senate °nice Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: Just a brief note to add to our previous correspondence relating to the Touchet Division of the Walla Walla Project.

Every last man and woman of the Dayton Chamber supports Senate 13111 485,

which you and Senator Magnuson introduced, seeking authorization for the

project. We all urge that your committee take favorable action at the August 10

committee hearing.

We cannot emphasize too strongly the benefits which would result from this

project along the entire length of the Touchet River in Columbia and Walla

Walla counties.

Of prime interest are the benefits from irrigation water available to more

than 10,000 acres of farm land, flood control to prevent a reoccurrance of the

disastrous Roods of 1964-65 and municipal water to halt the regular summer

shortage in Dayton.

The Dayton Chamber is naturally interested in the business aspects which

could result from this project. It could mean more agricultural-based industry

and more crop diversification for farmers able to use irrigation water.

In short, the project can mean a "whale of a lot" to our area and we sincerely

urge your favorable consideration of the measure at the August 10 committee

session.

Thank you for your continued interest and work in our behalf.

Sincerely,

DAYTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

By A. A. SHARPE, Secretary-Treasurer.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 37

WAITSBURG, WASH., July 20, 1967.

HOD. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Senate Interior awl Insular Affairs Committee.

Hon. CLINTON P. ANDERSON,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Irrigation and Reclamation.

Gentlemen: Replacing or supplementing my letter of Mar. 15, 1965, with additional information pertinent to hearing re the Touchet Dam soon:

The writer, Loren F. Dumas, is a retired apple orchardist, who has lived

and farmed as an irrigationist in the Touchet Valley for 69 out of his 76 year.

During this 69 years, deponent has personally experienced, as a dirt farmer

on his own 160 acres of apple orchard, drought, flood and polluted irrigation

water. He is the surviving petitioner of the first two landowners to appeal to

the Bureau of Reclamation for a solution to mounting warfare between upper and

lower valley irrigators over water rights. 30 years ago he began "bugging the

Bureau" and has been active thereafter in every movement, campaign, meeting,

petition, and organization of citizens seeking water storage and flood control.

To establish my competence as a witness concerning the various phases of

this project in which your committee has shown its interest by reason of its

careful scrutiny, may I say that in 69 years personal observation of, and

struggle with, floods, shortages, and stinking ditch water, I feel that I can

qualify as a lay witness, who may be able to give you a historical picture of our

"shoestring valley".

From my father, a pioneer school teacher in the valley in the 1880s and 90s,

I learned that in those days he was able to spear salmon without getting his

feet wet, as they passed the riffles, going up river to spawn. This almost irrelevant

fact, is relevant and intrinsic in establishing the picture that the Touchet River

bed has been and again, can be, an ideal spawning ground if it is given the

30 sec. feet of continuous flow provided in this project.

I further testify regarding the phrase "recurrent flooding" sometimes rather

loosely used to indicate "rather high water"; as follows:

As a boy, about 1906, I rode bareback on a horse, belly deep in Touchet flood

Water, to rescue the family cow, marooned and unmilked on a slight rise in the

valley floor.

As a young man, with a World War I draft card in my hip pocket, I once had

to swim clutching desperately to my horse's tail, when swept off his back in the

1917 spring flood.

Some years later I had a Model T Ford truck and an iron wheeled Pordson

tractor stored in our warehouse basement, and both were buried deep in mud

with little salvage value, from a 1949 overflow.

Still later we rip-rapped the river bank, and dozed away accumulated gravel,

from spillages oecuring in the 1950s.

As a resident of Waitsburg in 1964-65 I saw dozens of elderly less affluent

neighbors from the lower section of town, with ruined floors, carpets, furniture,

gardens, woodsheds and septic tanks.

I have testified at some length in regard to floods to dispel the notion, current

even in our own newcomer citizens, that the 1964-65 floods "couldn't happen

again". Only the building of the Touchet Dam, with retention of cresting flood

waters will remove the threat of destructiveness to homes, roads, railways, power

lines, communication lines, business houses and parks and recreational areas in

the Touchet Valley. More truly basic Solutions, through reforestation and reestablishment of water holding herbiage and crops are a matter of exceedingly

slow acceptance, with almost a lifetime before they have a chance of general

effectiveness.

May I at this time supplement previous testimony with reference to supplementary supplies of water for acreiage already under irrigation.

Storage space behind the Touchet is truly multipurpose, in that it is designed

to give a full supply of water thru privately built and owned diversions (mostly

pump, pipe and sprinkler systems, cost of which has already been absorbed by

the landowner) to the several hundred owners who have water rights under the

1929 adjudication. These people, with a few exceptions, practically never have

adequate season-thru waiter supplies.

My own experience is typical. In the production of apples, of which I shipped

a million and a half boxes of apples to 42 states of the Union and 8 foreign

countries during the 50 odd years in which I had direct management, there were

recurrent years in which my crop suffered real quality and monetary damage,

because of waiter shortage. I was forced to drill 992 feet into the basalt under-
38 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

lying the valley, at a drilling cost of $11,000 to get supplementary water, or else

suffer the fate of some 20 other apple growers in the valley, who gave up the

fight. As previously testified the apple acreage in the valley decreased from

1000 acres to 215, the payroll for apple handling dropped from over 500 seasonal

workers to less than 100.

The situation in the valley since your 1965 hearing has, in my estimation

become more critical,—f or the following reasons:

With technical improvement in water lifting, moving, and application, these

two years has enabled many more farmers to install pumping systems to take

advantage of early season stream flow. Much of this is for augmented moisture

in hay fields and pastures in connection with cattle raising. The fact of these

diversions has brought greater limitations on the supply for established irrigators whose entire crop development depends on full irrigation.

At the date this letter is written, July 20, streamflow in the Touchet is down

to the flow normal for the end of the first week in August. In this and succeeding

years, a 3 week or more gap in short supply added to the Usual extreme shortages of the crop maturing weeks of August, means disaster. If losses are encountered by farmers with diversified crops, the trend towards diversification will

be reversed, with a return to wheat growing, and its recurrent surplus problems.

With the promise of machine-cutting of asparagus, more acreage in the valley

is gradually being planted to this specialty crop, in constant high demand.

In the past, accepted practices have called for the irrigation of grass crowns,

following cutting in June, through the month of August. If only limited irrigation in early July is possible there could be a resultant weakening of stored plant

food. In any case, the more water taken out of the stream for more purposes as

it grows shorter and shorter, the sooner the "shutdown" date for all irrigators

with inferior rights. The tragedy of a shut-down for a few dozen families in

far-off Washington State does not "make" the metropolitan newspapers. But it

is exceedingly "real" to our people who suffer part of the year from too much

water and part from too little.

A farther change in our valley situation since the committee hearing of 2 years

ago, is to be found in the policy decisions of this valley's principal canning industry. In their search for longer cannery runs through diversification of products, the Green Giant Cannery in Waitsburg is forced to haul some of its materials (raw, materials) for canning for considerable long distances. In the case

of beans they are hauled by truck under refrigeration from as far as the Williammete Valley, almost 400 miles. It can be seen that consumer benefits should accrue when plentiful water will allow these row crops to be grown here at home.

Reviewing the testimony at the previous hearing which resulted in your favorable decision, I note that one minor feature was overlooked to which I might call

your attention. This was in the matter of the 30 second feet continuous flow

provision for salmon restoration. This 30 sec. feet adds up to be the equivalent

of 2,592,000 cubic feet of water which will be added to the Columbia River above

its 4 major down river dams during the beginning of the low water season, with

about the same amount in the succeeding two months of the low water season.

The writer is incapable of translating this 5 million cubic feet of water into a

power equivalent, but he does feel that such a sizeable amount utilized when

badly needed, rather than going over as flood surplus, should have some weight

in determining the merit of our small project.

Thanking your committees for such attention as you may be able to give to the

testimony of an elderly farmer, I am,

Sincerely yours,

LOREN F. DUMAS.

YAKIMA, WASH., August 8,1967.

Senator HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

Will you please have introduced into your Senate hearing schedule for August

10 the continued support of the Touchet project. The Washington State Reclamation Association again urges speedy authorization of the Touchet division of the

Walla Walla project as contained in S. 485 'the Washington State Reclamation

Association deems one of the most feasible projects in the Pacific Northwest.

Respectfully,

HENRY ALEXANDER. President,

H. G. WELLS, Secretary Treasurer.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 39

PORT OF WALLA WALLA,

Walla Walla, Wash., July 26, 1967.

HOD. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, Old Senate Office

Building, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: The Commissioners of the Port of Walla Walla have

been active individually for some time in support of the Touchet River project.

This project is of extreme importance to 'both Walla Walla and Columbia Counties both from an agricultural standpoint as well as domestic water supply.

The Port of Walla Walla is 'pleased to support the authorization of this project

and we offer our assistance 'wherever possible.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM D. RAY, President.

MONTY'S RADIO & TV SALES & SERVICE,

Dayton, Wash., July 27, 1967.

HOD. HENRY JACKSON,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SIR: We are very appreciative of your work on our Walla Walla Project.

In our part of the state, although we lack in voting power, we are rich in

potential farming, fishing, hunting and recreation. This time of year it looks

futile because there is no water much for irrigation. Our streams are getting

too low for fish, and the closest body of water for recreation is about 60 miles

to the Snake.

We would be very thankful here in the (desert) for some water 'storage.

Yours very truly,

"IVIONTY" A. P. MONTGOMERY.

INLAND EMPIRE WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION,

Walla Walla, Wash., July 24, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Senate Office Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: We understand that your Committee on Interior and

Insular Affairs is holding hearings on August 10th on the Touchet Division, Walla

Walla Project.

Northwest Rivers and Harbors Congress and Inland Empire Waterways Association continue to strongly support this project. We testified in May of this

year before the Senate and House Appropriations Sub-Committees on Public

Works urging its authorization.

I would greatly appreciate your efforts in behalf of this projpect, as we believe

it to be meritorious and worthwhile.

Sincerely yours,

CHARLES BAKER, President.

SPOKANE CHAMBER OF COMYRRCE,

Spokane, Wash, July, 27,1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Senate Office Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR: Thank you for the letter calling attention to your hearing on

the Touchet Division of the Walla Walla Project scheduled for August 10. As

you know from previous correspondence, the Spokane Chamber of Commerce as

well as the Washington State Reclamation Association supports the project.

The project is truly a multiple-purpose one. It will regulate the flow of the

Touchet River and put otherwise waste water to good use. It is feasible as a

flood control project and irrigation project for approximately 10,000 acres of

farm land, and a source of water for the city of Dayton.

Will you please have our Chamber's endorsement of the project noted in proceedings of the hearing?

No doubt the Washington State Reclamation Association will submit a statement of support also since the Board of Directors of the Association is meeting

in Yakima on August 3.

Sincerely yours,

L. W. MARKHAM, General Manager.
40 TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT

DAYTON JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Dayton, Wash., July 24, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

New Senate Office Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: The Dayton Junior Chamber of Commerce hereby

urges your support of the Touchet Division Project. We feel this is a necessary

and deservng project.

As young men who will someday be leaders in our community, we feel the

Touchet Division Project will facilitate making leadership much easier. The

project will ensure an adequate water supply for our community for many years.

It will bring under irrigation a large number of acres of wheatland now being

dry farmed. This will in turn cause farm crop diversification that will provide

many jobs for the present as well as future generations. Paramount, is the fact

that the dam will reduce the threat of floods in the community. Eastern Washington as well as Oregon residents will be able to make use of a large water

recreation area in the Blue Mountains, possibly making the Touchet River into

one of the nations finest Steelhead Streams.

Many of the Dayton Jaycees were directly involved in the disastrous floods

that took place in December of 1964 and January of 1965. Fortunately there was

only extensive property damage and no loss of lives. Will we be this lucky the

next time? Immediately after the flooding the exposed bank fish all but disappeared from the Touchet River. Extensive work has been done by the Washington State Fisheries Department to restore the fish. This work could be quickly

destroyed by the next flood.

Your whole-hearted support of this project which we are so vitally interested

in, will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

CLARK A. BREWINGTON, President.

WAITSBURG COMMERCIAL CLUB, INC.,

Waitsburg, Wash., July 20, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

U.S. Sena,te, Washimion, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: It is our understanding that the proposed Touchet

Valley Irrigation Project is to be presented before a Senate committee hearing

on August 10,1067.

This project is of vital interest and importance to our area. From the standpoint of flood control it is without a doubt, our community would have escaped

the nearly $380,000 damages it sustained to public and private property from

the two floods during the winter of 1964 and early 1965. From the point of irrigation we all visualize the growing of new row crops which will enable our local

Green Giant Cannery and its freezing plant to process these new food items. This

will certainly add greatly to the economy of our area and will undoubtedly result in putting new life into all of the communities embracing this wonderful

Touchet Valley.

Members of this organization urgently request you do everything in your

power to bring the Touchet Valley Irrigation Project to a quick reality.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

IvAN K. KEVE, Secretary.

COLUMBIA COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS,

Dayton, Wash., July 24, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman of Interior and Insular Affairs,

U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

MY DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: In lieu of a personal appeararce in Wa shir gton,

D.C. at a hearing before the "Interior and Insular Affairs Committee" relating

to the construction of the Touchet River Dam.

We, the Commissioners of Columbia County with to present a written statement concerning the importance and benefits of having our Touchet River and

tributaries controlled.
TOUCHET DIVISION, WALLA WALLA PROJECT 41

Floods of 1920, 1948 and 1964 and 1965 would not be repeated if we had the

proposed 195 foot Touchet River dam. Former damage to valley farm lands and

orchards has been immense in the past, to say nothing of the bridges, buildings

and highway damage.

When the Touchet River dam is built we feel Columbia County and the City of

Dayton will be well insured against flood damage. We would not have to call for

help from the Red Cross, the Civil Defense or the Army Engineers as we have

previously.

The 52,600 acre feet of reservoir formed by the dam and located adjacent to

the Umatilla National Forest would serve a double purpose, reserve irrigation

water and an area for recreation to be enjoyed by people within a one hundred

mile radius.

We commissioners of Columbia County wish to appeal to the "Interior and

Insular Affairs Committee" for action favorable to the construction of the

Touchet River dam. It would be flood insurance for Columbia and Walla Walla

County. It would enable the farmers in both Walla Walla and Columbia Counties

to increase their output of rrigated foods to be processed by the canneries. It

would establish an ideal recreation area in timbered surroundings.

Respectfully submitted.

ROY CADMAN, ChaiirMan,

MAURICE WITT, COMMigSianer,

HOLT BOONE, CODWMi8SiOner.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Walla Walla, July 25, 1967.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Senate Office Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR JACKSON: Through past resolutions the Walla Walla Chamber

of Commerce continues on record solidly behind completion of the Touchet River

Project.

The project offers a great potential for Columbia and Walla Walla Counties.

Thru irrigation many acres will move from restricted grain production to nonrestricted diversified annual cropping permitting a much broader agricultural

base for the communities involved.

More important is the creation of adequate domestic water supplies for Dayton, With the ground water supplies as tight as they now are the improvement

of stream flows for domestic needs seems to offer the best possible solution for

meeting increasing requirements.

The orderly movement of downstream flows on the Touchet River has been

of great n'eed for many years. We therefore urge approval of the Touchet project

at this time.

Sincerely,

DR. BYRON FRIEDMAN, President.

PORT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY,

Dayton, Wash., July 27,1967.

Re Walla Walla project, Touchet division.

CHAIRMAN, SENATE INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS CDMM111}..E1,

New Senate Offlee'Building, Washington, D.C.

DEAR Snt: This is to advise you that the Port District of Columbia County is

prepared to construct and maintain recreational facilities at the site of the

Touchet Valley Dam.

We have recently employed engineers to study the recreational facilities within

the area including the Touchet Valley proposed project.

The continued support of the committee in our project is sincerely appreciated.

We are prepared to offer additional testimony should, in the judgment of the

committee members, this be indicated.

Respectfully,

CHARLES S. MEAD III, Chairman.

Senator JACKSON. If there is no further business to come before the

subcommittee we will stand adjourned.

(Whereupon, the testimony on S. 485 was concluded.)

/