The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-23
For the Good of
 the COmmunity

TN 1913 unusually heavy rains flooded 1 the Miami valley in southwestern Ohio, resulting in the loss of 400 lives and property variously estimated at from S6O,000,000 to $50, 1000 The city of Dayton a thriving manufacturing city of 125,00 population, through which the river runs, was inundated to depth of several feet, over eight feet of water flow ing through the main business street and many business houses and dwellings, being washed away.
 The city was paralyzed Streets and sewers were gone The city authorities were unable to cope with the situation. A committee of citizens was formed and through legislative action they were given authority to take matters in hand The state voted it's credit to assist in rehabili- tating the devastated city, and valley.
 Subsequently, the state of Ohio created commission to make survey and recom- mend means of avoiding future destruc- tive floods in that valley.
 As result of that commissions work the construction of number of impound- ing dams, to cost, according to estimates of engineers, about S25, ,000,OOO, was recommended The legislature author ized the work to be done and made an ap- propriation to cover the cost. This work IS under way now.
 About two months ago the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers in Alabama, were flooded. Montgomery, and other cities and towns and vast sections of the two val leys were inundated and millions of dol- lars worth of property destroyed, and half dozen lives lost.
 Impounding dams in the upper valleys of these two streams would have pre- vented these floods. The pending dam site and Water-power bill, which is now in conference, when passed by congress will authorize the construction of impounding dams where necessary on any streams in the United States over which the govern ment has control. Surveys are said to have been made for such dams on both the Coosa and Tallapoosa.
 When these dams are built, in the event they are built, repetitions of the December floods in Alabama will be avoided and in addition, there will be stored up in these dams water sufficient to furnish power for all the industries, the utilities and the street and commercial illumination of all north and central Alabama in seasons of light or no rain fall
 The buildings of these dams will save millions of dollars of property in seasons of unusually heavy rains and keep in re- serve for long dry spells millions of gal Ions of water that can be converted into hydro energy, which, without the dams, will not be available during extended droughts.
 It is understood that had congress authorized the building of these dams sev- eral years ago when the bills were first in troduced the dams on the Coosa and the Tallapoosa would have been built and the floods of last December avoided. And when the fuel regulations were put into eff feet during the war, and again last Mo- vember during the coal miners strike, there would have been no cessation of work at the various industries, nor sus- pension of business in any of the con- mercial establishments of the sections of Alabama suppliedwith hydro energy.
 The water power and dam site bill, passed in both houses of congress, though not identical in each, will probably be re- ported out of conference committees in the next few weeks, and Alabamians who