Evening star., 1927-12-08
PRESIDENT URGES
B|GFLOOD CONTROL
Army's Plan for Mississippi
Calling or S296, 400, 900
Sent to Congress.
BY the Associated Press.

Placing the~full support of his ad
ministraton behind it. President Cool
idge today transmitted to Congress
the Army Engineers plan for con.
trolling Mississippi River floods.
The proposal deals with the lower
valley alone. from Cairo, ILL.,, to the
Gulf, and would cost $296,400,00O, to
be expended in 10 years 1t provides
for a spillway above New Orleans,
diversion floodways in the Atchafalya
and Tensas Basins in Louisiana, a
riverbank fioodway from Cairo to New
Madrid. Mo. the strengthening and
raising of existing levees and the
stabilizati ton of the river channel.
The Federal Government would
bear so per cent of the cost of the
control project. estimated at a total
of S1S5, 400. 900 and all of the Slll,000.-
OO8 expense for stabiization and map
ping of the channel The valley States
would assume 20 per cent of the HOOD
control cost. The National Govern
ment now pays only 662s per cent OF
flood control costs.
Tributaries Left for Future.
Although the lower courses of the
Mississppi's tributaries directly con-
nected with i&s so-called alluvial
valley are included in the plan, the
problem of controlling the floods of
those streams is left for the future
until the Army Engineers complete
their survey authorized by the last
Congress. The construction of reser-
voirs is deemed too costly" by the
report in proportion to their value as
flood control measures.
The large cost of the project lis
manifestly justified the President
declared in his special communication
to Congress, ''by the necessities of
the situation and the benefits that
will result" The plan is described by
Mr.. Coolidge as comprehensive. and
appeals to me as being adequate in
It's engineering.
The Federal Treasury should bear
it's portion of the cost Of engineering
structures for flood control" con-
tinued Mr.. Coolidge. that is justified
by the national aspects of the problem
and the national benefits. In deter
mining the distribution of the costs
there must be considered not only the
people of the valley itself. who receive
the major benefits. but also the great
mass of taxpayers who suffer less
directly from the Mississippi River
| floods and upon whom most of the
burden of Federal taxation falls
Signed by Jadwin.
The Engineers report, a bulky
document containing a number of
maps and much technical data, was
signed by Maj. Gen. Edgar Jadwin,
| chief of Army Engineers, who per-
| sonally supervised much of its draft
! ing. In letter presenting the re-
=! port to the President. Secretary Davis
of the War Department said the
! plan seems to afford the maximum
, of protection with the minimum of
| cost
| The recommended. plan 'fundamen-
tally differs from the present project
| in that it limits the amount of flood
water carried in the main river to its
/ safe capacity" the report said, land
sends the surplus water through lat
eral fioodways."
! The scheme of leVees of sufficient
height to contain the maximum pos
sible floods which was the past meth
cd, it added was discussed and found
! inadvisahe.
! The essential features and functions
! Of the plan were outlined as follows:
"The fioodways from Cairo to New
/ Madrid. from the Arkansas River
through the Tensas Basin the Red
River and from the Red through the
! Atchafalaya Basin to the Gulf Will
relieve the main channel of the water
it cannot carry and lower the floods
to stages at which the levees can
| carry them.
Would Widen BOttlenecks.
a controlled spllway to. hold the
! levels down to safe stages at and
! rear New Orleans.
Local setting back Of levees in the
] Continued on Page 5, Column 4O