There is based in the harbor more than 180 fishing vessels, of which 90 are in the Capsante Waterway, which is the inner harbor. In excess of 285 transient fishing vessels visited the harbor of Anacortes during the salmon fishing and shellfish season. The docking facilities are extensive for a town of this size. They have 30 piers and wharves, two of which are owned by the Port of Anacortes, located in the inner harbor. In addition to that, there are 18 on Guemes Strait, which bounds the city of Anacortes on the north, and 11 elsewhere on Fidalgo Bay, which bounds the city on the east, and 1 on Burrows Bay, which bounds the city on the west. The existing project consists of a 12-foot channel in Capsante Waterway. This channel is 2,850 feet long, 12 feet deep, and between 150 and 250 feet wide. This project was constructed in 1930 by the Federal Government. In addition to this federally constructed project there is a project constructed by local interests 12 feet to 8 feet deep, 80 feet wide, and 900 feet long bordering the Capsante Waterway on the north. On this map you are looking to the north. Because the area of this basin is too small properly to accommodate the fishing craft that are permanently based at the town of Anacortes, and because it is subjected to storm waves from the east resulting in damage to the greatly overcrowded vessels in the existing harbor, local interests desire that a larger basin be constructed 12 feet in depth to accommodate fishing boats and any recreational craft that may visit Anacortes or be based therein. This new boat basin that they desire and the one we propose would be 570 feet wide, extending from north to south, and 960 feet long, and it would be protected by a breakwater constructed of piles 380 feet long, located 50 feet to the east of this proposed new boat basin. The cost of the project estimated at 1953-cost levels is $272,300, of which $180,300 would be the Federal cost and $92,000 the local cost. The benefit-cost ratio would be 1.33 to 1. Local cooperation would consist of providing lands, easements and rights of way; holding and saving the Federal Government free from claims and damages; providing and maintaining adequate mooring facilities and public landings with service and supply facilities open to all on equal terms; maintaining the project in those portions of the basin where mooring facilities are provided by local interests; and contributing in cash, or the equivalent, 14.5 percent of the cost of dredging and breakwater construction, which at the present time is estimated at $26,000. The Bureau of the Budget has reviewed the project and has no objection to it. The State of Washington approves the project, as does the Department of the Interior. I might add that the total cost of maintenance of the existing project to the Federal Government has amounted to $7,188. The estimated cost of maintaining the new project to the Federal Government would be $4,400 per year. Mr. ANGELL. What type of craft, General, utilizes that harbor? General ITSCHNER. At the present time approximately 180 fishing vessels are permanently based in the harbor, and 285 transient fishing vessels, and in addition to that, a large number of recreational craft. In the new harbor we would be able to accommodate 330 vessels or 265 in addition to those that can be accommodated in the present harbor. Mr. ANGELL. Mr. Mack, have you any questions of General Itschner? Mr. MACK. Did you give the benefit-cost ratio? General ITSCHNER. 1.33 to 1. Mr. ANGELL. Are there any questions to my right? (No response.) Mr. ANGELL. On my left? (No response.) Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, General. Congressman Westland, we would be very happy to hear from you at this time. STATEMENT OF HON. JACK WESTLAND, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON-Resumed Mr. WESTLAND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen. I have a prepared statement here which I will leave with the committee. Mr. ANGELL. Without objection, it will be received and placed in the record, and you may make such comments as you desire. (The prepared statement of Mr. Westland is as follows:) STATEMENT OF HON. JACK WESTLAND ON MODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING PROJECT FOR ANACORTES HARBOR, WASHINGTON, AS RECOMMENDED IN THE REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, DATED June 26, 1953 Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, in 1930 the project for the improvement of Anacortes Harbor was completed at a cost of approximately $70,000; two-thirds of which was borne by the Federal Government and onethird was contributed by local interests. A further report on this project was submitted on May 10, 1933, and additional surveys have been made since then. The report dated June 26, 1953, referred to above, was made as a result of a resolution of the Committee on Public Works of the Senate Committee, adopted on June 17, 1947, and recommended certain modifications of the existing project which have been outlined to you today. The city of Anacortes, Washington, is one of the most rapidly growing communities in the Northwest. One of the reasons for this is aptly demonstrated by the willingness of the citizens of this community to contribute a total of $114,000 toward the cost of the recommended modification of the harbor project, whereas the amount required from the Federal Government is $147,400. During the last 15 years the city has tripled in size and shown even greater growth industrially and economically. Within the last few months the Shell Oil Co. has begun construction of a $75-million oil refinery at Anacortes. The city has bonded itself to the limit in order to provide water, sewers, power, and other facilities to take care of its tremendous increase in population and industrial activity. The one part of this fine community that has lagged behind has been its harbor facilities. Located, as it is, at the extreme northern tip of Fidalgo Island, it is ideally situated as a location for fish canneries, as a haven for pleasure boats and as a shipping point and port of call for larger vessels. Unfortunately, the terrifically crowded condition of the small boat haven has caused a condition on the waterfront that is both costly and dangerous. I have here two recent photographs showing the crowded condition of the small-boat harbor. Overflow from these mooring spaces has crowded other piers in the vicinity to the disadvantage of all shipping. Large fish canneries located at Anacortes handle a substantial portion of the total volume of the commercial fish caught in Puget Sound. Along with the other harbors on Puget Sound, Anacortes has profited and will continue to profit from the steady increase in the salmon catch there. The modification of the existing project at Anacortes, which is way overdue, may be accomplished only with Federal assistance. The project is sound economically, based on figures which were brought up to date last year. In view of its rapid growth in the past and its considerably brighter prospects for the immediate future it seems highly probable that the figures given by the Corps of Engineers are extremely conservative. In view of the many favorable factors which recommend the approval of this project for construction, I respectfully urge its favorable consideration by this Committee. Mr. WESTLAND. Thank you. There are just a couple of things I would like to say about the city of Anacortes. First of all, Anacortes is in the midst of growing pains. This town is growing very rapidly. In fact, about the fastest, I believe, in Skagit County. A $75 million oil refinery is being built in the immediate vicinity of Anacortes. As a result of that the town, as you can well imagine, has to provide a great many facilities like sewers, homes, streets, and schools, and things of that nature. As a result of that, the town is bonded up to the limit of its legal capacity. They do not mind it. They like it fine, but, neverthless, they are about up to their quota in that respect. In spite of that, the city of Anacortes is extremely interested in this particular project and is willing to put up in cash a considerable amount for a town of that size. I believe the general said it was $26,000, as he estimated it; but I would like also to say that out of the $89,000 which this town is supposed to provide in other facilities, $80,000 of that is also a cash outlay. In other words, these mooring facilities are going to be built by the town of Anacortes, and that represents cash. It is not just giving a piece of land or a right-of-way, or something of that nature, to the Federal Government, but it is actually an expenditure of funds by a town of 7,000 people. It seems to me that that is a rather sizable contribution for a town of that size, and in a project of this sort, where they are contributing very nearly half of the cost of the project. I think it was $115,000 as against $147,000 contributed by the Federal Government. So I believe that the city of Anacortes has shown a splendid sense of civic responsibility in being entirely willing to take on their share of the cost. Mr. ANGELL. May I say that is certainly a very splendid spirit demonstrated on the part of that small town. Mr. WESTLAND. Thank you. I believe it is a fact. I have been there a good many times and I know the people there, and I know they are very civic-minded. You gentlemen have seen the picture of those fishing boats and the crowded conditions that they are faced with. I leave it to you as to what might happen in the event of a fire or an explosion in one of those vessels. I think, incidentally, probably each one of those ships might vary in value from $20,000 to $75,000. A little purse seiner might go for $20,000 and the bigger vessels run up to $75,000. I believe this is a good project and an important part of the growth of the Pacific Northwest. Mr. ANGELL. Mr. Mack, have you any questions? Mr. MACK. No questions. Mr. ANGELL. Are there any questions by other members of the committee? (No response.) Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, Mr. Westland. (Discussion off the record.) Mr. ANGELL. May I say that our colleague, Mr. Tollefson, the Congressman from Washington, desires to submit a statement on this and other Washington projects. Without objection, that may be permitted and his statement may be received at this point, as follows: STATEMENT OF HON. THOR C. TOLLEFSON, MEMBER OF CONGRESS, SIXTH DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity of appearing before the committee in behalf of a project that is of considerable interest to the city of Tacoma, which is my home. I refer to the dredging of the port of Tacoma industrial waterway. The dredging would open up the entire length of the waterway to oceangoing vessels and would make available the full utilization of additional land area for industries connected with national defense activities. It is my understanding that your committee will prepare and report to the House a new river and harbor authorization act during this session of Congress. I trust that you will give consideration to our project. Under the River and Harbor Act of 1945, authorization was given the Army engineers to dredge a part of the waterway to a depth of 30 feet, an area not nearer than 50 feet from established pierhead lines or lateral limits of the waterway, nor 100 feet from the northerly line of East 11th Street, subject to certain local contribution. For reasons then existing, the port of Tacoma officials did not see their way clear to make that contribution. The project is still being considered by the Army engineers. The port of Tacoma plans call for an extension of the waterway south of East 11th Street to Lincoln Avenue. In pursuance of those plans, the city has constructed a bascule concrete and steel bridge across the waterway at East 11th Street at a cost of $1,500,000. This will permit the passage of ships as far as Lincoln Avenue provided the channel is dredged deep enough and wide enough. The port of Tacoma in 1952 expended $241,000 for preliminary dredging of the channel between East 11th Street and Lincoln Avenue. However, to accommodate ocean traffic the channel must be dredged to a depth of 30 feet at mean low water and to a width of about 800 feet for a distance of approximately 3,000 feet between the two streets. This project is one which falls within the scope of this committee's jurisdiction, and is an urgent one so far as the city of Tacoma is concerned. As a matter of fact, it is so urgent that the port of Tacoma has now contracted for the dredging to be done by a private concern without first having the assurance of contribution by the Army engineers or Congress. It is the sincere hope of the port officials and of our citizens that, notwithstanding this situation, Congress will give the project the same consideration it would be entitled to receive had not the dredging contract been entered into. They believed the matter so urgent that they felt compelled to proceed with it without delay. Mr. ANGELL. Do you have any further witnesses? Mr. WESTLAND. I have nothing further. Mr. STEED. If my memory serves me correctly, there is quite a bit of ferryboat activity in this area also. Mr. WESTLAND. Yes, sir. Mr. STEED. And it generates quite a bit of traffic. I do not know whether the ferryboat comes out of Anacortes. us. Mr. WESTLAND. Yes, sir. It comes in on the other side, Mr. Steed. I would like to thank the chairman and this committee for hearing Mr. ANGELL. We thank you, Congressman. We have received statements from Senators Warren G. Magnuson and Henry M. Jackson on this project which, without objection, will be included in the record at this point, as follows: STATEMENT ON IMPROVEMENT OF ANACORTES HARBOR IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, BY SENATOR WARREN G. MAGNUSON Mr. Chairman, I introduced on March 12, 1954, Senate bill 3123 which proposes that the harbor at Anacortes, Wash., along the northerly shores of Fidalgo Island at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca be improved and it is my hope that it will receive your favorable consideration and that you will recommend it for authorization in the omnibus rivers and harbors bill for 1954. The plan for the improvement proposes providing a mooring basin 12 feet deep, 570 feet wide, and 960 feet long, adjacent to the north side of Capsante Waterway, protected by a pile breakwater 380 feet long located about 50 feet east of the mooring basin. The situation in the harbor is critical and the improvement is needed to provide for the greatly increased demand by recreational and commercial craft. It would eliminate a fire hazard and reduce damage to vessels resulting from crowded mooring conditions. The cost of the improvements is estimated at $150,800 for the mooring basin and the pile breakwater and $3,500 annually for maintenance in addition to that now required. The benefit-cost ratio has been set at 1.15 indicating that the project is economically feasible. I sincerely hope that your committee will take favorable action on this project so important to the business and shipping interests of the Anacortes area. UNITED STATES SENATE, March 17, 1954. Hon. HOMER ANGELL, Chairman, Rivers and Harbors Subcommittee, Committee on Public Works, United States House of Representatives, Washington 25, D. C. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: At hearings held today you and your subcommittee heard testimony concerning the proposed project for the improvement of Anacortes Harbor in the State of Washington. I have been interested in this project since its inception. You may recall that, when a Member of the House of Representatives, I called the need for this improvement to the attention of the Committee on Public Works, which asked the Army engineers to survey the project. Senator Magnuson and I have now introduced in the Senate S. 3123 which would authorize the improvement. The city of Anacortes is a booming community. Its fast growth has lately been encouraged by the construction of a multi-million-dollar petroleum refinery. Other major industries are lumber and wood products and fishing. Expansion of the harbor facilities is absolutely essential to alleviate the crowded and dangerous conditions now threatening the large commercial fleet and numerous pleasure craft. The report of the Army engineers summarizes well, I believe, the facts that prove the value of the proposed improvement. The local community has made valiant efforts to solve the problem and they will bear close to half the cost of the project. This is a substantial investment for a community of this size. I respectfully urge favorable action by the subcommittee and the Committee on Public Works. Sincerely yours, HENRY M. JACKSON, Mr. ANGELL. If there is nothing further, the committee will stand adjourned. (Whereupon, at 11:40 a. m. the subcommittee adjourned until Friday, March 19, 1954, at 10 a. m.) |