FLOOD-CONTROL SURVEY OF CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER, FLA. AND ALA.

MARCH 13, 1930.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. REID of Illinois, from the Committee on Flood Control, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 8799]

The Committee on Flood Control, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 8799) to provide for a survey of the Choctawhatchee River, Fla. and Ala., with a view to the prevention and control of its floods, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that it do pass.

A preliminary examination of this river was authorized in the flood control act of February 12, 1929 (45 Stat. L., p. 1164), the report on same being contained in House Document No. 163 of the Seventyfirst Congress, second session.

The report on the preliminary examination recommended that a survey be made as authorized in the reported bill.

The report of the Secretary of War on the bill is as follows:

Hon. FRANK R. REID,
Chairman Committee on Flood Control,

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, February 12, 1930.

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. REID: I am in receipt of your letter of the 29th ultimo requesting the views of this department on House bill 8799 "to provide for a survey of the Choctawhatchee River, Fla. and Ala., with a view to the prevention and control of its floods."

As directed in an act approved February 12, 1929 (45 Stat. 1164), an examination of this river was made and report thereon was transmitted to Congress with my letter of December 17, 1929, and printed as House Document No. 163, Seventy-first Congress, second session. I have the honor to invite your attention to that report in which a survey of the river as proposed by this bill was recommended.

Sincerely yours,

PATRICK J. HURLEY,
Secretary of War.

The report of the Chief of Engineers on the preliminary examination, as contained in House Document No. 163 above referred to, is as follows:

[House Document No. 163, Seventy-first Congress, second session]

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 17, 1929.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting herewith a report dated December 17, 1929, from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, on preliminary examination of Choctawhatchee River and its tributaries, Florida and Alabama, with a view to the control of floods, authorized by the flood control act approved February 12, 1929, together with accompanying papers and map.

Sincerely yours,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
Washington, December 17, 1929.

Subject: Preliminary examination of Choctawhatchee River and its tributaries,
Florida and Alabama.

To: The Secretary of War.

1. I submit, for transmission to Congress, my report, with accompanying papers and map, on preliminary examination of Choctawhatchee River and its tributaries, Florida and Alabama, with a view to the control of floods, authorized by the flood control act of February 12, 1929.

2. The Choctawhatchee River rises in southeastern Alabama and flows for a distance of 178 miles to Choctawhatchee Bay, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. The Pea River, its principal tributary, joins the Choctawhatchee from the west at Geneva, Ala. The drainage basin of the Choctawhatchee River has an area of 6,500 square miles. There is an existing project for improvement for navigation which provides for maintenance of a navigable channel to Geneva, and a depth of 3 feet thence to Newton. For many years navigation and maintenance of the improvement have been limited to the lower 271⁄2 miles of the river. The commerce moving over this section in 1928 consisted of about 45,000 tons of floated logs and 5,600 tons of other freight.

3. Floods have at times caused great damage in parts of the valley. The earliest recorded flood occurred in 1861, at which time the town of Geneva is said to have been destroyed and to have been later rebuilt on higher ground. Little damage is done in the river bottoms, but the towns of Geneva, Elba, and Caryville, which are located in the flood plain, suffer damage during the greater floods. 4. An unusual flood occurred in March, 1929, which resulted in damages in Alabama and Florida estimated at $7,441,000. This estimate was prepared by local interests, with the cooperation of the district engineer, and does not include indirect losses resulting from interrupted business. This flood was caused by heavy storm covering the entire basin, following a period of three weeks during which the ground was saturated by heavy rainfall. The precipitation during the three weeks was about 13 inches, and during the final three days, more than 10 inches. The river stages reached a height of from 7 to 10 feet greater than any previous flood of record.

5. It appears that protection of the towns of Caryville and Geneva by levees may be practicable. Similar protection for the village of Elba would result in obstructing the flood channel of the Pea River at a point where its cross section is already inadequate to carry the flood flow. Protection of the undeveloped bottom lands by levees does not appear justified. The feasibility and cost of controlling floods by means of reservoirs can be determined only by a survey. If such a study is authorized, consideration should also be given to the possibility of moving the three towns to the higher ground in their immediate vicinity. Because of the disastrous character of recent floods, the district and division engineers recommend a survey with a view to flood control, at an estimated cost of $14,000.

6. The report of the district engineer has been referred, as required by law, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and attention is invited to its report herewith, agreeing with his views.

7. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, I concur in the recommendation of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. From the information now available, it appears probable that the benefits resulting from flood protection in the valley of the Choctawhatchee River would be almost entirely local. Federal participation is justified, however, to the extent of bearing the cost of a survey. I, therefore, report that a survey of the Choctawhatchee River, Fla. and Ala., is deemed advisable, with a view to the control of floods, at an estimated cost of $14,000.

LYTLE BROWN,

Major General, Chief of Engineers.

L