LOCATION: In Jackson County, on Elk Creek, a tributary of Rogue River, at river mile 1.7 about 26.5 miles north of County Road 7.9 miles $2,567,000 Bureau Land Management Road Relocations: Spillway Type 0.6 miles Lands and Damages: Gated: Capacity (Maximum pool) 57,900 cfs Acres 3,230; Land Use: Irrigated 130 acres; Government-owned Pasture 2,023 acres; Power and Telephone Lines 15 miles 101,000 112,000 4,000 Reservoir Capacity: Total storage at elev 1,726 101,000 ac ft; Usable Storage - 95,000 ac ft; Flood Control Storage (Elev 1726-1665) 60,000 ac ft; Conservation Storage (Elev 1665 - 1581) 35,000 ac ft; Inactive Stg (Elev 1581 - 1500) 6,000 ac ft. JUSTIFICATION: Elk Creek Lake would be operated with Lost Creek Lake as a two-dam system to provide flood control, water supply, fish and wildlife enhancement, water quality control, recreation, and irrigation. Runoff would be controlled from about 132 square miles upstream from Elk Creek site. A total of 95,000 acre-feet of usable storage at Elk Creek would be utilized for flood control and water conservation. Lost Creek and Elk Creek as a unit would provide water for irrigation of about 25,000 acres of land, of which about 19,000 acres would be new lands, provide 20,000 acre-feet of stored water for future water supply, improve stream conditions to enhance the fisheries of Rogue River and tributaries by increased flows and controlled discharges of cooler water, and would reduce the peak stage of floods. Added flow would be provided in Bear and Little Butte Creeks by use of distribution facilities of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Medford Division, in the interest of fish and wildlife enhancement and recreation on those streams in addition to improved water quality in Bear Creek. During the flood of 1964, the most severe flood since 1861, damages to the area downstream from Elk Creek and Lost Creek Lakes amounted to $13,161,000 of which about $2,350,000 would have been prevented by Elk Creek Lake. The peak stage of a flood such as that of 1964 would be reduced about 6.7 feet at Grants Pass. Average annual benefits are listed below: FISCAL YEAR 1972: The requested amount of $1,200,000 will be applied to: Continue acquisition of lands and rights-of-way NON-FEDERAL COSTS: Costs allocable to irrigation and water supply, presently estimated at $1,920,000 and $4,433,000 respectively, are reimbursable. Responsibility for repayment of irrigation costs rests with the Department of Interior The Bureau of Reclamation has completed a feasibility study for irrigation of the Medford Responsible officials of three STATUS OF LOCAL COOPERATION: Division from Lost Creek and Elk Creek Lakes, and will determine repayment requirements. pursuant to Federal laws. irrigation districts (Sams Valley, Eagle Point and Rogue River Valley) have furnished preliminary assurances that it is the intention of each individual district to enter into a contract with the Secretary of the Interior to provide reimbursement of irrigation costs within each district's ability to repay such costs pursuant to reclamation law. Pursuant to Public Law 91-439, 7 October 1970, the project will not be operated for irrigation purposes until such time as the Secretary of the Interior makes the necessary arrangements with non-Federal interests to recover the costs, in accordance Assurances for municipal and industrial with Federal Reclamation Law, which are allocated to the irrigation purpose. water supply have been obtained from six communities in the valley (Medford, Grants Pass, Shady Cove, Sams Valley, Eagle Point, and Gold Hill. COMPARISON OF FEDERAL COSTS ESTIMATES: The current Federal cost estimate of $29,000,000 is an increase of $1,800,000 The increase is due to price level adjustment. over the latest estimate $27,200,000 submitted to Congress. IRRIGATION REIMBURSEMENT Senator STENNIS. That brings us to Elk Creek Lake, Oreg. I note that the reimbursement charged to irrigation on this project decreased from $2,030,000 last year to $1,920,000 this year. What is the basis for this reduction in the allocation to irrigation? General KELLEY. Sir, this decrease is due to an increase in the benefit values for flood control, water supply, fish and wildlife enhancement, and recreation as compared to irrigation. This has resulted in a greater percent of joint costs being allocated to those functions with a resultant decrease in the costs allocated to irrigation. INITIAL CONSTRUCTION Senator STENNIS. Well, construction had not been initiated by January 1, 1971. When do you expect to award the contract? General KELLEY. We expect to award the contract in April of 1972. Senator STENNIS. For what part of the project? General KELLEY. This first construction contract will be for relocation of a portion of a county road, sir, and construction of a detour road around the dam site. CAPABILITY Senator STENNIS. Your request for land acquisition is only $300,000. In fact, over half of the funds requested for fiscal 1972 are for engineering and design. What is your full capability on this project for land acquisition? General KELLEY. Sir, subject to the usual qualifications, our full capability is $1,800,000, which is $600,000 over the budget request. This would be applied to land acquisition and would permit timely removal of standing timber and provide a more orderly acquisition program to reduce the possibility of hardship claims. JOHN DAY RIVER, LOCAL PROTECTION, OREGON Senator STENNIS. All right, John Day River, Local Protection, Oregon. The request in fiscal year 1971 was $380,000, leaving a balance of $150,000 required to be appropriated after fiscal year 1971 for completion of the project. I note that no funds are requested for fiscal year 1972. What is the status of this project? General KELLEY. Sir, since the local sponsors have not met the local cooperation requirements, initiation of construction has been deferred. The sponsors were unable to complete acquisition of rights-ofway for the channel work which was scheduled for construction during the 1970 summer season. Pending fulfillment of these local cooperation requirements we cannot initiate construction. CAPABILITY Senator STENNIS. Do you have a capability for fiscal year 1972? General KELLEY. Sir, we have no additional capability, no capability for fiscal year 1972. Senator STENNIS. All right. We just lost a year, then? General KELLEY. Yes, sir. And perhaps longer unless they can resolve their problems. Senator STENNIS. All right. 1 Includes $175,000 placed in budgetary reserve in fiscal year 1970 and released July 1970. Senator STENNIS. We will insert the justification for the lower Columbia River Bank Protection project in the record. (The justification follows:) |