[House Document 105-152]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress, 1st Session  - - - - - - - - - - House Document 105-152


 
                KAWEAH RIVER BASIN PROJECT, CALIFORNIA

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

  THE ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY (CIVIL WORKS), THE DEPARTMENT OF THE 
                                  ARMY

                              TRANSMITTING

  A REPORT ON A FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION AND AGRICULTURAL WATER SUPPLY 
 PROJECT AT THE TERMINUS DAM, KAWEAH RIVER BASIN, CALIFORNIA, PURSUANT 
                   TO PUB. L. 104-303, SEC. 101(b)(5)





  October 21, 1997.--Referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                Infrastructure and ordered to be printed



                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Letter of Transmittal............................................   vii
Comments of the Office of Management and Budget..................    ix
Comments of the State of California..............................     x
Comments of the Department of the Interior.......................    xi
Comments of the Federal Emergency Management Agency..............   xii
Comments of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.............  xiii
Comments of the Department of Transportation.....................   xiv
Comments of the Environmental Protection Agency..................    xv
Letter to the Environmental Protection Agency....................  xvii
Report of the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army.........     1
Addendum
    Attachment 1. Sponsor Letters of Intent......................    12
    Appendix 1. Revised Detailed Cost Allocation--Ned Plan.......    14
Report of the District Engineer..................................    18
    Executive Summary............................................    18
    Chapter 1. Introduction......................................    21
        Purpose and Scope........................................    22
        Study Authority..........................................    22
        Study Partners and Coordination..........................    22
        Prior Studies and Reports................................    24
    Chapter 2. Study Area and Description........................    28
        Setting..................................................    29
            Terminus Dam and Kaweah River Basin..................    29
            Downstream Area......................................    29
            Tulare Lakebed.......................................    32
        Existing Condition.......................................    35
            Climate..............................................    35
            Geology and Soils....................................    35
            Seismicity and Faulting..............................    36
            Precipitation........................................    38
            Runoff...............................................    39
            Mining...............................................    40
            Population...........................................    40
            Land Use.............................................    40
            Socioeconomic Conditions.............................    40
            Air Quality..........................................    41
            Noise................................................    41
            Water Supply.........................................    42
            Water Quality........................................    42
            Vegetation and Wildlife..............................    44
            Fisheries............................................    45
            Potentially Affected Species.........................    46
            Cultural Resources...................................    46
            Recreation...........................................    47
            Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Wastes (HTRW)......    47
        Existing Water Resource Projects.........................    48
            Terminus Dam and Lake Kaweah Basin...................    48
            Southern California Edison Company Hydroelectric 
              Plants.............................................    51
            Central Valley Project--Friant-Kern Canal............    51
            State Water Project--California Aqueduct.............    51
            Mckays Point Weir....................................    52
            Channels.............................................    52
            Spreading Basins.....................................    53
            Levees...............................................    53
            Tulare Lakebed.......................................    53
        Future Condition Without--Project........................    55
            Land Use.............................................    55
            Terminus Dam and Lake Kaweah.........................    55
    Chapter 3. Problems, Needs, and Opportunities................    57
        Flooding.................................................    58
            General..............................................    58
            Flood Plains.........................................    58
            Historic Flood Damages--Downstream Area..............    60
            Historic Flood Damages--Tulare Lakebed...............    61
            Future Flooding......................................    63
        Lake Kaweah Sediment Storage.............................    64
        Water Supply.............................................    65
        Recreation...............................................    65
        Hydropower...............................................    66
    Chapter 4. Technical Studies.................................    68
        Hydrology................................................    68
            Channel Capacities...................................    68
            Unimpaired Rain Flow Frequency Curves--Kaweah River..    68
            Unimpaired Snowmelt Flow Frequency Curves............    71
            Unit Hydrograph, Loss Rates, and Base Flow...........    71
            Standard Project Flood...............................    71
            Regulated Peak Flow and Volume Flow Frequency Curves.    71
            Flor to Tulare Lakebed from the Kings, Kaweah Tule, 
              Kern, and Local Streams............................    75
            Variation of Reservoir Storage.......................    75
            Sedimentation........................................    75
            Reservioir Routings..................................    75
            Reservoir Operation..................................    78
            Wave Runup...........................................    78
        Geotechnical Explorations................................    79
        Seismic Stability........................................    79
        Flood Plain Delineation..................................    80
            Alluvial Fan.........................................    80
            Tulare Lakebed.......................................    80
        Economics Analysis.......................................    86
            Land Use in the Flood Plain..........................    86
            Damageable Structures................................    88
            Value of Property....................................    88
            Future Growth and Development........................    88
            Types of Damages.....................................    89
            Depth-Damage Relationships...........................    89
            Tulare Lakebed Damages...............................    89
            Average Annual Damages...............................    91
        Real Estate..............................................    92
        Environmental Studies....................................    93
            Enviornmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact 
              Report.............................................    93
            Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste..............    93
    Chapter 5. Plan Formulation..................................    94
        Planning Objectives......................................    95
        Planning Criteria........................................    95
        Planning Constraints.....................................    96
        Measures Considered......................................    97
        Measures.................................................    97
            Nonstructural........................................    97
            Ground-Water Recharge/Increased Spreading Basins.....    99
            Levee and Channel Construction.......................   100
            Detention Basin Near Highway 99......................   100
            Detention Basin on Kaweah River Above Visalia........   101
            Pumping Into Friant-Kern Canal.......................   101
            Storage Upstream from Terminus Dam...................   101
            Removing Sediment from Lake Kaweah...................   101
            Increased Storage at Lake Kaweah.....................   102
            Flood Detention Dam on Dry Creek.....................   102
            Dry Creek Reservoir..................................   103
            Limekiln Reservoir...................................   103
            Limekiln Flood Detention Dam.........................   103
        Preliminary Alternatives.................................   103
            No Action............................................   104
            Increase Storage at Lake Kaweah (21-foot Spillway 
              Raise).............................................   106
            Flood Detention Dam on Dry Creek (27,000 acre-feet) 
              and Increase Storage at Lake Kaweah (42,600 acre-
              feet)..............................................   107
            Dry Creek Reservoir with (70,000 acre-feet Dry Creek 
              Dam) Increase Storage at Lake Kaweah and Tunnel 
              Connection to Lake Kaweah..........................   108
        Reformulation of Preliminary Alternatives................   110
        Completeness.............................................   110
        Effectiveness............................................   110
        Efficiency...............................................   111
            Spillway Options.....................................   111
            NED Optimization-Benefits............................   114
            NED Optimization.....................................   124
        Acceptability............................................   128
        Additional Alternative Formulation.......................   128
            Raise Spillway at Terminus Dam by 21 Feet and Change 
              Precipitation Parameter (Locally Preferred Plan)...   128
        Final Alternatives.......................................   128
            Alternative 1--No Action.............................   128
            Alternative 2--21-Foot NED Spillway Raise............   129
            Alternative 3--21-Foot LPP Spillway Raise............   130
            Comparison of Flood Damage Reduction Benefits........   131
            Comparison of Costs and Benefits.....................   131
            Comparison of Environmental Impacts and Mitigation...   131
    Chapter 6. The Selected Plan.................................   137
        Plan Description.........................................   138
            Flood Control Features...............................   138
            Accomplishments......................................   138
            Hydrology............................................   139
            Flood Plain Effects..................................   139
            Flood Control Storage................................   139
            Reservoir Operation..................................   142
            Conservation Storage.................................   143
            Recreation...........................................   143
            Hydropower...........................................   144
            Other Project Features...............................   146
            Relocations..........................................   146
            Real Estate..........................................   146
        Environmental Impacts....................................   147
            HEP Analysis.........................................   147
            Potentially Affected Species.........................   147
            Cultural Resources...................................   149
            Mitigation Costs.....................................   149
        Project Cost.............................................   150
        Economic Analysis........................................   150
            Bridge Replacement Benefits..........................   152
            Hydropower...........................................   152
            Recreation...........................................   152
            Employment Benefits..................................   155
        Benefit-To-Cost..........................................   155
        Risk and Uncertainty.....................................   156
            Hydrology............................................   156
            Sedimentation Rate...................................   157
            Seismic Stability....................................   157
            Environmental Mitigation.............................   157
            Project Cost.........................................   158
            Benefits.............................................   158
        PED and Construction.....................................   158
        Operation and Maintenance................................   159
        Selected Plan (NED Plan).................................   159
    Chapter 7. Plan Implementation...............................   160
        Preliminary Cost Allocation..............................   161
            General..............................................   161
            Alternative Single-Purpose Project Costs.............   162
            Separable Costs......................................   163
            Joint Use Costs......................................   164
        Allocated Costs--NED Plan................................   164
        Cost Apportionment--NED Plan.............................   166
            General..............................................   166
        Allocated Costs--LPP.....................................   167
        Cost Apportionment--LPP..................................   169
        Selected Plan Cost Allocation............................   171
        Federal Responsibilities.................................   172
        Non-Federal Responsibilities.............................   172
        Procedures for Implementation............................   174
        Non-Federal Financial Capabilities.......................   174
        Views of Non-Federal Interests...........................   175
    Chapter 8. Public Involvement................................   176
    Chapter 9. Conclusions.......................................   179
    Chapter 10. Recommendations..................................   181
RECOMMENDATION OF THE DIVISION ENGINEER..........................   182
    Plates
        1. Spillway, Profile and Sections........................   186
        2. Lake Kaweah, Plan of Improvements Details and Curves..   187
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT.   188

      APPENDICES ACCOMPANYING THE REPORT OF THE DISTRICT ENGINEER

                        (Appendices Not Printed)

Appendices:
    A. Basis of Design and Cost Estimates.
    B. Hydrology.
    C. Economics.
    D. Water Supply.
    E. Flood Plain Determination.
    F. Real Estate Appraisal.
    G. Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste.
    H. Financial Capability.





                                
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