[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 109 (Wednesday, August 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE SMALL WATERSHED REHABILITATION AMENDMENTS OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. FRANK D. LUCAS

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 5, 1998

  Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the 
``Small Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments of 1998''. This bill will 
address the serious infrastructure needs of our nation's aging 
community sponsored--USDA assisted dams.
  ``The Small Watershed Amendments of 1998'' provides a responsible 
legislative proposal aimed at addressing the infrastructure needs of 
our aging watershed dams. It defines the problems, calls for an 
assessment of the problem, creates a cost-share program to address the 
need, and authorizes funding of the program.
  During the week of July 4th, 1998, a celebration in Cordell, a small 
farming community in Western Oklahoma, marked the 50th anniversary of 
America's first United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 
floodwater retarding structure. Constructed in 1948, the Cloud Creek 
Watershed Site #1 was built under the authorization of the Flood 
Control Act of 1944 (P.L. 534). This authorization was a result of a 
belief in Congress that rural watershed protection, flood protection, 
proper land management, and keeping raindrops close to where they fall 
was best addressed through technical assistance available through the 
USDA. Works under P.L. 534 were authorized in 11 major watersheds 
throughout the country. The success of P.L. 534 spawned the enactment 
of the Pilot Watershed Program in 1953 and the Watershed Protection and 
Floodwater Protection Act of 1954 (P.L. 566). P.L. 566 is commonly 
referred to as the USDA Small Watershed Program. Over 10,000 flood 
retarding structures have been built across the nation under these 
combined programs.
  The Small Watershed Program is one of our nation's most successful 
public/private partnerships. In all instances, the USDA served as a 
partner with states and local entities by encouraging sponsorship of 
sites, providing cost-share funding for construction, doing site and 
geologic surveys, and providing engineering and design expertise. The 
local district provided all the land, easements and right of ways, 
covered local construction costs, managed the contracting process, and 
continue to operate and maintain completed works.
  The Cloud Creek celebration serves as a reminder to all of us that 
over 1,000 of the structures built under these programs are now over 40 
years old. Most of the structural measures built have an evaluated life 
of fifty years or have been swallowed up by urban development. It is 
time to address the rehabilitation needs of these aging structures.
  Every state in the Union will eventually be impacted by this problem. 
I would encourage my colleagues to review the legislation, and I look 
forward to their support.

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