[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALLATOONA DAM AND LAKE PROJECT IN 
                         CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 13, 2000

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor today to 
recognize the Allatoona Dam and Lake Project in Cartersville, Georgia, 
on the occasion of its upcoming 50th anniversary.
  The Allatoona Dam Project was authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 
1941 and 1946, to minimize flooding in Rome, Georgia, and surrounding 
areas.
  On Saturday, June 15, 1946, ground-breaking ceremonies were held 
beside the Etowah River at the site where Allatoona Dam stands today. 
On that day 54 years ago, Georgia Governor Ellis Arnall, Georgia 7th 
District Congressman Malcolm C. Tarver, and Lt. General Raymond A. 
Wheeler, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, took shovels and pick in hand 
and launched a project that took four years to complete. Representative 
Tarver was the man most influential in passage of the Flood Control Act 
through Congress. In addition, Alabama Senator Lister Hill and 
Congressman Albert Raines of Gadsden, Alabama, assisted with passage of 
the Act.
  General Wheeler stated in his address that, ``in the course of our 
engineering studies and proposals, we took full cognizance of all uses 
of water, even through our primary concern was flood control. 
Consequently, this is not a flood control dam alone. It is a multi-
purpose project.'' He explained that the Allatoona Project embraces 
power production, recreation, reforestation, health and other factors, 
but the prime purpose is flood control.
  Construction crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week for three 
and a half years to complete the dam. The project was essentially 
completed and opened for public use in 1950.
  The Allatoona Dam and Lake Project has had a direct and extremely 
positive impact on northeast Georgia. It is an honor to remember and 
commend the many men and women who worked to construct this magnificent 
facility; and who continue to run it in a manner that benefits millions 
of Georgians each year. I especially commend the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Allatoona Project Management Office in Cartersville, 
Georgia, and wish them well on the 50th anniversary of the Allatoona 
Dam and Lake.

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