Dr. Arthur E. Morgan: Speaks about Flood Control

For 50 years the Corps of Engineers opposed Russian forests for flood control and for 20 years opposed Pittsburgh's efforts to secure flood control by that means. Then the chorus first its policy and favorite reservoirs to study which located the Kinzer site for control of the upper Allegheny was inadequate and entirely overlooked by far the best possibility because a cancer or reservoir would take most of the habitable land of the Seneca Nation. In Russia Gore held under a treaty signed by George Washington the president of the Seneca Indians. Asked me to advise them whether it was necessary to take their reservation to protect Pittsburgh. They stated that it should be necessary they would not oppose it. I found a greatly superior possibility which had been wholly overlooked by the court because Pasadena consideration for it would be inadequate and cannot be increased. The alternative I presented the kind of legal counter August plan which would provide for diverting surplus flood water to Lake Erie would protect Pittsburgh from the most extreme flood even if three times the size which would be fully protected from

back into it. There is need for increased flow water flow for industries and municipalities along the Ohio county when go catarrh August would store up to three times as much as kittens are for that purpose. Can delay floodwater but it must. Must let it down pass higher perhaps to increase flood crash below kind of drug by diverting all excess flood water to Lake Erie which paid 100 million dollars or more in removing need for additional flood control reservoirs for the Ohio kids who are destroying a fine recreation area along the Allegheny flooding hundreds of summer homes and cottages. Kind of language would save this resource and would create another with a link service which every low water would be eight times as large as that it can do it. The water level of consumer would rise and fall 60 or 80 feet each year. Kind of when only one fifth that much. Yes the

cost of Conaway would be millions less than the real cost of cancer. The engineer corps estimate of the cost of Kinzer is incomplete and inadequate large elements of cost specifically required by law are to be included were wholly amended under estimating guesswork is characteristic of the corps. The chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee who knows the course thoroughly in presenting Kenzer and other estimates to Congress stated quote They invariably underestimated the cost. In no instance in the past several years have they given us a true figure of the estimated cost. In many instances the cost of completion was the number of times the figure given to us by the Corps of Engineers. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that either they were incompetent or deliberately misleading and quote. On the other hand in criticizing my estimates for the alternative the engineer corps

again Congress offhand irresponsible grossly exaggerated cost estimates. For instance the Corps estimated the cost of the largely waste and swamp land in a condo in your site at seven hundred twenty dollars an acre 14 times as much per acre as its own consultants estimated for the cost of that land. I'm going far further that further study is not necessary. The course stated repeatedly that before selecting Kinja a site examined all promising alternatives. That is not true. It was totally unaware of the kind of August possibility until we presented it. The course stated that an independent consulting firm had compared all promising possibilities. That is not true. The court is that consultants largest client for it defined against a court would have been embarrassing in its comparison. It wholly overlooked the best alternative prospects.

Here was a clear case of conflict of professional interest. The Corps asserts that Congress after full consideration approved its position. The Public Works subcommittee of the house demanded an analysis of my plans by the Corps. Then my plan and the analysis of it by the corps were given to the committees engineering staff for study. As a result the subcommittee recommended that no more money be spent on Kendu until a comparison of the two planes should be made by independent engineers. That is exactly what the Seneca Nation of Indians had requested. Then the Appropriations Committee of the house. After discussing the item took similar action and then the House of Representatives after discussion. Took almost the same action almost unanimously. But when the bill was sent to the conference committee of the Senate and House this

provision was removed without discussion. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee stated that the elimination of this demand for comparison had nothing to do with the merits of the case but was purely a political move. The court has indicated that the courts have approved its course and motions the courts have found that the Congress has the power to break any treaty. The court decision was on the power of Congress to act not on the necessity or the honor or the deficiency or the economy as such action to replace Kendu and by Conaway catarrh August would give Pittsburgh far greater flood protection would provide up to three times as much storage for a water increase would entirely remove all upper Alleghany and flood water from the Ohio making unnecessary 100 million dollars or more other reservoir construction would preserve a valuable recreation area and would create another with a lake far superior to Kendu it would make

unnecessary the breaking of our oldest living creature and would cost millions of dollars less than you know how to quit can do it. The Seneca Nation asked for an impartial compassion of costs between Kenja and Conaway catarrh obvious the Engineer Corps has been able to prove that such a comparison. Anyone wishing a copy of this statement may write me. Our 3 Morgan Yellow Springs Ohio. I repeat our serene Morgan Yellow Springs Ohio.