Water Resources Development Act of 1976

(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 94-1755)

Water Resources Development Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to carry out the phase I design memorandum stage of advanced engineering and design on the following projects for flood control and other purposes: (1) Cape May Canal, New Jersey beach erosion control ($2,062,000); (2) Longport, New Jersey beach erosion control ($2,396,000); (3) Black Dirt Area, Wallkill River, (New York and New Jersey) ($330,000); (4) Passaic River Basin, (New York and New Jersey) ($12,000,000); (5) Lock Haven, Pennsylvania flood control ($430,000); (6) Wyoming Valley, Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, ($450,000); (7) James River Basin, Richmond, Virginia, ($800,000); (8) Brunswick Harbor, Georgia navigation project, ($300,000); (9) Charleston Harbor, South Carolina navigation project, ($500,000); (10) San Juan Harbor navigation project, ($300,000); (11) La Crosse, Wisconsin flood control project; (12) Presque Isle Peninsula at Erie, Pennsylvania beach erosion control project, ($700,000); (13) Little Calumet River, Indiana flood control project, ($1,400,000); (14) Suislaw River and Bar, Oregon navigation project ($50,000); (15) Papillon Creek at Omaha, Nebraska flood control project ($75,000); (16) Clarion River Basin, Pennsylvania acid mine drainage abatement project ($600,000); (17) St. Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway, Missouri flood control project ($300,000); (18) Nonconnah Creek, Tennessee and Mississippi flood control project ($400,000); (19) Bazos River, Texas, natural salt pollution control project ($650,000); (20) Rio Grande and Rio Salado, New Mexico flood control project, ($1,500,000); (21) Wears Creek, at Jefferson City, Missouri flood control project ($50,000); (22) McNary Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington ($1,800,000); (23) Pembina River at Walhalla, North Dakota flood control project ($930,000); (24) Calleguas Creek, Simi Valley to Moorpark, California flood control project ($1,060,000); (25) Morrison Creek Stream Group, California flood control project, ($750,000); (26) New London Harbor and Thames River at New London, Connecticut navigation improvements project ($8,022,000); (27) Grafton, North Dakota on the Park River flood control project ($10,973,000); (28) the Chicagoland underflow plan project for flood control, Illinois ($12,000,000); (29) the flood control project on the Santa Ana River, California ($700,000); (30) the Gallipolis Lock and Dam Project, Ohio ($2,800,000); (31) the project at the North Branch of the Chicago River Watershed in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois ($370,000); (32) the Marysville Lake project at Parks Bar, California ($150,000); (33) the hydroelectric power project at Suistna River, Alaska ($25,000,000); (34) the channel modification of Sowashee Creek at Meridian, Mississippi ($450,000); (35) the modification of Cleveland Harbor, Ohio ($500,000); (36) the project at the Days Creek unit on the Red River below Dennison Dam, Texas; Arkansas; Louisiana ($300,000); and (37) the project at the Days Creek Dam, South Umpqua River Oregon ($250,000).

Authorizes the prosecution of the following works of improvement for the benefit of navigation and the control of floods and for other purposes: (1) Chaska, Minnesota, on the Minnesota River flood control project ($10,498,000); (2) James River at Richmond, Virginia, filtration plant flood control project ($4,617,000); (3) Harris Fork Creek, Tennessee and Kentucky, flood control ($5,000,000); (4) Neches River at Beaumont, Texas salt water control project ($14,300,000); (5) Los Angeles-Long Beach harbors, California navigation project ($16,850,000); and (6) Lower Snake River, Washington and Idaho fish and wildlife compensation plan ($58,400,000).

Modifies the following existing projects: (1) San Antonio Channel Improvement (Texas); (2) White River Basin, Beaver Dam (Arkansas); (3) New London (Connecticut) hurricane-flood control project; (4) Saylorville Reservoir on the Des Moines River (Iowa); (5) Mobile Harbor (Alabama) navigation project; (6) Deep Creek, Warwick County (Virginia) project; (7) Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor model in Vicksburg (Mississippi); (8) Corpus Christi ship canal project for navigation (Texas); (9) Wister Lake, Arkansas River Basin (Oklahoma); (10) Blue Marsh Lake, Berks County, project (Pennsylvania); (11) McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River (Oklahoma) navigation system; (12) Napa River (California) flood control project; (13) East St. Louis flood control (Illinois); (14) Sacramento River flood control (California); (15) Waurika Dam and Reservoir (Oklahoma); (16) Noyo Harbor improvement (California); (17) Pine Mountain Lake on Lee Creek (Arkansas and Oklahoma); (18) Little Dell Project, Salt Lake City Streams, (Utah); (19) Caddo Dam and Reservoir (Louisiana); (20) Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Bridges project (Virginia; North Carolina); (21) Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake; (22) Hartwell Reservoir on the Savannah River (South Carolina, Georgia); (23) the west Tennessee tributaries flood control project; (24) the Mississippi River-Gulf outlet channel; (25) the project for navigation and bank stabilization in the Red River Waterway (Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma); (26) the flood protection project at Mankato North Mankato-Le Hillier, Minnesota River, (Minnesota); (27) the flood control project on the Souris River at Minot, (North Dakota); (28) the project for Tuttle Creek Lake, Big Blue Lake (Kansas): (29) the flood protection project on the Deep Fork River (Oklahoma); (30) the project for the Cochiti Reservoir (New Mexico); (31) the project at Lucky Peak Lake (Idaho); (32) the project at Chief Joseph Dam and Reservoir (Washington); (33) the Oregon Slough project (Oregon); (34) the Del Valle Reservoir Alameda Creek (California); (35) the project for Port San Luis (California); (36) the Crater-Long Lakes division of the Snettisham project (Alaska); (37) the project at Cook Inlet (Alaska); and (38) North Branch of the Susquehana River (New York and Pennsylvania).

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to undertake the following: (1) the replacement of Vermillon Lock on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Louisiana ($20,683,000); (2) the conveyance by quitclaim deed to C.B. Porter Scott and Dorothy Boren Scott of Randall county, Texas, of specified land acquired as part of the project for Belton Lake, Texas; (3) the removal of Shooters' Island, Arthur Kill, New York; (4) the planning and establishment of wetland areas as a part of authorized water resources development projects; (5) the participation in construction of a levee and protective seawall at Liberty Park, New Jersey ($12,600,000); (6) the assumption of maintenance of the Mermentau River and the Gulf of Mexico Navigation Channel, Louisiana (at an annual cost of $155,000); (7) the construction of the flood protection project at Bassett Creek Watershed, Minnesota ($7,593,000); (8) to survey the Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah for flood control purposes; (9) the relocation of specified water intakes located on a pier of the Lewis and Clark Bridge on the Missouri River threatened by siltration; (10) the construction of a flood control project on the Red River below Denison Dam, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana ($4,131,000); (11) the construction of a flood control project on Galveston Bay, Baytown, Texas ($15,680,000); (12) the construction of a flood control project on the Santa Fe River and Arroyo Mascaras, New Mexico with specified restrictions ($8,200,000); (13) the construction of the project for Pine Mountain Lake on Lee Creek, Arkansas and Oklahoma; (14) the construction of a highway bridge over the Snake River between Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington ($21,000,000); and (15) carrying out of a five-year demonstration project to temporarily increase the diversion of water from Lake Michigan at Chicago, Illinois.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to investigate and study the following: (1) the development of a river system management plan for the Upper Mississippi River ($9,100,000); (2) the advisability and feasibility of providing flood protection by dredging the Susquehana River, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania; (3) the feasibility of providing protection against tidal and fluvial flooding along the San Francisco Bay shoreline, California; (4) the development of land and water resources in American Samoa; (5) the development of land and water resources in the Hilo Bay Area, Hawaii and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; (6) the identification of navigational hazards through hydrographic surveys of the Columbia River from Richland, Washington, to the Grand Coulee Dam ($500,000); (7) the improvement of waterway systems under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; (8) the water and surface transportation needs resulting from the expansion and development of San Pedro Bay ports, California and the feasibility of enlarging the Dominiguey Channel, California, for flood control purposes; (9) the most efficient methods of utilizing the hydroelectric power resources at water resource development projects under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; (10) the development of water supplies in the High Plains Region, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska; and (11) the feasibility and appropriateness of the removal and disposal of debris remaining as a result of military construction during World War II in the vicinity of Metlakatla and Annette Island, Alaska.

Declares the following bodies of water to be nonnavigable: (1) Lake Oswego (Oregon); (2) Lake Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) and (3) Lake George (New York).

Authorizes the filling in of the Hudson River in Hudson County, New Jersey and the erection of permanent pile-supported structures thereon if the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, finds that a declaration that this location is nonnavigible is in the public interest.

Terminates the authorization of the Gaysville Dam and Lake project, Stockbridge, Chittenden, and Rochester, Vermont.

Lake Ontario Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to develop a plan for shoreline protection and beach erosion control along Lake Ontario, and report on such plan to the Congress.

Permits the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to construct a water diversion structure from the North Shore of the Potomac River at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission water filtration plant to the north shore of Watkins Island.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to undertake projects for the collection and removal of drift and debris from publicly maintained commercial boat harbors and from land and water areas immediately adjacent thereto. Provides that the Federal share of the cost of any project developed will be two-thirds and that the remainder shall be paid by the State, municipality, or other political subdivision in which the project is to be located.

Alaska Hydroelectric Power Development Act - Establishes a Alaska Hydroelectric Power Development Fund in the Treasury of the United States from which the Secretary of the Army may make expenditures for the phase I design memorandum stage of advanced engineering and design for qualified hydroelectric power generator projects in Alaska. Authorizes the Secretary to make expenditures from non-Federal funds deposited in the fund as advances against construction costs.

States that no funds specifically authorized for any project in this Act will be available for expenditures prior to fiscal year 1978.