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<br />OOZu;S
<br />
<br />Water- Resources Development
<br />
<br />PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS
<br />
<br />The problems of floods, low water flow and stream pollution are
<br />not new in the Neosho valley. Levee building began in 1892 in
<br />Neosho county and by the time of the 1904 flood, nineteen different
<br />,
<br />levee districts had been organized alollg the river. Most of the
<br />levees proved inadequate for the 1904 flood and were either de-
<br />stroyed or badly damaged. Since that time a number of investiga-
<br />tions by federal agencies have been made,
<br />
<br />Office of Drainage Investigations
<br />
<br />In response to the request of residents of the Neosho valley, the
<br />Office of Drainage Investigations of the U, S. Department of Agri-
<br />culture made a survey and study of the basin in 1907. As the result
<br />of this work a flood control plan was formulated which provided for
<br />removal of obstructions from the river channel, construetion of
<br />levees on each side of the channel about 900 feet apart, and the
<br />eutting of a few bends in the upper seetion of the river. This plan,
<br />however, was not adopted by the people and there resulted during
<br />the following years a more or less hodge-podge of levee construetion
<br />along both sides of the stream, The flood problems has been aggra-
<br />vated by the uncorrelated efforts of individuals and local communi-
<br />ties attenJpting to deal with it.
<br />
<br />U. S. Engineer Office
<br />
<br />Following great floods on the Mississippi, the United State!; con-
<br />gress took note of the national importance of such problems, and
<br />through the river and harbor act of January 21, 1927, and the flood
<br />control act approved May 15, 1928, authorized and directed the
<br />Corps of Engineers to prepare projeets for flood control on all tribu-
<br />tary streams of the Mississippi river system, subject to destructive
<br />floods. The preparation of the plans occupied a period of several
<br />years and upon completion were transmitted to congress by the Sec-
<br />retary of War on July 29,1935. In the report it was coneIuded as to
<br />the Neosho river that it overflowed a considerable area, but that
<br />flood control was :\lot economieally justified at that time. Those
<br />studies also led to the coneIusion that a plan for the ultirriate de-
<br />velopment of this stream should include a storage reservoir in the
<br />upper basin and levees in the reaches above Spring river, as eco-
<br />nomic conditions might justify their construction, The flood prob-
<br />lem was regarded as being of local interest and it was recommended
<br />that there be no participation by the United States in the control of
<br />
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