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SECTION V - FLOOD AND RELATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS CONSIDERED . 14. PUBLIC HEARINGS At the outset of this investigation, public hearings were held at Superior, Nebraska, on 2 February 196~ and at McCook, Nebraska, on 3 February 1960. At these hearings, representatives of Federal, State and local agencies and the general public were invited to express their vi~,s of the water resource problems of the basin and to present information pertinent to their solution. Resumes of these hearings are presented in Appendix V: Digest of Public Hear- ings. Flood problems in several psrts of the basin were mentioned, but the majority of statements were concerned with the loss of channel capacity in the Republican River. 15. PROBLEM AREAS ~. Wrsy, Colorado. The City of Wray, Colorado (1960 popula- tion 2,082) is located in the valley of the North Fork of the Republican River. At the public hearing at McCook, Nebraska, the mayor of Wray stated that the North Fork floods frequently and causes inundation of streets and improvements in the lower part of the city. A flood control investigation of the North Fork in the vicinity of Wray, Colorado, was authorized in 1950 but has not yet been initiated. Construction of the Wray Dam and Reservoir by the Bureau of Reclamation about four miles upstream from the town was authorized in 1944. (See paragraph Ilg.) There has been a renewed interest in irrigation and it is contemplated that a definite plan report will be completed in March 1964. The reservoir would provide a high degree of flood protection for the city. In 1961, the Wray Watershed Protection Project, which includes the city and side hill tributaries to the south, was completed by the So~l Conservation Service, the Hale Soil Conservation District and the City of Wray. ~. Upper basin flood plain. Flood damages in the upper Repub- lican River valleys pose a real economic problem. At the public hearing at McCook, Nebraska, the mayor of Wray, Colorado, expressed interest in the construction of the authorized Pioneer Dam and Reservoir (see paragraph 10c) on the Arikaree Rive~, as it would provide flood prevention benefits in the agricultural areas down- stream from the city and could provide desirable recreational facilities. The project, however, lacks economic justification. The Pioneer Reservoir was once considered as an alternate to the Wray Reservoir for irrigation water supply, but this was found to be impracticable under the terms of the Republican River Compact which allocates practically all Arikaree River flows to the State of Colorado. The Pioneer Reservoir project has been placed in .deferred status pending such developments as might furnish economic justification. 20 .