April 22, 2001

Washington, D.C.-It all began in a grassy field just outside of Cordell, Oklahoma three years ago. I was in attendance, along with several members of the conservation community, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the man-made structure just alongside that grassy field - Cloud Creek Site No. 1 - the official-sounding name of the nation's first small watershed dam structure.

We met at the site 11 miles southeast of Cordell to commemorate the work of those who created these dams, and the dams themselves. They have been silently keeping America's creeks and rivers at bay, protecting our property, livestock, and families, for fifty years. There are more than 2,000 of these small watershed dams in Oklahoma, but most people today walk and drive by them without notice.

Over the years, local conservation districts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have done outstanding work in building and maintaining the dams. So outstanding, particularly in flood control, that many people are totally unaware that the districts, NRCS, and the dams are on the job.

The fiftieth anniversary was a bittersweet celebration however, because although the Cloud Creek Site and others like it have performed magnificently over the past half-century, these sites will soon become a danger to nearby citizens and their property. When they were constructed, the builders estimated the life span of these structures at 50 years. Year after year, more and more of these watershed dams are hitting the 50-year mark.

These upstream flood control dams not only serve as the wall of safety for communities living downstream, but also as the main source of water for some areas. They also create recreational areas and wildlife habitats. It was clear to us on that day and it's still clear to me today, that these structures need help now.

That's why I introduced the "Small Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments Act" to deal with this growing problem. The bill authorizes a five-year rehabilitation process with the Secretary of Agriculture assessing which upstream flood control structures would need the most immediate assistance. The bill authorizes $90 million over that five-year period and sets up a 65%-35% cost-share structure between the federal government and the locality, with the federal government supplying the 65 percent.

Congress began the job of addressing this problem 50 years ago, with the Flood Control Act of 1944, the Pilot Watershed Program in 1953, and the Watershed Protection and Floodwater Protection Act of 1954. Now we can pick up the flag and renew our dedication to protecting lives and property through conservation.

This bill, which was signed into law last November, is just an example of the kinds of real results through legislation we can achieve in working with the conservation community. I am proud to lead the charge in this program, and as the chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research, we'll have even more progress in the area of conservation.

Although we've only begun this year's work of subcommittee hearings, I look forward to the same positive relationship with the conservation community in the future that have brought about important legislation in the past. Together we can make the 107th Congress a watershed session for conservation.