; SP- IWR° CONTRACT REPORT 78-4... , UNDER ... - IWR - U.S. Army

which would allow for joint decision-making and shared costs of
any flood control projects which were initiated.
Under these acts the states were required to provide, without cost
to the.federal government, all lands, easements, and rights-of-way;
to hold and save the United States free from damages due to
construction works; to maintain and operate the works after
completion; and to provide tax reimbursement to affected towns.
The federal government would provide funds for the cost of
construction and build the necessary dams. Also, the cost for
relocation of public utilities, power lines, bridges, roads, and
public buildings was to be incurred by the federal government to
reduce costs to the states (compact covering flood control, 1937).
Two reservoirs were suggested by the study group from the Corps
of Engineers for flood protection along the Merrimack, the Blackwater
Reservoir and the Franklin Falls Reservoir. The benefits derived
from these projects would be primarily for flood protection, but
benefits might also be derived from other uses of the reservoir,
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such as water conservation, storage, and possible power output.
The projected annual saving from flood loss for the state of New
Hampshire would be $426,000.00 per year and $274,000.00 for
Massachusetts. The "Initial Plan for Flood Control on the Merrimack
River Flood Commission at a conference held in Hartford, Connecticut.
In accordance with the compact formed between New Hampshire and
Massachusetts covering flood control along the Merrimack River,
the costs of the lands, easements, rights-of-way necessary for
construction, maintenance, and tax reimbursements would be shared
equally. The total cost of lands to be acquired for the two
reservoirs was approximately $2,285,000.00. The total cost of
maintenance per year was estimated to be $24,000.00 of which
$10,000.00 was to be allocated for tax reimbursement to the towns
affected by the project.
The total cost of the project including construction, lands and
lost tax value for the Blackwater Reservoir near Webster, New
Hampshire, would be $899,000.00, and for the Franklin Falls
Reservoir the entire cost was estimated to be $6,612,000.00
The Blackwater project would impound 6.9 inches of runoff from its
125 square miles of drainage area--equal to 16% of the drainage
area of the Contoocook River. Protection offered by the Franklin
Falls Reservoir would have a capacity of 3.19 inches of runoff
from 1,000 square miles of drainage area. This is equal to about
20% of the total drainage area of the Merrimack River or about
26% of the total drainage area at Nashua, 35% at Manchester, and
42% of the area at Concord. This reservoir combined with the
Blackwater Reservoir would eliminate most of the flood damages in
downstream urban-industrial areas.
Besides the actual monetary costs in the years ahead, there would
be a social cost which would be absorbed by the residents of Hill
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