Jacob
Douma
Where you involved in any project in which environmental objection may have resulted
in changed hydraulic designs?
I think there were some projects which had design changes, but they weren't major
changes. I can't offhand recall any where the environmentalists controlled what the Corps
was going to do on a major project.
Let's see now. There was a channel improvement project in Florida, which was designed
and constructed by the Corps. The river channel wasn't large enough, so during major
floods, swampy areas and adjacent properties were flooded. The flood damages justified
improvement of the river channel to carry more water without flooding any of the land.
The environmentalists didn't like that; they wanted the land flooded because that made
good swampland for fish, birds and whatnot. They were able to stop construction. The
Corps had already constructed part of the project. The Corps hadn't made an
Environmental Impact Statement or report, so they got an injunction against it which
required the Corps to stop construction until they made an environmental impact study.
The study found that the channel improvement would reduce the wetlands areas, but there
would still be enough swampland, so the environmental impact would be minimal. Then,
the Corps got approval to complete construction of the channel improvement.
Were you involved at all in the Florida barge canal situation?
The Florida barge
Yes, that cross-Florida canal, in the northern part of that state.
A:
Well, that's the one I'm talking about.
Q ..
Oh, that's it?
A:
Yes.
Q:
Okay. That was a major setback, that one.
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