Flood Control Act of 1944

Flood Control Act of 1944
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act authorizing the construction of certain public works on rivers and harbors for flood control, and for other purposes.
NicknamesPick-Sloan Flood Control Act of 1944
Enacted bythe 78th United States Congress
EffectiveDecember 22, 1944
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 78–534
Statutes at Large58 Stat. 887, Chap. 665
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 4485 by William Madison Whittington (D–MS) on March 27, 1944[1]
  • Passed the House on May 9, 1944 (Passed)
  • Passed the Senate on December 1, 1944 (Passed)
  • Reported by the joint conference committee on December 4, 1944; agreed to by the House on December 12, 1944 (Agreed) and by the Senate on December 12, 1944 (Agreed)
  • Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 22, 1944

The Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act of 1944 (P.L. 78–534), enacted in the 2nd session of the 78th Congress, is U.S. legislation that authorized the construction of numerous dams and modifications to previously existing dams,[2] as well as levees across the United States. Among its various provisions, it established the Southeastern Power Administration and the Southwestern Power Administration, and led to the establishment of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.

The Pick-Sloan legislation managed the Missouri River with six intents: hydropower, recreation, water supply, navigation, flood control and fish and wildlife. Over 50 dams and lakes have been built due to this legislation, not just on the mainly affected river but also on tributaries and other connected rivers. Nebraska, as an example, has seen more than eight new lakes created due to the damming of the Missouri and tributaries. The Act also recognized the legitimate rights of states, through the Governor, to impact flood control projects. See 33 US section 701-1 which declared it to be the policy of the Congress

to recognize the interests and rights of the States in determining the development of the watersheds within their borders and likewise their interests and rights in water utilization and control.[3]

The Act was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 22, 1944. It was named for General Lewis A. Pick, head of the Army Corps of Engineers, and W. Glenn Sloan of the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation.

  1. ^ "Legislative History, Public Law 534 - 78th Congress, Chapter 665 - 2d Session, H.R. 4485". Internet Archive. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1944. pp. 2–3.
  2. ^ Flood Control Act of 1944 Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, Digest of Federal Resource Laws of Interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  3. ^ 33 USC section 701