Flood Control Act of 1936
Encyclopedia
The Flood Control Act of 1936, , (FCA 1936) was an Act of the United States Congress
signed into law by President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
on 22 June 1936. It authorized civil engineering
projects such as dam
s, levee
s, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of Engineers
and other Federal agencies
. It is one of a number of Flood Control Act
s passed on a regular basis by the United States Congress
. FCA 1936 was introduced in Congress by Riley J. Wilson
(D, LA).
FCA 1936 dictated that Federal investigations and improvements of rivers and other waterways for flood control and allied purposes shall be under the jurisdiction of the War Department (precursor of the Department of Defense
under the supervision of the Chief of Engineers
. It further put watersheds, waterflow retardation, and soil erosion prevention under the Department of Agriculture. Further, those authorities were not to interfere with reclamation projects by the Bureau of Reclamation of the Interior Department.
FCA 1936 was part of the profusion of important Depression Era legislation enacted by the 74th Congress in 1935-1936, including the Social Security Act, the National Labor Relations Act
, the Banking Act of 1935, the Wealth Tax Act
, the Public Utility Holding Company Act
, the Rural Electrification Act
, the Soil Conservation Service Act, and the $4.8 billion Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935
.
FCA 1936 declared that flood control was a national priority since floods constituted a menace to the national welfare.
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
signed into law by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
on 22 June 1936. It authorized civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
projects such as dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s, levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
and other Federal agencies
United States Federal Executive Departments
The United States federal executive departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States—the Departments of State, War, and the Treasury all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.Federal executive...
. It is one of a number of Flood Control Act
Flood Control Act
There are multiple laws known as the Flood Control Act. Typically, they are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers:-List of Flood Control Acts:*Flood Control Act of 1917...
s passed on a regular basis by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. FCA 1936 was introduced in Congress by Riley J. Wilson
Riley J. Wilson
Riley Joseph Wilson was a Louisiana educator, attorney, and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 until 1937...
(D, LA).
FCA 1936 dictated that Federal investigations and improvements of rivers and other waterways for flood control and allied purposes shall be under the jurisdiction of the War Department (precursor of the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
under the supervision of the Chief of Engineers
Chief of Engineers
The Chief of Engineers commands the US Army Corps of Engineers. As a staff officer at The Pentagon, the Chief advises the Army on engineering matters and serves as the Army's topographer and the proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs....
. It further put watersheds, waterflow retardation, and soil erosion prevention under the Department of Agriculture. Further, those authorities were not to interfere with reclamation projects by the Bureau of Reclamation of the Interior Department.
FCA 1936 was part of the profusion of important Depression Era legislation enacted by the 74th Congress in 1935-1936, including the Social Security Act, the National Labor Relations Act
National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act , is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions , engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in...
, the Banking Act of 1935, the Wealth Tax Act
Revenue Act of 1935
The Revenue Act of 1935, , raised United States taxes on higher income levels, gifts, estates and corporations, by introducing the "Wealth Tax". It was a new graduated tax that took up to 75 percent of the highest incomes in taxes, starting at incomes above $50,000.It was signed into law by...
, the Public Utility Holding Company Act
Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 , , also known as the Wheeler-Rayburn Act, was a law that was passed by the United States Congress to facilitate regulation of electric utilities, by either limiting their operations to a single state, and thus subjecting them to effective state...
, the Rural Electrification Act
Rural Electrification Act
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve rural areas of the United States....
, the Soil Conservation Service Act, and the $4.8 billion Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935
Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935
The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 was passed on April 8 during the "Second Hundred Days" as a part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. It was a "large-scale public works program for the jobless" which included the Works Progress Administration...
.
Significance
According to Joseph Arnold, author of The Evolution of the Flood Control Act of 1936,FCA 1936 declared that flood control was a national priority since floods constituted a menace to the national welfare.
Authorization
FCA 1936 authorized the expenditure of $310 million for flood control projects with no more than $50 million being expended in fiscal year 1937. Expenditure was conditioned on local interests participating by providing all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for the construction of the projects, local interests holding and saving the Federal Government free from damages due to the construction works, and that local interests maintain and operate the projects after completion.See also
For related legislation which sometime also implement flood control provisions, see the following:- Flood Control ActFlood Control ActThere are multiple laws known as the Flood Control Act. Typically, they are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers:-List of Flood Control Acts:*Flood Control Act of 1917...
- Flood Control Act of 1937Flood Control Act of 1937The Flood Control Act of 1937 was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 28, 1937 as Public Law 406, in response to major flooding throughout the United States in the 1930s, culminating with the "Super Flood" of January 1937, the greatest...
- follow-on legislation - Water Resources Development ActWater Resources Development ActWater Resources Development Act , is a reference to public laws enacted by Congress to deal with various aspects of water resources: environmental, structural, navigational, flood protection, hydrology, etc....
- Rivers and Harbors ActRivers and Harbors ActRivers and Harbors Act may refer to one of many pieces of legislation and appropriations passed by the United States Congress since the first such legislation in 1824. At that time congress appropriated $75,000 to improve navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers by removing sandbars, snags,...