The Alabama-Coosa River System 175 



construction of the Allatoona project on the Etowah, authorized 

 under separate legislation in the Flood Control Act of 1941, was 

 begun after the war ended. This project was completed, for all 

 practical purposes, by 1950. The main structures of the compre- 

 hensive plan of development for the main stem of the Alabama- 

 Coosa and the Etowah rivers, as of 1950, is shown in Table 27. 



Since 1950, the Corps of Engineers' plan for the development of 

 the Coosa River has undergone some modification, account of 

 which will be taken below. However, the general outlines of the 

 comprehensive plan made available to the President's Water 

 Resources Policy Commission are available as a frame of reference 

 within which to compare and contrast an alternate plan of private 

 development proposed in response to legislation rescinding the 

 authorization for the Corps to develop power on the Coosa. ^ 



PLAN OF THE ALABAMA POWER COMPANY 



In November, 1953, the Alabama Power Company had applied 

 for a preliminary permit to undertake the necessary engineering 

 studies preparatory to applying for a license to develop the Coosa 

 River. When, in June 1954, Congress passed Public Law 436 with- 

 drawing authorization for developing the power potential of the 

 Coosa under federal auspices, it required that certain specific 

 results which would have attended development by the federal 

 government be provided for by the alternate developer.^ A prelim- 

 inary permit, issued soon after enactment of Public Law 436, 

 authorized the Alabama Power Company to begin engineering 

 studies looking toward application for a license. 



The Alabama Power Company is one of four operating com- 

 panies making up the Southern Company; the others are the 

 Georgia, Gulf, and Mississippi power companies. This integrated 

 electric system consists of more than 3 million kilowatts of installed 

 generator capacity, over a million and a third of which is accounted 

 for by the Alabama Power Company.^ Six hydroelectric generating 

 stations are owned and operated by Alabama Power Company. 



' Public Law 436, Chapter 408, 83rd Congress, 2nd Session, H.R. No. 8923. 

 » Ibid., Sections 1, 3, 4, and 5. 



'See "Prospectus, The Southern Company," The First Boston Corporation 

 et al., November 1, 1955, p. 12. 



