Misplaced Pages

#555444

32-600: On June 17, 1902, in accordance with the Reclamation Act , Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock established the U.S. Reclamation Service within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The new Reclamation Service studied potential water development projects in each western state with federal lands. Revenue from sale of federal lands was the initial source of the program's funding. Because Texas had no federal lands, it did not become

64-814: A Reclamation state until 1906, when Congress passed a law including it in the provisions of the Reclamation Act. From 1902 to 1907, Reclamation began about 30 projects in Western states. Then, in 1907, the Secretary of the Interior separated the Reclamation Service from the USGS and created an independent bureau within the Department of the Interior. Frederick Haynes Newell was appointed

96-542: A major Reclamation Bureau dam led to subsequent strengthening of its dam-safety program to avoid similar problems. Even so, the failure of Teton Dam, the environmental movement, and the announcement of President Carter 's "hit list" on water projects profoundly affected the direction of Reclamation's programs and activities. Reclamation operates about 180 projects in the 17 western states. The total Reclamation investment for completed project facilities in September 1992

128-721: Is to "manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public". In redirecting its programs and responsibilities, Reclamation substantially reduced its staff levels and budgets but remains a significant federal agency in the West. On October 1, 2017, the Hoover Dam Police Department was closed and the National Park Service took over law enforcement duties for

160-544: The Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (P.L. 97-293) eliminated the residency requirement provisions of reclamation law, raised the acreage limitation on lands irrigated with water supplied by the Bureau of Reclamation, and established and required full-cost rates for land receiving water above the acreage limit. John Wesley Powell , arguably the "father of reclamation", began a series of expeditions to explore

192-492: The 1960s and earlier drew to an end. Reclamation wrote that "The arid West essentially has been reclaimed. The major rivers have been harnessed and facilities are in place or are being completed to meet the most pressing current water demands and those of the immediate future". Emphasis in Reclamation programs shifted from construction to operation and maintenance of existing facilities. Reclamation's redefined official mission

224-666: The American West in 1867. He concluded that the Western United States was so arid that it could not yet support extensive development and government involvement in large-scale irrigation would be necessary. Among his observations, he saw that, after snowmelt and spring rains, the rivers of the West flooded and released huge amounts of water and that for the rest of the year not enough rain fell to sufficiently support agriculture, and so reservoir dams were necessary. The U.S. government saw too much economic potential in

256-472: The Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam Police Department existed for more than 80 years. Reclamation commissioners that have had a strong impact and molding of the Bureau have included Elwood Mead , Michael W. Straus , and Floyd Dominy , with the latter two being public-power boosters who ran the Bureau during its heyday. Mead guided the bureau during the development, planning, and construction of the Hoover Dam,

288-635: The United States Bureau of Reclamation. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 16, 2017. Burman is the first woman to ever lead the Bureau of Reclamation. David Murillo was serving as the acting commissioner of the bureau. Burman resigned on January 20 after the inauguration of the Biden Administration . The current Commissioner is Camille Calimlim Touton , the first Filipino American to head

320-677: The United States Geological Survey, and George H. Maxwell, head of the National Reclamation Association. Many of the loans made to farmers, funded by the sales of federal land, were never repaid. Amendments made by the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 gave the Department of the Interior, among other things, the authority to amend repayment contracts and to extend repayment for not more than 40 years. Amendments made by

352-607: The United States' first multiple-purpose dam. John W. Keys , the 16th Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation who served from July 2001 to April 2006, was killed two years after his retirement on May 30, 2008, when the airplane he was piloting crashed in Canyonlands National Park , Utah . On June 26, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Brenda Burman to serve as the Commissioner of

SECTION 10

#1732772822556

384-565: The West to heed Powell's advice, at the time. By the late 1800s, small-scale private and local farming organizations would prove the benefits of irrigation projects in the arid western states. When it became apparent that an organized effort would be required to make agriculture viable in the west, Representative Francis G. Newlands of Nevada introduced legislation into the United States Congress to provide federal help and coordination for irrigation projects. Newlands carried

416-511: The act possible. After several years of effort, the resulting act passed on June 17, 1902. The 1902 act was later amended by the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 ( Pub. L.   97–293 , Title II) to limit the corporate use of water and speculation on land that would benefit from reclamation projects. The full name of the act is "An Act Appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in certain States and Territories to

448-555: The agency was renamed the "Bureau of Reclamation". In 1924, however, in the face of increasing settler unrest and financial woes, the "Fact Finder's Report" spotlighted major problematic issues; the Fact Finders Act in late 1924 sought to resolve some of these problems. In 1928 Congress authorized the Boulder Canyon ( Hoover Dam ) Project, and large appropriations began, for the first time, to flow to Reclamation from

480-543: The agency. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 4, 2021. Reclamation Act The Reclamation Act (also known as the Lowlands Reclamation Act or National Reclamation Act ) of 1902 ( Pub. L.   57–161 ) is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 17 states in the American West . The act at first covered only 16 of

512-437: The bulk of the legislative burden and had a strong technical backup from Frederick Haynes Newell of the Department of the Interior and George H. Maxwell, head of the National Reclamation Association. Conflict emerged over whether reclamation efforts ought to occur at the state level or at the federal level . President Theodore Roosevelt supported the national effort and assembled the legislative alliances that made passage of

544-425: The construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid lands" . The act identifies 16 states and territories included in the project: Arizona , California , Colorado , Idaho , Kansas , Montana , Nebraska , Nevada , New Mexico , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Oregon , South Dakota , Utah , Washington , and Wyoming . It requires surplus fees from sales of land be set aside for a "reclamation fund" for

576-579: The dam at all. That traffic was diverted south to a Colorado River bridge at Laughlin, Nevada . Once the bypass opened on October 19, 2010, all through traffic was rerouted on it; the roadway on the dam is now open only to employees and dam visitors. The Hoover–Mead Security Zone encompasses 22 square miles (57 km ) around Hoover Dam and Lake Mead ; before the opening of the bypass, this included 3.3 miles (5 km) of U.S. Highway 93 (US 93). Vehicles had to pass through inspection checkpoints, located on US 93 one mile (1.6 km) north of

608-620: The dam in Nevada , and nine miles (14 km) south of the dam in Arizona , before crossing. With the opening of the bypass, traffic patterns changed dramatically. Through traffic no longer goes through a checkpoint on either side of the river. On the Nevada side, the dam road now branches off US 93 before the checkpoint, which remains in operation to screen dam visitors. On the Arizona side,

640-519: The development of water resources. It also requires the Treasury Department to fund education from unappropriated monies under certain conditions. Below are listed the larger of the irrigation projects of the United States, with the area reclaimed or to be reclaimed as of 1925. (1) Much of the West could not have been settled without the water provided by the Act. The West became one of

672-921: The eventual damming of nearly every major western river. Under the act, the Secretary of the Interior created the United States Reclamation Service within the United States Geological Survey to administer the program. In 1907, the Service became a separate organization within the Department of the Interior and was renamed the United States Bureau of Reclamation . The Act was co-authored by Democratic Congressional Representative Francis G. Newlands of Nevada , Frederick H. Newell of

SECTION 20

#1732772822556

704-642: The facility and its visitors. The Bureau of Reclamation has assigned an armed Bureau of Reclamation Security Response Force to provide physical security for the facility. Because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks , the Hoover Dam Bypass project was expedited and traffic across the dam was restricted. Some types of vehicles were inspected prior to crossing the dam while semi-trailer trucks , buses carrying luggage, and enclosed- box trucks over 40 feet (12 m) long were not allowed on

736-710: The first director of the new bureau. Beginning with the third person to take over the direction of Reclamation in 1923, David W. Davis, the title was changed from Director to Commissioner. In the early years, many projects encountered problems: lands or soils included in projects were unsuitable for irrigation ; land speculation sometimes resulted in poor settlement patterns; proposed repayment schedules could not be met by irrigators who had high land-preparation and facilities-construction costs; settlers were inexperienced in irrigation farming; waterlogging of irrigable lands required expensive drainage projects; and projects were built in areas which could only grow low-value crops. In 1923

768-463: The general funds of the United States. The authorization came only after a hard-fought debate about the pros and cons of public power versus private power. The heyday of Reclamation construction of water facilities occurred during the Depression and the 35 years after World War II . From 1941 to 1947, Civilian Public Service labor was used to carry on projects otherwise interrupted by

800-592: The large population centers in the Far West owe their growth to these power sources. Hoover Dam Police The Hoover Dam Police , officially the Bureau of Reclamation Police , was a federal security police force, stationed at Hoover Dam 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Las Vegas under the command of the US Bureau of Reclamation . Reclamation Police Officers were stationed only at Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam

832-652: The lives of visitors and employees. The Hoover Dam Police were assisted by unarmed Bureau of Reclamation security guards who control access to reclamation facilities and deter individuals who might consider criminal activities or terrorist acts. On October 1, 2017, the Hoover Dam Police Department was closed and the National Park Service took over law enforcement duties for the Hoover Dam. National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers from Lake Mead National Recreation Area now provide comprehensive federal law enforcement and emergency services for

864-514: The premier agricultural areas in the world. Bureau of Reclamation statistics shows that the more than 600 of their dams on waterways throughout the West provide irrigation for 10 million acres (40,000 km ) of farmland, providing 60% of the nation's vegetables and 25% of its fruits and nuts. Currently, the Bureau operates about 180 projects in the West. Not envisioned by the act, Bureau of Reclamation dams support 58 power plants producing 40 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Most of

896-420: The road across the dam dead-ends in parking lots, no longer connecting to US 93. This made the Arizona checkpoint unnecessary. The Nevada checkpoint is staffed by armed Bureau of Reclamation Security Guards plus contracted private security personnel, as was the Arizona checkpoint before its closing. Personnel at the checkpoint may inspect any vehicle at any time before it is allowed to pass through and cross

928-450: The war effort. The last major authorization for construction projects occurred in the late 1960s, while a parallel evolution and development of the American environmental movement began to result in strong opposition to water development projects. Even the 1976 failure of Teton Dam as it filled for the first time did not diminish Reclamation's strong international reputation in water development circles. However, this first and only failure of

960-424: The western states, as delineated by the 100th meridian, as Texas had no federal lands. Texas was added later by a special act passed in 1906. The act set aside money from sales of semi-arid public lands for the construction and maintenance of irrigation projects. The newly irrigated land would be sold and money would be put into a revolving fund that supported more such projects. These irrigation projects led to

992-583: Was about $ 11 billion. Reclamation projects provide agricultural, household, and industrial water to about one‑third of the population of the American West. About 5% of the land area of the West is irrigated, and Reclamation provides water to about one-fifth of that area, some 9,120,000 acres (37,000 km) in 1992. Reclamation is a major American generator of electricity . As of 2007, Reclamation had 58 power plants on‑line and generated 125,000 GJ of electricity. From 1988 to 1994, Reclamation underwent major reorganization as construction on projects authorized in

United States Bureau of Reclamation - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-580: Was both listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Hoover Dam has been designated as National Critical Infrastructure . The primary responsibilities of the Hoover Dam Police Officer were to protect the dam, the world's 57th-largest hydroelectric generating station, which provides about 2,080 megawatts , its associated structures, and to safeguard

#555444