United States Bureau of Reclamation explained

Agency Name:Bureau of Reclamation
Agency Type:Office
Formed:1902
Headquarters:Main Interior Building
Washington, D.C.
Employees:5,425[1]
Budget:$1.17 billion[2]
Chief1 Name:Scott J. Cameron (Acting)
Chief1 Position:Commissioner
Chief2 Position:Deputy Commissioner
Parent Agency:United States Department of the Interior
Website:www.usbr.gov

The Bureau of Reclamation, formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and operation of the diversion, delivery, and storage projects that it has built throughout the western United States for irrigation, water supply, and attendant hydroelectric power generation. It is currently the U.S.'s largest wholesaler of water, bringing water to more than 31 million people, and providing one in five Western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million acres of farmland, which produce 60% of the nation's vegetables and 25% of its fruits and nuts. The bureau is also the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the western U.S.[3]

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 a Reclamation state until 1906, when Congress passed a law including it in the provisions of the Reclamation Act.

History

From 1902 to 1907, Reclamation began about 30 projects in Western states.[4] 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 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.[5]

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 the agency was renamed the "Bureau of Reclamation".[6] 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 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.[7]

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 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.[8] However, this first and only failure of 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.[9]

Reclamation operates about 180 projects in the 17 western states. The total Reclamation investment for completed project facilities in September 1992 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 km2) in 1992. Reclamation is a major American generator of electricity., 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 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 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 the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam Police Department existed for more than 80 years.[10]

Leadership

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, the United States' first multiple-purpose dam.[11]

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.[12]

On June 26, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Brenda Burman to serve as the commissioner of 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 the agency. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 4, 2021.[13]

List of commissioners

The following is a list of commissioners since 1902:[14]

ImageCommissionerStartEndNotes
United States Reclamation Service
1Frederick Haynes NewellMarch 9, 1907December 9. 1914[15]
2Arthur Powell DavisnowrapDecember 10, 1914June 18, 1923[16]
United States Bureau of Reclamation
3David W. DavisJuly 1, 1923April 2, 1924[17]
4Elwood Mead1924nowrapJanuary 26, 1936[18]
actingMae Schnurr19301936[19]
5John C. PageJanuary 25, 1937August 2, 1943[20]
6Harry W. BashoreAugust 3, 19431945[21]
7Michael W. Straus19451953[22]
actingGoodrich W. Lineweaver19531953
8Wilbur A. Dexheimer19531959[23]
9Floyd E. DominyMay 1, 19591969[24]
10Ellis L. Armstrong19691973[25]
11Gilbert G. Stamm19731977[26]
actingDonald D. Anderson19771977
12R. Keith Higginson19771981[27]
actingClifford I. Barrett19811981[28]
13Robert N. Broadbent19811984[29]
actingRobert A. OlsonDecember 1984August 1985[30]
actingClifford I. Barrett19851985
14C. Dale DuvallDecember 1985July 6, 1989[31]
actingJoe D. Hall19891989[32]
15Dennis B. UnderwoodNovember 14, 19891993[33]
actingLawrence F. Hancock19931993
16Daniel P. BeardMay 1993September 1, 1995[34] [35]
actingStephen V. MagnussenSeptember 2, 1995December 1995[36]
17Eluid MartinezDecember 1995January 2001[37]
actingJ. William McDonaldJanuary 2001July 15, 2001
18John W. KeysJuly 17, 2001April 15, 2006[38] [39] [40]
actingWilliam RinneApril 16, 2006October 2006[41]
20Robert (Bob) W. JohnsonOctober 2006January 2009[42] [43]
actingJ. William McDonaldJanuary 2009May 2009[44]
21Michael L. ConnorJune 2009February 28, 2014[45] [46] [47]
actingLowell Pimley March 5, 2014October 1, 2014[48]
actingEstevan LópezOctober 2, 2014nowrapDecember 17, 2014[49] [50] [51]
22December 18, 2014January 20, 2017[52]
–David MurilloJanuary 20, 2017nowrapNovember 15, 2017[53]
23Brenda BurmanNovember 16, 2017January 20, 2021 [54]
24nowrapM. Camille Calimlim ToutonDecember 15, 2021January 20, 2025[55] [56] [57]
actingDavid PalumboJanuary 20, 2025October 1, 2025[58]
actingScott J. CameronOctober 1, 2025Present[59]

Table notes:

List of reclamation projects

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bureau of Reclamation Quickfacts. under "TOPIC: Employees". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1 October 2012. 3 May 2012. 28 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120928002924/http://www.usbr.gov/facts.html. dead.
  2. Book: Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2013. 2012. U.S. Department of the Interior. 11. 14 January 2024. 1 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20240114095805/https://www.usbr.gov/budget/2013/FY13_Budget_Justifications.pdf. dead.
  3. Web site: Bureau of Reclamation – About Us. 2016-02-16. 2016-02-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20160224074309/http://www.usbr.gov/main/about/fact.html. dead.
  4. Page . Arthur W. . Arthur W. Page . December 1907 . The Real Conquest of the West: The Work of the United States REclamation Service . . XV . 9691–9704 . 2009-07-10 .
  5. Web site: Bureau of Reclamation . Reclamation History . Bureau of Reclamation . 13 August 2020.
  6. http://www.usbr.gov/history/borhist.html The Bureau of Reclamation: A Very Brief History
  7. Kleinsorge, Paul L. (1941). The Boulder Canyon Project: Historical and Economic Aspects (Stanford: Stanford University Press).
  8. Web site: Teton Dam Failure. 2008-05-07. 2008-05-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20080516005143/http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment/projects/TetonRiver/TetonRiver.htm. live.
  9. Paul E. ScheelePresidential Studies QuarterlyVol. 8, No. 4, Presidential Power and the Values and Processes of Democracy (Fall, 1978), pp. 348–364
  10. Web site: Dam police department dissolved; park rangers now patrol facility . 13 December 2017 .
  11. Sutton . Imre . 1968 . Geographical Aspects of Construction Planning: Hoover Dam Revisited . Journal of the West . 7 . 3. 301–344 .
  12. Web site: Bureau of Reclamation. Bureau of. Reclamation. www.usbr.gov. 17 April 2018.
  13. Web site: AQUAFORNIA BREAKING NEWS: Camille Calimlim Touton nominated as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner. 22 June 2020. 9 December 2021. 10 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211210205904/https://www.watereducation.org/aquafornia-news/aquafornia-breaking-news-camille-calimlim-touton-nominated-bureau-reclamation. live.
  14. Web site: Commissioners of Reclamation . USBR . August 13, 2020 . April 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210402160117/https://www.usbr.gov/history/commiss.html . live .
  15. Web site: Frederick H. Newell, Chief Engineer, 1902-1907, Director, Reclamation Service, 1907-1914 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222060638/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/newell.html . live .
  16. Web site: Arthur P. Davis, Director, Reclamation Service, 1914-1923 . USBR.
  17. Web site: David W. Davis, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1923-1924 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250219200731/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/ddavis.html . live .
  18. Web site: Elwood Mead, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1924 - 1936 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222055551/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/mead.html . live .
  19. Web site: Mae Schnurr, (acting, times vary through 1936) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1930-1936 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250221192441/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/schnurr.html . live .
  20. Web site: John C. Page, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1936-1943 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222071439/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/page.html . live .
  21. Web site: Harry W. Bashore, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1943–1945 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222064707/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/bashore.html . live .
  22. Web site: Michael W. Straus, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1945–1953 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222101234/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/straus.html . live .
  23. Web site: Wilbur A. Dexheimer, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1953-1959 . USBR.
  24. Web site: Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1959-1969 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222064350/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/dominy.html . live .
  25. Web site: Ellis L. Armstrong, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1969-1973 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222222130/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/armstrong.html . live .
  26. Web site: Gilbert G. Stamm, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1973-1977 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222072459/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/stamm.html . live .
  27. Web site: R. Keith Higginson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1977-1981 . USBR.
  28. Web site: Clifford I. Barrett, (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1981, 1985 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222051646/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/barrett.html . live .
  29. Web site: Robert N. Broadbent, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1981-1984 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250219200729/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/broadbent.html . live .
  30. Web site: Robert A. Olson (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1984 . USBR.
  31. Web site: C. Dale Duvall, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1986-1989 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250221193557/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/duvall.html . live .
  32. Web site: Joe D. Hall (acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1989 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222064356/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/hall.html . live .
  33. Web site: Dennis B. Underwood, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1989-1993 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222113342/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/underwood.html . live .
  34. A progressive bureaucrat signs off . Ed . Marston . July 24, 1995 . High Country News.
  35. Web site: Daniel P. Beard, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1993-1995 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250221201352/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/beard.html . live .
  36. Web site: Stephen V. Magnussen, (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1995 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222085117/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/magnussen.html . live .
  37. Web site: Eluid Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1995-2001 . USBR.
  38. Web site: Interview with John W. Keys III . August 6, 2001 . Engineering News-Record . March 21, 2025 . March 21, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250321015217/https://www.enr.com/articles/32202-headline-to-come . live .
  39. Web site: Norton Lauds Service of John Keys as Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation . March 17, 2006 . DOI . March 21, 2025 . March 21, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250321015216/https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/archive/news/archive/06_News_Releases/060317b.htm . live .
  40. Web site: John W. Keys III, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2001-2006 . USBR.
  41. Web site: Reclamation: Bureau Veteran Nominated For Top Post . July 31, 2006 . Engineering News-Record . March 21, 2025 . March 21, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250321015216/https://www.enr.com/articles/31091-reclamation-bureau-veteran-nominated-for-top-post . live .
  42. Web site: Senate confirms new Bureau of Reclamation commissioner . October 3, 2006 . Power Engineering.
  43. Web site: Robert (Bob) W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2006-2009 . USBR.
  44. Web site: Reclamation names McDonald commissioner, Johnson retiresApril 1, 2009 . Power Engineering . 2025-03-21 . 2025-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250321015216/https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/energy-business/transitions-453/ . live .
  45. Web site: Secretary Salazar Lauds Senate's Confirmation of Michael Connor as Reclamation Commissioner . May 22, 2009 . DOI.
  46. Web site: Senate confirms Connor as Interior's new deputy secretary . February 28, 2014 . Michael . Harris . Power Engineering.
  47. Web site: Michael L. Connor, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2009 to 2014 . USBR . 2025-03-20 . 2025-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222064944/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/connor.html . live .
  48. Web site: Pimley named interim commisioner of Reclamation . March 5, 2014 . Michael . Harris . Power Engineering.
  49. Web site: DOINews: All DOI Employees: Departmental Leadership . October 2, 2014 . DOI.
  50. Web site: Secretary Jewell Statement on the Senate Confirmation of Estevan López as Commissioner of Reclamation . December 17, 2014 . DOI . March 21, 2025 . March 21, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250321015216/https://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-jewell-statement-on-the-senate-confirmation-of-estevan-lopez-as-commissioner-of-reclamation . live .
  51. Web site: Commissioner Estevan López Bureau of Reclamation, 2014 to 2016 . USBR.
  52. https://crwua.org/estevan-lopez-upper-colorado-river-compact-commissioner-new-mexico/
  53. Web site: Reclamation agrees to apply for Clean Water Act permit for Grand Coulee Dam . February 1, 2017 . Power Engineering.
  54. Web site: Commissioner Brenda W. Burman Bureau of Reclamation, 2017 to 2021 . USBR.
  55. Web site: Camille Touton Sworn In as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner . DOI . March 20, 2025 . March 20, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250320213738/https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/camille-touton-sworn-bureau-reclamation-commissioner . live .
  56. TRIBUTE TO CAMILLE CALIMLIM TOUTON . . 171 . 10 . January 17, 2025.
  57. Web site: Commissioner M. Camille Calimlim Touton Bureau of Reclamation, 2021 to 2025 . USBR . March 20, 2025 . February 22, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250222180044/https://www.usbr.gov/history/CommissBios/M-Camille-Calimlim-Touton.pdf . live .
  58. News: Feds spent months on a mostly useless plan to save the Colorado River . Joanna . Allhands . . January 24, 2025.
  59. https://www.eenews.net/articles/scott-cameron-takes-the-reins-as-acting-head-of-reclamation/

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