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Updated July 24, 2017
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2017 Appropriations
Overview
allocations of this funding in an annual work plan. Enacted
appropriations for FY2017 add $112 million to the
Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the
President’s requested budget for work in various categories.
West were built by, or with the assistance of, the Bureau of
This was less than the amount ($166 million) that was
Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the
Interior. Reclamation’s mission
added in FY2016. The funding was subsequently allocated
is to develop water supplies
at the program and project levels in the bureau’s FY2017
primarily for irrigation to reclaim arid lands in the West.
work plan (available at http://www.usbr.gov/budget/).
Reclamation manages hundreds of dams and diversion
Figure 1. Bureau of Reclamation Appropriations,
projects, including more than 300 storage reservoirs in 17
FY2011-FY2017
western states. These projects provide water to
(nominal $ in millions)
approximately 10 million acres of farmland and 31 million
people. Reclamation is the largest wholesale supplier of
water in these 17 western states and the second-largest
hydroelectric power producer in the nation. Reclamation
facilities also provide flood control, recreation, and fish and
wildlife benefits. Operations of Reclamation facilities can
be controversial, particularly for their effects on fish and
wildlife species and their role in conflicts among competing
water users.
Reclamation’s single largest budget account, Water and
Related Resources, encompasses the majority of the
agency’s traditional programs and projects, including
construction, operations and maintenance, dam safety, and
ecosystem restoration, among others. Reclamation also
Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) with
requests funds in a number of smaller accounts, including
data from the Bureau of Reclamation.
California Bay-Delta Restoration, the Central Valley
Note: CVPRF = Central Valley Project Restoration Fund.
Project Restoration Fund, and Policy and Administration.
Figure 1 shows recent appropriations for Reclamation
Issues for Congress
accounts.
Western Drought
FY2017 Appropriations Summary
Significant precipitation in the winter of 2016-2017 ended
The President’s budget for FY2017 proposed $1.12 billion
the severe drought in California that dated to 2012.
Previously enacted Energy and Water Development
for the Bureau of Reclamation, a decrease of $158 million
appropriations bills included drought-related provisions and
from the FY2016 enacted level. The request included $956
million for Reclamation’s largest account, Water and
funding. FY2015 and FY2016 enacted appropriations for
Reclamation provided additional funding for western
Related Resources. The final enacted bill for FY2017
drought response projects in amounts of $50 million and
provided $1.32 billion, an increase of $200 million.
$100 million, respectively. The FY2017 enacted
appropriations continued to provide funding for drought
The FY2017 President’s budget proposed $1.12 billion
mitigation, adding $40 million for these projects, to be
for the Bureau of Reclamation. The final enacted bill
allocated by Reclamation.
provided $1.32 billion, an increase of $200 million.
WIIN Act Funding
Earmarks and Reclamation
In addition to drought response, efforts to mitigate the
The Reclamation budget is made up largely of individual
effects of future droughts by constructing new Reclamation
project funding lines and contains relatively few programs.
water storage projects in western states have garnered
Recently, Reclamation projects have been subject to
attention in recent years. Section 4007 of the Water
earmark moratoriums that restrict the addition of funding
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act;
for geographically specific project line items that the
P.L. 114-322), enacted in December 2016, authorized
Administration did not request. In lieu of these additions,
Reclamation to provide financial support for new or
Congress has included “additional funding” for selected
expanded federal and nonfederal water storage projects (see
categories of Reclamation projects (e.g., rural water
CRS In Focus IF10626, Reclamation Water Storage
projects, water conservation, and drought response) and
Projects: Section 4007 of the Water Infrastructure
directed Reclamation to report back on project-level
Improvements for the Nation Act, by Charles V. Stern).
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Bureau of Reclamation: FY2017 Appropriations
Enacted appropriations for FY2017 provided funding for
In FY2017, the President’s budget requested $62 million
this authority, stipulating that $67 million of the $79 million
for the WaterSMART program, an increase of $4 million
in additional funding amounts under the category “Water
over the FY2016 enacted level. The two largest
Conservation and Delivery” go to projects authorized under
WaterSMART programs, Title XVI and WaterSMART
Section 4007 of the WIIN Act. In subsequent reporting,
grants, received $74 million for WaterSMART in the
Reclamation has noted that this funding cannot be allocated
enacted bill, including a $13 million increase from the
to individual projects until the Secretary selects and
budgeted level for Title XVI and a $1 million increase for
transmits these proposals to Congress.
WaterSMART grants.
FY2017 enacted appropriations for Reclamation included
Figure 2. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART
WIIN-authorized funding in other selected categories. The
Program, FY2011-FY2017
law provided an additional $6 million above the
(nominal $ in millions)
Administration’s request for Water Desalination Act
research and development activities as authorized under
Section 4009(a) of the WIIN Act. The law also required
that $10 million of the $34 million appropriated for the
Title XVI program (see below section, “WaterSMART
Program”) be allocated to projects under Section 4009(c) of
the WIIN Act, which authorized federal construction
funding for projects with studies carried out by nonfederal
sponsors.
WaterSMART Program
Reclamation combines funding for bureau-wide programs
promoting water conservation into a single program—the
WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage American Resources
for Tomorrow) program. The program is part of the
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Department of the Interior’s focus on water conservation,
reuse, and planning, and it is notable for its departure from
Reclamation’s traditional project-based funding. It includes
Charles V. Stern, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
funding for seven programs, which are shown in Figure 2.
IF10375
Of these seven programs, the largest amount of funding is
appropriated for WaterSMART grants and Title XVI
projects.
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Bureau of Reclamation: FY2017 Appropriations
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
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