link to page 1 link to page 2



April 2, 2019
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations
Overview
Figure 1. Bureau of Reclamation Accounts and
Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the
Appropriations, FY2013-FY2020 Request
17 states west of the Mississippi River were built by, or
(nominal $ in millions)
with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior.
Reclamation’s original mission was to develop water
supplies, primarily for irrigation to reclaim arid lands in the
West. Today, its mission includes management,
development, and protection of water and related resources.
Reclamation’s mission areas and geographic scope are
generally narrower than those of the other principal federal
water resource agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Today, Reclamation manages hundreds of water storage
and conveyance projects. These projects provide water to
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. Operations of
Reclamation facilities can be controversial, particularly in

relation to effects on fish and wildlife species and conflicts
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and enacted
among competing water users.
appropriations data.
Notes: Does not reflect offsetting receipts for the Central Valley
Reclamation’s role has evolved, and its focus has gradually
Project Restoration Fund (CVPRF).
shifted from construction of new water storage projects to
operation and maintenance of existing projects.
Earmarks and Reclamation
Reclamation also has expanded into new areas, including
The Water and Related Resources account is made up
funding for water supply projects on tribal lands and in
largely of individual project funding lines. These projects
rural areas under congressionally authorized Indian water
have been subject to recent earmark moratoriums that
rights settlements and rural water supply projects,
restrict the addition of funding for geographically specific
respectively. Congress has also authorized Reclamation
project line-items that the Administration did not request. In
grants to nonfederal projects, including those for water
lieu of these additions, since FY2014 Congress has
reuse and recycling, conservation and efficiency, and
included additional funding beyond the President’s budget
desalination.
request for selected categories of Reclamation projects.
These funds typically are allocated in work plans produced
Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account funds
by the Administration and made available several months
most agency activities, including construction, operation
after appropriations bills have been enacted (these plans are
and maintenance, dam safety, and ecosystem restoration. It
available at http://www.usbr.gov/budget/).
also funds Indian water rights settlements and most
Reclamation programmatic and grant authorities.
FY2019 enacted appropriations continued the practice of
Reclamation also typically requests funding for three
providing additional funds to be allocated in a work plan.
smaller accounts: California Bay-Delta Restoration, the
Congress appropriated $387 million in addition to the
Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (the latter of which
President’s FY2019 budget request to fund projects in the
is offset by customer receipts), and the Policy and
following categories: rural water ($99 million); water
Administration account.
conservation and delivery ($244 million); environmental
restoration or compliance ($40 million); and facilities
FY2020 Budget
operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation ($4 million).
The President’s budget request for FY2020 proposed $1.11
Additional funding amounts for Reclamation in recent
billion in gross current authority for Reclamation. The final
enacted Energy and Water appropriations bills are shown in
FY2019 enacted level was $1.57 billion. Figure 1 shows
Figure 2. The lack of funding for these projects in the
recent appropriations levels for Reclamation compared to
President’s Budget Request for FY2020 accounts for 83%
the FY2020 President’s budget request.
of the reduction compared to the FY2019 enacted amount.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

link to page 2

Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations
Figure 2. Reclamation Additional Funding Items,
conservation, reuse, and planning, and it is notable for its
FY2014-FY2019
departure from Reclamation’s traditional project-based
(nominal $ in millions)
funding. In recent years, WaterSMART has included
funding for seven programs. Of these seven programs, the
largest are WaterSMART grants (which fund water and
related energy efficiency projects) and Title XVI projects
(which fund water recycling and reuse projects).
For FY2020, the Administration requested a total of $20
million for the WaterSMART program, or $93 million
below the FY2019 enacted level of $113 million. Funding
levels for WaterSMART are shown below in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Reclamation WaterSMART Program,
FY2013-FY2020 Request
(nominal $ in millions)

Source: CRS, based on Reclamation appropriations data.
Reclamation Appropriations Issues
WIIN Act Section 4007 Funding
Section 4007 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for
the Nation Act (WIIN Act; P.L. 114-322) authorized the
appropriation of $335 million for Reclamation to study and
construct new or expanded federal and nonfederal water
storage projects. In order for projects to receive funding,
they must be found feasible by Reclamation, have a cost-
sharing partner, and be named in enacted appropriations
legislation by Congress, among other things. In 2018
reporting to Congress, Reclamation initially recommended

seven projects to receive $35 million in FY2017 funding for
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and
WIIN Act Section 4007 projects; Congress agreed to these
appropriations data.
recommendations in the enacted FY2018 Energy and Water
appropriations bill. In February 2019, Reclamation
Rural Water Supply and Indian Water Rights
recommended another round of projects to receive $75.0
Settlements (IWRS)
million in FY2017 and FY2018 funds: Shasta Dam and
Reclamation is authorized to construct and operate projects
Reservoir Enlargement in California ($57.0 million); Cle
that provide water supplies to rural communities and Indian
Elum Pool Raise in Washington ($4.0 million); Boise River
tribes. In 2019, the bureau estimated that approximately
Basin Feasibility Study in Idaho ($1.75 million); Del Puerto
$1.3 billion was needed to complete its authorized rural
Water District Feasibility Study in California ($1.50
water projects, and an additional $1.3 billion was needed
million); Los Vaqueros Phase 2 Feasibility Study in
for IWRS projects. The FY2020 President’s budget
California ($2.15 million); Sites Reservoir Feasibility Study
requested $28 million for five authorized rural water
in California ($6.0 million); and Friant-Kern Subsidence
projects, or $105 million less than the FY2019 enacted
Correction Feasibility Study in California ($2.35 million).
level. For IWRS, the FY2020 President’s budget requested
As with the 2018 list, these projects must be named in
$100 million in construction funds to implement four
enacted appropriations legislation to move forward.
authorized Indian water rights settlements, or $8 million
less than FY2019 enacted. For more information, see CRS
Congress appropriated an additional $134 million for
Report R44148, Indian Water Rights Settlements.
Section 4007 projects in FY2019. Thus, as of early 2019,
the full authorized amount of $335 million had been
Aging Infrastructure
appropriated for Section 4007 projects, but less than half of
In 2019, Reclamation estimated that it would have $2.4
those funds had been allocated or recommended for
billion in “extraordinary” (i.e., non-routine) maintenance
allocation by the Administration. For more information, see
needs over the next five years; this is an increase of $300
CRS In Focus IF10626, Reclamation Water Storage
million from its 2018 estimates. To address these needs, the
Projects: Section 4007 of the Water Infrastructure
FY2020 budget request proposed to more than double its
Improvements for the Nation Act.
spending on extraordinary operations and maintenance
($114 million, or a $58 million increase from FY2019). It
WaterSMART Program
also proposed $92 million for Reclamation’s dam safety
Reclamation combines funding for multiple agency-wide
activities, which is similar to the FY2019 enacted amount.
programs promoting water conservation into a single
program—the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage
Charles V. Stern, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
American Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program
is part of the Department of the Interior’s focu
IF11158
s on water
https://crsreports.congress.gov

Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations


Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11158 · VERSION 1 · NEW