link to page 1 link to page 2 
Updated June 6, 2019
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations
Overview
Reclamation compared to the FY2020 President’s budget
Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the
request and House recommendation.
17 states west of the Mississippi River were built by, or
with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation
Figure 1. Reclamation Appropriations by Account,
(Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior.
FY2013-FY2020 House Recommendation
Reclamation’s original mission was to develop water
(nominal $ in millions)
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
among competing water users.
Reclamation’s role
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and enacted
has evolved, and its focus has gradually
appropriations data.
shifted from construction of new water storage projects to
Notes: Does not reflect offsetting receipts for the Central Valley
operation and maintenance of existing projects.
Project Restoration Fund (CVPRF).
Reclamation has also expanded into new areas, including
funding for water supply projects on tribal lands and in
Earmarks and Reclamation
rural areas under congressionally authorized Indian water
rights settlements and rural water supply projects,
The Water and Related Resources account is made up
respectively. Congress has also authorized Reclamation
largely of individual project funding lines. These projects
grants to nonfederal projects, including those for water
have been subject to recent earmark moratoriums that
reuse and recycling, conservation and efficiency, and
restrict the addition of funding for geographically specific
desalination.
project line-items that the Administration did not request. In
lieu of these additions, since FY2014 Congress has
Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account funds
included additional funding in appropriations bills beyond
the President’s budget request for selected categories of
most agency activities, including construction, operation
and maintenance, dam safety, and ecosystem restoration. It
Reclamation projects. These funds are typically allocated in
also funds Indian water rights settlements and most
work plans produced by the Administration and made
Reclamation programmatic and grant authorities.
available several months after appropriations bills have
Reclamation also typically requests funding for three
been enacted (these plans are available at
smaller accounts: California Bay-Delta Restoration, the
http://www.usbr.gov/budget/).
Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (the latter of which
is offset by customer receipts), and the Policy and
Recent enacted appropriations bills continued the practice
Administration account.
of providing additional funds to be allocated in a work plan.
Congress appropriated $387 million in addition to the
FY2020 Budget
President’s FY2019 budget request. For FY2020, the House
The President’s budget request for FY2020 proposed $1.11
recommendation proposes $401 million to fund projects in
billion in gross current authority for Reclamation. The
the following categories: rural water ($121 million); water
House Appropriations Committee recommended $1.63
conservation and delivery ($225 million); environmental
billion for Reclamation, which is $83 million above the
restoration or compliance ($40 million); and facilities
FY2019 enacted level and $528 million above the budget
operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation ($4 million).
request. Figure 1 shows recent appropriations levels for
Additional funding amounts for Reclamation in recent
enacted Energy and Water appropriations bills are shown in
Figure 2.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 link to page 1 link to page 1 
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations
Figure 2. Reclamation Additional Funding Items,
program—the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage
FY2014-FY2020 House Recommendation
American Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program
(nominal $ in millions)
is part of the 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. 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. The
FY2020 House recommendation for these projects was
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation appropriations data.
$144 million (Figure 3).
Reclamation Appropriations Issues
Figure 3. Reclamation WaterSMART Program,
FY2013-FY2020 House Recommendation
WIIN Act Section 4007 Funding
(nominal $ in millions)
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
WIIN Act Section 4007 projects; Congress agreed to these
recommendations in the enacted FY2018 Energy and Water
appropriations bill. In February 2019, Reclamation
recommended another round of projects to receive $75.0
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and
million in FY2017 and FY2018 funds: Shasta Dam and
appropriations data.
Reservoir Enlargement in California ($57.0 million); Cle
Elum Pool Raise in Washington ($4.0 million); Boise River
Rural Water Supply and Indian Water Rights
Basin Feasibility Study in Idaho ($1.75 million); Del Puerto
Settlements (IWRS)
Water District Feasibility Study in California ($1.50
Reclamation is authorized to construct and operate projects
million); Los Vaqueros Phase 2 Feasibility Study in
that provide water supplies to rural communities and Indian
California ($2.15 million); Sites Reservoir Feasibility Study
tribes. In 2019, the bureau estimated that $1.3 billion was
in California ($6.0 million); and Friant-Kern Subsidence
needed to complete authorized rural water projects and $1.3
Correction Feasibility Study in California ($2.35 million).
billion was needed for IWRS projects. The FY2020
As with the 2018 list, these projects must be named in
President’s budget requested $28 million for five authorized
enacted appropriations legislation to move forward. The
rural water projects, or $105 million less than the FY2019
House-recommended bill for FY2020 agreed with all of the
enacted level. The House recommended $149 million for
Administration’s recommendations, with the exception of
these projects, much of which would be provided as an
the funding for Shasta Project.
additional funding amount (see previous section, “Earmarks
and Reclamation”). For IWRS, the FY2020 President’s
Congress appropriated an additional $134 million for
budget requested $100 million in construction funds to
Section 4007 projects in FY2019, bringing appropriations
implement four authorized Indian water rights settlements,
to their full authorized amount of $335 million. The
or $8 million less than the FY2019 enacted amount. The
FY2020 House committee recommendation contained an
House agreed with this funding level in its FY2020
additional $67 million for these projects. For more
recommendation. For more information, see CRS Report
information, see CRS In Focus IF10626, Reclamation
R44148, Indian Water Rights Settlements.
Water Storage Projects: Section 4007 of the Water
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act.
Charles V. Stern, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
WaterSMART Program
IF11158
Reclamation combines funding for multiple agency-wide
programs promoting water conservation into a single
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 4 · UPDATED