Bureau of Reclamation: FY2019 Appropriations

Bureau of Reclamation: FY2019 Appropriations

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Updated March 27, 2019
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2019 Appropriations
Overview
$1.55 billion. Figure 1 shows recent appropriations levels
Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the
for Reclamation.
17 states west of the Mississippi River were built by, or
with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation
Figure 1. Bureau of Reclamation Appropriations,
(Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior.
FY2013-FY2019
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 the other principal federal water
resource agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Today, Reclamation manages hundreds of dams and
diversion projects in the 17 western states. 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
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and
controversial, particularly in relation to how they affect fish
appropriations data.
and wildlife species and lead to conflicts among competing
Notes: Does not reflect offsetting receipts for the Central Valley
water users.
Project Restoration Fund (CVPRF).
Reclamation’s role in water resources development has
Earmarks and Reclamation
evolved over time. Reclamation’s focus has gradually
The Water and Related Resources account is made up
shifted from construction of new water storage projects to
largely of individual project funding lines. These projects
operations and maintenance of existing projects, many of
have been subject to recent earmark moratoriums that
which are aging. Reclamation also has been authorized to
restrict the addition of funding for geographically specific
carry out new missions and programs, including funding
project line items that the Administration did not request. In
Indian water supply projects as part of congressionally
lieu of these additions, since FY2014 Congress has
authorized Indian water rights settlements (IWRS), as well
included additional funding beyond the President’s budget
as providing financial support for other projects addressing
request for selected categories of Reclamation projects.
rural water supply, water reuse and recycling, and
These funds typically are allocated in work plans made
desalination efforts, among other things.
available several months after appropriations bills have
been enacted (these plans are available at
Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account funds
http://www.usbr.gov/budget/).
the majority of the agency’s activities, including
construction, operations and maintenance, dam safety, and
FY2018 enacted appropriations more than doubled recent
ecosystem restoration. It also funds IWRS and most of
funding levels for these projects, including $306 million in
Reclamation’s programmatic and grant authorities. In
addition to the President’s FY2018 budget request across
addition to the Water and Related Resources account,
five project categories. The FY2019 enacted bill provided
Reclamation typically requests funding for three smaller
$387 million in increases above the President’s FY2019
accounts: the geographically specific California Bay-Delta
budget request, spread across the following four categories:
Restoration and Central Valley Project Restoration Fund
rural water ($99 million); water conservation and delivery
accounts (the latter of which is offset by customer receipts)
($244 million); environmental restoration or compliance
and the Policy and Administration account (which funds
($40 million); and facilities operation, maintenance, and
administrative activities).
rehabilitation ($4 million). Additional funding amounts in
recent appropriations bills are shown below in Figure 2.
FY2019 Budget and Appropriations
The President’s budget request for FY2019 proposed
$1.049 billion in gross current authority for Reclamation.
The proposal was approximately $421 million less than the
final FY2018 enacted level of $1.47 billion. The FY2019
enacted bill (P.L. 115-244) provided Reclamation with
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Bureau of Reclamation: FY2019 Appropriations
Figure 2. Reclamation Additional Funding Items,
energy efficiency projects) and Title XVI projects (which
FY2014-FY2019
fund water recycling and reuse projects).
(nominal $ in millions)
For FY2019, the Administration requested a total of $19.9
million for the WaterSMART program, $84.1 million
below the FY2018 enacted level of $104 million. The
FY2019 enacted bill provided $108.2 million for these
programs. Recent funding levels for WaterSMART are
shown below in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Reclamation WaterSMART Program,
FY2013-FY2019
(nominal $ in millions)

Source: CRS, based on Reclamation appropriations data.
Issues for Congress
WIIN Act Funding
In the FY2019 budget request, Reclamation estimated that
it will need at least $1.6 billion for new infrastructure in the
coming years. Section 4007 of the Water Infrastructure
Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act; P.L. 114-

322), enacted in December 2016, authorized $335 million
Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and
in financial support for Reclamation for new or expanded
appropriations data.
federal and nonfederal water storage projects that could
address some of these needs. In 2018 reporting to Congress,
Rural Water Supply and Indian Water Rights
Reclamation recommended an initial list of seven projects
Settlements
to receive FY2017 funding that previously was
Reclamation is authorized to construct and operate projects
appropriated for these purposes; Congress agreed to these
that provide water supplies to rural communities and Indian
recommendations in the enacted FY2018 appropriations
tribes. In its FY2019 budget, the bureau estimated that
bill. That same bill further stipulated that $134 million of
approximately $1.3 billion would be needed to complete its
the $189 million set aside for additional water conservation
current backlog of authorized rural water projects and $1.5
and delivery projects in FY2018 also be provided to Section
billion would be needed to complete IWRS projects.
4007 WIIN Act water storage projects, and that $30 million
of the $40 million in additional funding for environmental
The FY2019 President’s budget requested $33.9 million for
restoration and compliance be provided for activities under
five authorized rural water projects: Mni Wiconi—South
Sections 4001 and 4010 of the WIIN Act (which relate
Dakota ($13.5 million); Pick Sloan-Missouri Basin
generally to pumping operations and environmental
Program-Garrison Diversion Unit—North Dakota ($12
mitigation for the California Central Valley Project). No
million); Fort Peck Reservation/Dry Prairie Rural Water
funding was requested for these projects in the FY2019
System—Montana ($5 million); Rocky Boy’s/North
budget request, but the FY2019 enacted bill stipulated that
Central Rural Water System—Montana ($4 million); and
$134 million of the additional funding for water
Lewis and Clark Rural Water System—South Dakota,
conservation and delivery in FY2019 once again be
Minnesota, Iowa ($100,000). Three of these projects also
allocated for Section 4007 WIIN Act water storage projects
benefit tribal areas. The FY2019 enacted bill provided these
and that another $30 million be provided for activities
projects with a total of $132 million (the budget’s requested
under Sections 4001 and 4010 of the WIIN Act.
funding, plus the aforementioned $98 million to be
WaterSMART Program
allocated in an FY2019 work plan).
Reclamation combines funding for multiple agency-wide
For IWRS, the FY2019 budget requested $101 million to
programs promoting water conservation into a single
implement four authorized Indian water rights settlements:
program—the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage
Aamodt ($8.3 million); Blackfeet ($10 million); Crow Tribe
American Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program
($13 million); and Navajo-Gallup Water Supply ($70
is part of the Department of the Interior’s focus on water
million). The FY2019 enacted bill made no changes to
conservation, reuse, and planning, and it is notable for its
departure from Reclamation’s traditional project
these amounts. For more information, see CRS Report
-based
R44148, Indian Water Rights Settlements.
funding. In recent years, WaterSMART has included
funding for seven programs. Of these seven programs, the
Charles V. Stern, Acting Section Research Manager
largest are WaterSMART grants (which fund water and
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Bureau of Reclamation: FY2019 Appropriations

Disclaimer
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