1. Federal Water Agencies
Chapter 9
Federal Water Agencies

2. Chapter Headings U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Forest Service
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
National Marine Fisheries Service
Federal Emergency Management Agency

4. Chapter Headings U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Forest Service
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
National Marine Fisheries Service
Federal Emergency Management Agency

5. US Army Corps of Engineers (COE)
Founded in 1794
Early history in removing snags and building levees on the Mississippi
Average lifespan of a steamboat in 1800’s was less than 2 years
Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 stimulated federal role in flood control
Peak discharge of 2.5 million cfs
200 people killed and 600,000 left homeless
Flood Control Acts of 1928 and 1936
1936 law required cost-benefit analysis

6. Mississippi Flood 1927

7. Mississippi Flood 1927

9. U.S. Army COE: Dams
Until 1930’s primary activity was flood control and navigation in Eastern States
Most navigable rivers are in the East
230 locks
Federal government began large western dam-building program during Great Depression
Hoover Dam completed in 1935
Part of purpose was to provide employment

10. U.S. Army COE: Dams
COE began to compete with Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for western dam projects
Primary purpose was irrigation
Flood control and navigation was secondary
Example is Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota
USBR had determined that it was uneconomical
Dam would inundate Fort Berthold Indian Reservation land
COE redid cost-benefit analysis and lobbied Congress to approve project
Approved in 1944 for construction by COE

12. U.S. Army COE: Wetlands
Early federal laws encouraged draining of swamps for navigation and disease control
Swamp Lands Act of 1850 and 1860
Clean Water Act Amendments 1972 provided protection of wetlands (swamps)
Section 404 required COE approval of any development that would alter or destroy a wetland

13. Chapter Headings U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Forest Service
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
National Marine Fisheries Service
Federal Emergency Management Agency

14. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
John Wesley Powell ( )
Promoted federal role in irrigation projects
Founded by Reclamation Act of 1902
Purpose to provide water to promote settlement of arid western states
Irrigation water initially limited to farms < 160 acres
Construction costs to be repaid by farmers
Local irrigation districts set up to control finances
Early success in making small projects pay
Later large projects catered to corporate farms and special interests
Acre limits were ignored and local districts did not collect finances
Hoover Dam in 1935 and Grand Coulee Dam in 1941

15. US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
First to explore the Grand Canyon
Cautioned that allowing inter-basin transfers of water would leave some basins without water
Thought state lines should be drawn along watershed divides to avoid water disputes

18. USBR 1960’s to 1970’s heyday of dam building
USBR (and COE) allied with strong Congressional committee leaders and agricultural/corporate special interest groups
Obtained federal funding for western irrigation projects with questionable cost-benefit analysis
Often in direct conflict with Presidents’ wishes

19. USBR Anti-dam era began in 1970’s
Ralph Nader’s Damming the West critical of USBR
Teton Dam failure in eastern Idaho in 1976
President Jimmy Carter recommend eliminating funding for 18 USBR dam projects
Endangered Species Act passed in 1973
Snail darter vs. Tellico dam in
New mission to manage existing water projects and promote conservation

20. Chapter Headings U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Forest Service
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
National Marine Fisheries Service
Federal Emergency Management Agency

21. U.S. EPA Water Quality Act of 1965 U.S. EPA created in 1970
Created first water quality standards
Limited success
U.S. EPA created in 1970
Legislative authority to impose fines and jail sentences for violation of environmental laws
Filed suit against Detroit, Cleveland, and Atlanta shortly after being created

22. U.S. EPA Clean Water Act Amendments of 1972
Goal of making all waters “fishable and swimable” by 1983
Strengthened federal water quality standards
Established permit system for point sources (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, NPDES)
Over $20 billion spent on municipal sewage plants
Section 404 protected wetlands
TMDL program

23. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Conflict described in Marc Reisner’s Cadillac Dessert
and Chapter 12 of textbook

24. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Jimmy Carter’s first experience with dams was as Governor in Georgia
Carter had a degree in engineering from U.S. Naval Academy
Dam was proposed on Flint River at Sprewell Bluff by COE
Now a state park
Carter read COE plan
Wrote blistering 18-page letter to COE accusing it of “computational manipulation”
Vetoed plans for the dam

25. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Shortly after election as President in 1976 Carter reviewed federal program to manage water resources
19 new water projects were proposed by USBR and COE
Concluded “There is no coherent water resources management policy”
Later Carter vetoed a bill to fund the projects

26. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Tennessee Valley Authority
Created during the Great Depression by President Franklin Roosevelt
“A corporation clothed with the power of government but possessed of the flexibility and initiative of a private enterprise”
First attempt at “watershed approach” to planning
Goal was to aid development in poor rural areas by providing cheap electricity, fertilizers, etc.
Did this by developing hydroelectric dams

27. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
TVA started out with a good approach but then outgrew it’s mission
in Reisner’s view
By 1970’s much of the electric power was being generated by coal-powered plants
Strip mining coal was destroying the land
Much of the area was still poverty-stricken
Coal-powered plants were contributing to acid rain problems in the northeast

28. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Tellico Dam had been proposed by TVA in 1960s
Dam would not produce hydropower
Would raise the level in the Little Tennessee River so that extra water could be run through a canal to an existing hydroelectric dam
Would produce relatively insignificant additional power
No flood control benefit
Little recreational benefit (many other reservoirs in surrounding area)
Approved for construction in 1969

29. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Endangered Species Act passed in 1973
In 1973, professor of zoology from University of Tennessee discovered snail darter in Little Tennessee River
1975 USFW classified snail darter as an endangered species
Court ordered dam construction halted
Decision upheld by Supreme Court in 1978

30. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
Congress began considering amendments to ESA that would allow construction of Tellico Dam
Passed a law that set up a Cabinet-level committee that would resolve any case where ESA stopped construction of a dam
Composed of Secretaries of Interior, Agriculture, Army, EPA and others
Called the “God Squad”

31. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
In 1978 God Squad reviewed case
Unanimously decided against dam construction
Based decision on economics, not environmental impact
Cost-benefit analysis was faulty and did not justify construction

32. Snail Darter vs. Tellico Dam
June 1979 Congress approved a little-noticed amendment to House appropriations bill
Exempted Tellico Dam from ESA
Congress approved appropriations bill
Carter could veto bill
Needed Congressional support for treaty that would return Panama Canal to Panama
Couldn’t afford to alienate key congressmen
Tellico Dam was completed in 1980
1984 USFW downgraded snail darter from endangered to threatened

33. Chapter Summary
Principal federal agencies dealing with water resources are
Army Corps of Engineers
Bureau of Reclamation
Environmental Protection Agency
Historical trend has been toward greater federal involvement
Water resources development in the west has tended to benefit special interest groups
Recent focus is on environment and conservation