Bureau of Reclamation
Contact: Trudy Harlow, (202) 513-0574
The Bureau of Reclamation:
Manages, develops, and protects water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.Is the fifth largest electric utility in the 17 Western states and the nation's largest wholesale water supplier, administering 348 reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 245 million acre-feet (an acre-foot, 325,851 gallons of water, supplies enough water for a family of four for one year).
Provides 1 out of 5 (or, 140,000) Western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million farmland acres that produce 60 percent of the nation's vegetables and 25 percent of its fruits and nuts.
Operates 58 hydroelectric powerplants that produce, on average, 42 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
Delivers 10 trillion gallons of water to more than 31 million people each year.
Manages, with partners, 308 recreation sites that have 90 million visits annually.
The Bureau of Reclamation priorities are to:
Operate and maintain projects in a safe and reliable manner, protecting the health and safety of the public and Reclamation employees.Ensure the continued delivery of water and power benefits consistent with environmental and other requirements.
Improve financial accountability and transparency to our contractors.
Honor state water rights, interstate compacts, contracts with Reclamation users, and further the Secretary of Interior's Indian Trust responsibility.
Play an important role in meeting increasing demands for finite water resources.
Enhance effectiveness in addressing complex water management issues in the West.
The Bureau of Reclamation is:
Developing strategies to deliver water more efficiently and effectively in order to satisfy the many needs of irrigation, municipalities, power and the environment.Working in partnership with states, Tribes, water and power customers, and others to seek creative and collaborative solutions to Western water issues.
Providing sustainable and low cost power supplies.
Ensuring our dams do not create unacceptable risk by monitoring, evaluating, and when appropriate, performing risk reduction modifications.
Working with states to address water allocation issues on Western rivers. Serving as a technical resource for water users and planners.