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.o~~a'35 Executive Summary Purpose Free-flowing rivers have often been the targets of federal water resource development projects. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act estab- lished a federal program to counter this trend and protect the free- flowing, natural conditions of certain rivers from activities such as hydroelectric power production and excessive shoreline development. Eligible rivers are not always included in the federal program, some- times instead being recommended for protection by state or local gov- ernments. As of September 1986, the federal program protected 7,224 miles of 66 rivers. In September 1985 the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, expressed concern that the wild and scenic values of eligible rivers not included in the federal program may have been threatened by subse- quent development. As a result he asked GAD to obtain certain informa- tion including (1) various development activities on 13 rivers not recommended for federal protection and (2) whether river studies that recommended against federal protection contained required estimates of federal land acquisition and river management costs. (See pp. 10 to 16.) Background Rivers, or segments of rivers, may be placed in the federal wild and scenic rivers system through a study process that includes a congressio- nally directed study by a federal agency. The act requires the federal agency studying the liver to include estimates of the cost to acquire land, if necessary, as well as the cost of administering the area if it is included in the system. The Departments of the Interior or Agriculture are directed to conduct the studies and report to the President on whether the river being nomi- nated has the necessary qualifying characteristics. The President in turn recommends to the Congress whether the river should receive federal protection. Regardless of the President's recommendation, the study river is protected from federally licensed or assisted water projects under the act up to 3 years after the study is submitted to the Congress. When the President has recommended against federal designation of an eligible river, he has usually done so for one of two reasons-the river would be more appropriately protected by a state or local program or federal land acquisition costs would be excessive. Since 1968,81 studies have been completed with the Congress placing 16 rivers under federal protection. (See pp. 12 to 16.) Page 2 GAOjRCED-87-39 Wild and Scenic Rivers