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<br />!:'- <br />C" <br />,.~ <br />..-1 <br />,':") <br />C;J <br /> <br /> <br />, <br /> <br /> <br />MODULE II <br /> <br />PUBLIC INFORMATION BROCHURE <br /> <br />DESIGN AND PLANNING <br /> <br />General Information about the Bureau of Reclamation <br /> <br />After his historic 1869 boat trip down the previously <br />uncharted Colorado River, John Wesley Powell announced to the <br />nation that "the West is an arid land, hostile to farming, <br />and will never be settled. . . unless the government dams the <br />rivers and saves up the winter and spring runoff in artifi- <br />cial lakes and reservoirs~'t <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation was created in 1902 to channel the rivers of the West <br />for irrigation purposes, thus inviting millions to move to the unsettled terri- <br />tory. It waS a national ethic that our natural resources be used to our benefit <br />so we have a better place to live. <br /> <br />Major functions of the Bureau of Reclamation include planning, construction, <br />operation, and maintenance of water resource projects, and environmental enhan- <br />cement of the areaS surrounding them. The Bureau program begins by making pro- <br />ject plans which will help meet national needs and goals; which will preserve, <br />enhance and protect the environment; and which will maximize regional goals and <br />social well-being. Reclamation's policy is generally to turn operation and <br />maintenance of completed projects over to the water users. <br /> <br />Laboratory and field research efforts are focused on applied problems. Examples <br />are increased irrigation efficiency, improved construction materials, water con- <br />servation, and water quality improvement. The environmental benefits when water <br />management practices regulate and augment low flows of rivers and-streams, <br />decrease erosion, prevent floods, and eliminate water waste. <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation operates 333 reservoirs, 345 diversion dams, 990 miles <br />of pipeline, 230 miles of tunnels, 188 pumping plants, 50 power plants, 14,590 <br />miles of canals, and 35,160 miles of smaller laterals, <br /> <br />The dams, powerplants and reservoirs provide electricity for 5.5 million people, <br />They irrigate 7.2% of the nation's cropland, in 1982 producing $1.4 billion in <br />crops--15.2% of the nation's produce, and 15% of the livestock. <br /> <br />They provide municipal and industrial water to 14.6 million people (including <br />many parts of Denver, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas), <br /> <br />They offered recreational opportunities to more than 13 million people in 1983. <br /> <br />~ <br />