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<br />, <br /> <br />:~" <br /> <br />000822 <br /> <br />Remarks of J. William McDonald <br /> <br />WATER CONSERVATION <br />IN THE <br />BUREAU OF RECLAMATION <br /> <br />May 22, 1991 <br /> <br />. Reclamation appreciates the opportunity to participate <br /> <br />. General Information: <br /> <br />Approximately 80 percent of the water used in the 17 <br />Western states is used for crop production. Federal <br />Reclamation projects provide water for about 20 percent <br />of the irrigated cropland in the Western United States. <br />Over the past decade, various water conservation <br />activities -- that is, improvements in water use <br />efficiency -- have been undertaken in Reclamation. I'd <br />like to give you an overview of these. <br /> <br />. A little history: <br /> <br />.. Reclamation started to address water conservation in the <br />late 1970's <br /> <br />.. 1978 -- Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs <br />jointly wrote "Report on the Water Conservation <br />opportunities Study" <br /> <br />.. 1979 -- Reclamation assisted in publishing an interagency <br />task force report called "Irrigation Water Use and <br />Management" <br /> <br />.. 1979 -- Policy guidance issued by Commissioner, the key <br />feature of which was that Reclamation began including a <br />clause in all new contracts which required water <br />conservation plans <br />