WSP04519

• File Number: 7630.285
• Description: Wild and Scenic - General
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 5/22/1978
• Author: US GAO
• Title: Federal Protection and Preservation of Wild and Scenic Rivers is Slow and Costly - By the Comptroller General - Report to the Congress of the United States
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

000461

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potential addition's suitability to the President, who then
submit3 recommendations and proposals regarding the river's
designation to the Congress. However, conducting the stu-
dies and submitting study reports and recommendations has
been so slow that the Congress has had few opportunities to
designate rivers from the 58 study rivers into the national
SY3tem. ,

Of the 22' fiver studies traJsmitted to the Congress, 8
studies that reccimmended nationa~ designation by congressional
legislation were submitted for congressional consideration in
May 1977. As of December 1977, the Congre~s had not acted on
these eight rivers. Three studies, submitted earlier, conclu-
ded that the study rivers were not qualified for inclusion.
Six other studies recommended that the affected States request
national designation through the secretarial designation pro-
cess. As of Decemuer 1977, two of the six riv~rs have been
added to the national syst~m through such designation. The
remaining five study river~received national designation
through congressional legislation. One river, the Chattooga,
was added following submission of the study repGrt and recom-
mendations in 1973.

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In other instances, the Congress requested study result~
in:ormally and took action without waiting for formal submis-
sion of study reports and recommendations.

Study delays threaten success of program

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We selected seven river studies--the Bruneau, Lower
St. Croix, Pere Marquette, Skagit, Snake, Tuolurnn~, and Upper
Mississippi. We exami~ed in detail how these studies were
conducted to determine effects arising from lengthy study
delays as well as the causes of delays. We found, in addition
to the slow progress in adding rivers to the national system,
that other s2condary effects which result partially from the
lengthy study process are threatening the success of the wild
and scenic rivers program.

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Unmanaged recreational use

Duri~g the study process river segments along private
lands are often not protected by the management controls over
recreational use which could be exercised once the river is
designated into t~e national system. Conseq~ently, the
increasLd recreational use that often follows publicity after
national announcement oE a river study has damaged the wild
and scenic v~lucs of some stuoy rivers. '

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