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

000470

suitability for inclusion into the national wild and scenic
rivers system. A variety of problems are responsible for
most river studies not meeting their targ~t completion dates.
The result has been that the Congress, reluctant to act
before studies are completed, has designated few additional
rivers into the national system since 1968. During the
lengthy study period, the wild and scenic values of rivers
deteriorate, acquisition costs increase significantly, and
proposed projects are held in abeyance causing planning con-
fusion and increased costs. We believe inadequate manag~-
ment commitment and control by the BureaU of Outdoor Recrea-
tion and the Forest Servic~ has been responsible for the
variety of recurring delays which plague most studies and
that specific management changes by the two study agencies
can greatly expedite future studies.

States are nut participating in development of a
national wild and scenic river system, as intended, and the
secretarial designation process for adding State-protected
rivers to the national system is little used. t1any Stdtes
view national designation as disadvantageous and are reluc-
tant to seek national designation of State rivers d~e to con-
cern about their a~llity to fund the development and
administrative costs of ~ n~tional river. State partici-
pation in development 0f the national system has been fur-
ther curtailed by a Department of t:,e Interior ruling that
States cannot nomina~e rivers bordered by substAntial blocks
of Federal lands.

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RECOMMENDATIONS TO ^GENCT~~

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We recommend that the Secretaries of the Interior and
Agriculture req~ire the Director of the Bureau of Outdoor
Recreation and the Chief of the Forest Service to improve
the timeliness of ri.~r studies by

--starting river studies as soon as possible after
studies are authorized,

--developing guideli~es on how to conduct river
studies,

--keeping track of how the studi~s are progressing
and haloing study teams to schedules,

--u~ing experienced personnel to conduct studies,

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--combining environmental impact studies and river
studies, and

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