United States Bureau of Reclamation

History

From 1902 to 1907, Reclamation began about 30 projects in Western states. Then, in 1907, the Secretary of the Interior separated the Reclamation Service from the USGS and created an independent bureau within the Department of the Interior. Frederick Haynes Newell was appointed the first director of the new bureau. Beginning with the third person to take over the direction of Reclamation in 1923, David W. Davis, the title was changed from Director to Commissioner.

In the early years, many projects encountered problems: lands or soils included in projects were unsuitable for irrigation; land speculation sometimes resulted in poor settlement patterns; proposed repayment schedules could not be met by irrigators who had high land-preparation and facilities-construction costs; settlers were inexperienced in irrigation farming; waterlogging of irrigable lands required expensive drainage projects; and projects were built in areas which could only grow low-value crops. In 1923 the agency was renamed the "Bureau of Reclamation". In 1924, however, in the face of increasing settler unrest and financial woes, the "Fact Finder's Report" spotlighted major problematic issues; the Fact Finders Act in late 1924 sought to resolve some of these problems.

In 1928 Congress authorized the Boulder Canyon (Hoover Dam) Project, and large appropriations began, for the first time, to flow to Reclamation from the general funds of the United States. The authorization came only after a hard-fought debate about the pros and cons of public power versus private power.

The heyday of Reclamation construction of water facilities occurred during the Depression and the 35 years after World War II. From 1941 to 1947, Civilian Public Service labor was used to carry on projects otherwise interrupted by the war effort. The last major authorization for construction projects occurred in the late 1960s, while a parallel evolution and development of the American environmental movement began to result in strong opposition to water development projects. Even the 1976 failure of Teton Dam as it filled for the first time did not diminish Reclamation's strong international reputation in water development circles. However, this first and only failure of a major Reclamation Bureau dam led to subsequent strengthening of its dam-safety program to avoid similar problems. Even so, the failure of Teton Dam, the environmental movement, and the announcement of President Carter's "hit list" on water projects profoundly affected the direction of Reclamation's programs and activities.Paul E. Scheele Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 8, No. 4, Presidential Power and the Values and Processes of Democracy (Fall, 1978), pp. 348–364

Reclamation operates about 180 projects in the 17 western states. The total Reclamation investment for completed project facilities in September 1992 was about $11 billion. Reclamation projects provide agricultural, household, and industrial water to about one‑third of the population of the American West. About 5% of the land area of the West is irrigated, and Reclamation provides water to about one-fifth of that area, some 9,120,000 acres (37,000 km2) in 1992. Reclamation is a major American generator of electricity. , Reclamation had 58 power plants on‑line and generated 125,000 GJ of electricity.

From 1988 to 1994, Reclamation underwent major reorganization as construction on projects authorized in the 1960s and earlier drew to an end. Reclamation wrote that "The arid West essentially has been reclaimed. The major rivers have been harnessed and facilities are in place or are being completed to meet the most pressing current water demands and those of the immediate future". Emphasis in Reclamation programs shifted from construction to operation and maintenance of existing facilities. Reclamation's redefined official mission is to "manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public". In redirecting its programs and responsibilities, Reclamation substantially reduced its staff levels and budgets but remains a significant federal agency in the West.

On October 1, 2017, the Hoover Dam Police Department was closed and the National Park Service took over law enforcement duties for the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam Police Department existed for more than 80 years.

Leadership

Reclamation commissioners that have had a strong impact and molding of the Bureau have included Elwood Mead, Michael W. Straus, and Floyd Dominy, with the latter two being public-power boosters who ran the Bureau during its heyday. Mead guided the bureau during the development, planning, and construction of the Hoover Dam, the United States' first multiple-purpose dam.

John W. Keys, the 16th commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation who served from July 2001 to April 2006, was killed two years after his retirement on May 30, 2008, when the airplane he was piloting crashed in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

On June 26, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Brenda Burman to serve as the commissioner of the United States Bureau of Reclamation. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 16, 2017. Burman is the first woman to ever lead the Bureau of Reclamation. David Murillo was serving as the acting commissioner of the bureau. Burman resigned on January 20 after the inauguration of the Biden administration.

The current commissioner is Camille Calimlim Touton, the first Filipino American to head the agency. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 4, 2021.

List of commissioners

The following is a list of commissioners since 1902:

Table notes:

List of reclamation projects

• Animas-La Plata Water Project
• Boise Project
• Boulder Canyon Project
• Central Arizona Project Aqueduct
• Central Utah Project
• Central Valley Project
• Colorado-Big Thompson Project
• Colorado River Storage Project
• Columbia Basin Project
• Elwha River Dam Removal Project
• Fryingpan-Arkansas Project
• Gila Project
• High Plains Cooperative Pilot Project
• Huntley Project
• Klamath Project
• Minidoka Project
• Moon Lake Project
• Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
• North Platte Project
• Palo Verde Diversion Project
• Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System Project
• Project Skywater
• Rio Grande Project
• Shoshone Project
• Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project
• Strawberry Valley Project
• Washita Basin Project
• Yakima Project
• Yuma Auxiliary Project
• Yuma Project

References

References

1. (3 May 2012). "Bureau of Reclamation Quickfacts". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
2. (2012). "Budget Justifications and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2013". U.S. Department of the Interior.
3. "Bureau of Reclamation – About Us".
4. Page, Arthur W.. (December 1907). "The Real Conquest of the West: The Work of the United States REclamation Service". [[World's Work.
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6. [http://www.usbr.gov/history/borhist.html The Bureau of Reclamation: A Very Brief History] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-05-14 , Bureau of Reclamation)
7. Kleinsorge, Paul L. (1941). The Boulder Canyon Project: Historical and Economic Aspects (Stanford: Stanford University Press).
8. "Teton Dam Failure".
9. (13 December 2017). "Dam police department dissolved; park rangers now patrol facility".
10. (1968). "Geographical Aspects of Construction Planning: Hoover Dam Revisited". Journal of the West.
11. Reclamation, Bureau of. (August 2025). "Bureau of Reclamation".
12. (22 June 2020). "AQUAFORNIA BREAKING NEWS: Camille Calimlim Touton nominated as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner".
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14. "Frederick H. Newell, Chief Engineer, 1902-1907, Director, Reclamation Service, 1907-1914". USBR.
15. "Arthur P. Davis, Director, Reclamation Service, 1914-1923". USBR.
16. "David W. Davis, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1923-1924". USBR.
17. "Elwood Mead, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1924 - 1936". USBR.
18. "Mae Schnurr, (acting, times vary through 1936) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1930-1936". USBR.
19. "John C. Page, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1936-1943". USBR.
20. "Harry W. Bashore, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1943–1945". USBR.
21. "Michael W. Straus, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1945–1953". USBR.
22. "Wilbur A. Dexheimer, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1953-1959". USBR.
23. "Floyd E. Dominy, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1959-1969". USBR.
24. "Ellis L. Armstrong, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1969-1973". USBR.
25. "Gilbert G. Stamm, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1973-1977". USBR.
26. "R. Keith Higginson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1977-1981". USBR.
27. "Clifford I. Barrett, (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1981, 1985". USBR.
28. "Robert N. Broadbent, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1981-1984". USBR.
29. "Robert A. Olson (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1984". USBR.
30. "C. Dale Duvall, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1986-1989". USBR.
31. "Joe D. Hall (acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1989". USBR.
32. "Dennis B. Underwood, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1989-1993". USBR.
33. Marston, Ed. (July 24, 1995). "A progressive bureaucrat signs off".
34. "Daniel P. Beard, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1993-1995". USBR.
35. "Stephen V. Magnussen, (Acting) Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1995". USBR.
36. "Eluid Martinez, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 1995-2001". USBR.
37. (August 6, 2001). "Interview with John W. Keys III". Engineering News-Record.
38. (March 17, 2006). "Norton Lauds Service of John Keys as Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation". DOI.
39. "John W. Keys III, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2001-2006". USBR.
40. (July 31, 2006). "Reclamation: Bureau Veteran Nominated For Top Post". Engineering News-Record.
41. (October 3, 2006). "Senate confirms new Bureau of Reclamation commissioner". Power Engineering.
42. "Robert (Bob) W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2006-2009". USBR.
43. "Reclamation names McDonald commissioner, Johnson retiresApril 1, 2009". Power Engineering.
44. (May 22, 2009). "Secretary Salazar Lauds Senate's Confirmation of Michael Connor as Reclamation Commissioner". DOI.
45. Harris, Michael. (February 28, 2014). "Senate confirms Connor as Interior's new deputy secretary". Power Engineering.
46. "Michael L. Connor, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, 2009 to 2014". USBR.
47. Harris, Michael. (March 5, 2014). "Pimley named interim commisioner of Reclamation". Power Engineering.
48. (October 2, 2014). "DOINews: All DOI Employees: Departmental Leadership". DOI.
49. (December 17, 2014). "Secretary Jewell Statement on the Senate Confirmation of Estevan López as Commissioner of Reclamation". DOI.
50. "Commissioner Estevan López Bureau of Reclamation, 2014 to 2016". USBR.
51. https://crwua.org/estevan-lopez-upper-colorado-river-compact-commissioner-new-mexico/
52. (February 1, 2017). "Reclamation agrees to apply for Clean Water Act permit for Grand Coulee Dam". Power Engineering.
53. "Commissioner Brenda W. Burman Bureau of Reclamation, 2017 to 2021". USBR.
54. "Camille Touton Sworn In as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner". DOI.
55. (January 17, 2025). "TRIBUTE TO CAMILLE CALIMLIM TOUTON". [[Congressional Record]].
56. "Commissioner M. Camille Calimlim Touton Bureau of Reclamation, 2021 to 2025". USBR.
57. Allhands, Joanna. (January 24, 2025). "Feds spent months on a mostly useless plan to save the Colorado River". [[Arizona Republic]].
58. https://www.eenews.net/articles/scott-cameron-takes-the-reins-as-acting-head-of-reclamation/