United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)

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A organizational summary by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.

This page is an introduction to the United States Bureau of Reclamation with specific emphasis on California's Central Coast region.

Overview

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) is a federal agency within the United States Department of the Interior that operates in the Western United States. USBR carries out a variety of water resource management activities, which include the construction of dams, powerplants, and canals[1]. In the broader CA context, the USBR manages one of the nation's largest and best-known water projects, the Central Valley Project[2]. The Central Valley Project (CVP) is designed to take water from the Central Valley of CA and disperse it throughout the state. The CVP includes 20 reservoirs and more than 500 miles of canals. The project provides water used to irrigate agricultural lands[2].

Mission

USBR's service 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."[1]. Their goal is to provide water and its associated resources (i.e., irrigation, hydroelectric power) to millions of Americans in a safe and cost effective manner[1]

Legal Status / Authority

USBR was established in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt to “make the desert bloom”[3]. More specifically under the Reclamation Act of 1902, congress approved the large-scale planning of irrigation, storage, diversion and development of waters in the arid westerns states[4]. The goal was to make western states more habitable, creating water storage and irrigation systems to attract homesteaders[4].

USBR holds many responsibilities related to western states water resources. The USBR is the largest wholesaler of water in the country and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the country[1]. The priorities of the USBR are to deliver water and power benefits to the American people pursuant to their contracts, statues, and agreements[1].

Governance

The USBR agency executive is the Commissioner. The Commissioner is nominated by the President of the United States and then must be approved by the US Senate. The director and USBR headquarters is primarily responsible for budget allocation and policy creation. Five regional directors report to the agency Deputy Commissioner and oversee implementation of policies and field office program management.[5]. USBR is a contemporary water management agency that operates in 17 western states broken into 5 Regions. The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is broken up into 12 regions based on watersheds but generally drawn along state lines to simplify coordination with external partners[6].

  • Region 6: Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf
  • Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
  • Region 8: Lower Colorado Basin
  • Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest
  • Region 10: California-Great Basin

The national headquarters for the USBR is located in Washington, D.C. and USBR has many local offices in the 17 US states it operates.[7] Regional offices carry out water allocation operations, maintenance of dams, canals, and house engineers, biologists, park rangers and other USBR staff[8].

Although USBR has a large amount of autonomy and many of its decisions are based on the scientific research and collaboration with other local managers, the presidentially-appointed US Secretary of the Interior has the ultimate authority over agency actions. As a statutory member of the presidential cabinet, the secretary reports directly to the president.

Organizational Structure

The USBR agency executive is the Commissioner. The Commissioner is nominated by the President of the United States and then must be approved by the US Senate. The director and USBR headquarters is primarily responsible for budget allocation and policy creation. Five regional directors report to the agency Deputy Commissioner and oversee implementation of policies and field office program management.[9].

Regions of the USBR include:

  • Columbia-Pacific Northwest
  • California Great Basin
  • Lower Colorado Basin
  • Upper Colorado Basin
  • Missouri Basin Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf

Central Coast Context

In the California Central Coast Region, USBR plays a major roll in water allocation[2]. Two main management projects in California's Central Coastal Region are the Twitchell Reservoir and Casitas Dam, located in the Santa Maria Valley and Ojai, CA. The Twitchell Reservoir, established in 1959 as the Vaquero Dam and Reservoir, acts as a main groundwater recharge site and water source for the local community, as well as serving as a flood protection barrier [10]. The Casitas Dam, diverting water from the Ventura River to Lake Casitas [11], is used for irrigation and other services within the Casitas Municipal Water District. The USBR also manages the Hoover Dam, which supplies around 4.4 million acre-feet of water to Southern California every year [12].

Related links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 About Us- Mission. US Bureau of Reclamation. USBR. 2020 Oct 30. [accessed 2021 Mar 16]. https://www.usbr.gov/main/about/mission.html
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 California-Great Basin. US Bureau of Reclamation. USBR. 2020 Nov 04. [accessed 2021 Mar 16]. https://www.usbr.gov/mp/aboutus/index.html
  3. William D. Rowley. The Bureau of Reclamation: Origins and Growth to 1945. US Bureau of Reclamation. Vol 1, 2006. [acessed 2021 Mar 16]. https://www.usbr.gov/history/OriginsandGrowths/Volume1.pdf
  4. 4.0 4.1 Bureau of Reclamation- A very brief history. US Bureau of Reclamation. 2018 Aug 15 [accessed 2021 Mar 16]. https://www.usbr.gov/history/borhist.html
  5. Reference text Organization Chart. US Bureau of Reclamation. 2020. [accessed Mar 17 2021]. https://www.usbr.gov/main/images/br_org_chart.pdf
  6. Reference text https://www.doi.gov/employees/reorg/unified-regional-boundaries
  7. Reference text https://www.usbr.gov/
  8. Reference text About Us. US Bureau of Reclamation. Nov 4 2020. [accessed Mar 17 2021].https://www.usbr.gov/mp/aboutus/index.html
  9. Reference text Organization Chart. US Bureau of Reclamation. 2020. [accessed Mar 17 2021]. https://www.usbr.gov/main/images/br_org_chart.pdf
  10. http://www.countyofsb.org/pwd/twitchell.sbc
  11. https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=276
  12. https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/hoover-dam

Disclaimer

This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessary reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.