Cover Page

Contents

Preface
Letter

SECTION I

Orientation
Summary

SECTION II

History
Needs
Geography
Historic Sites
Competitors
Economic Aspects

SECTION III

Federal Lands
State and Interstate
Local

SECTION IV

Division of Responsibility
Local
State
Federal
Circulation

SECTION V

Educational Opportunities

Bureau of Reclamation

Functions.—This Bureau is charged with the investigation and survey for, and the construction and maintenance of, irrigation works for the storage, diversion, and development of waters for the reclamation of arid and semiarid lands in the States west of the one hundredth meridian, and with the development and use of hydroelectric power in connection with such projects.²⁶

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²⁶ National Resources Board, op. cit., p. 14.

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Field.—The Federal reclamation projects provide water for the irrigation of large tracts of land which otherwise would not be suitable for agriculture. The irrigated lands are offered to settlers, upon the basis of repayment to the Federal Government of the cost of the project. These payments may be extended over a period of years.

Reclamation projects are unsuited for national parks and monuments because the works of man predominate over the works of nature. Recreation is a secondary consideration to reclamation projects, and no very extensive development has been made for the recreational use of these projects.

Recreational use, however, does exist. The projects, including the great dams and other structures, are of general interest because of their engineering features. They are visited each year by thousands of people who take a natural pride and interest in these large Federal projects. In addition to the sightseeing use, the large reservoirs have recreational uses such as fishing, boating, and bathing. Facilities for these recreational uses are not provided by the Government, but by private enterprise, and the extent of the developments is proportionate to the amount of public use.

The reclamation projects are located in Western States, where rainfall is inadequate to produce agricultural crops without irrigation. In many of these arid regions lakes are few, and opportunities for those forms of recreation which are dependent upon water are scarce.

The use of the waters of these reservoirs for irrigation results in a variation of the water level of the impounded lakes. As a rule the reservoirs are filled to their full capacity during the months of spring run-off. When the irrigation season comes, the water is drawn off, and by fall the reservoirs are low and may be almost entirely empty. During the period of maximum recreational demand, usually the summer months, the reservoirs are likely to be in an intermediate stage of water level.

Because of this fluctuation of water level, the banks of a partly filled reservoir are sometimes not scenically attractive, which tends to reduce the use of the lakes for recreation. Bathing may be available, but any extensive development of beaches is impracticable. Fishing is usually available at any stage of the water line in reservoirs, but the installation of docks and other development is rendered difficult by the rise and fall of the lake level.

It seems probable that the recreational use of reclamation projects could be stimulated, either by development by the Federal Government or by the issuance of liberal permits for private parties to engage in the business of supplying recreation, and using Government lands, by lease, for these purposes.

The lands irrigated by the reclamation projects are, as a rule, chiefly valuable for agricultural purposes, and, being under cultivation, they are not generally available for any extensive recreational use.

In 1934 the area proper irrigated with water from the Government works was 1,463,843 acres, exclusive of areas covered by the Warren Act. The area covered by the Warren Act is annually in the neighborhood of 1,500,000 acres.

In order to call attention to the recreational features of the reservoirs of reclamation projects, the Bureau of Reclamation published a pamphlet entitled "Federal Irrigation Reservoirs as Pleasure Resorts." The foreword of this publication calls particular attention to the reservoirs as a source of recreation for the project settlers. It reads as follows:

With the more complete settlement and development of the Federal irrigation projects, constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, under the act of June 17, 1902, and acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto, the reservoirs created by the construction of the larger storage dams have assumed more and more importance in the social life of the project settlers, aside from their primary function as basins for the storage of irrigation water. They are entering increasingly into the life of the people as pleasure resorts and playgrounds, as bird sanctuaries, and as excellent fishing grounds, thanks to the work of the Federal Bureau of Fisheries and the State fish hatcheries in stocking these great artificial lakes with many varieties of fish.

Believing that these byproducts of Federal reclamation have a unique advertising value for the projects, and if properly exploited would aid materially in their future development, this booklet has been prepared, describing the principal Federal project reservoirs as pleasure resorts, with special reference to their present development and future possibilities.²⁷

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²⁷ U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Irrigation Reservoirs as Pleasure Resorts, Washington, D. C., Government Printing Office, 1928, p. II.

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The pamphlet deals with recreational possibilities of 15 of the reclamation projects. With reference to fish planting in the reservoirs, the following statement is made:

Every year the Federal Bureau of Fisheries furnishes fish in considerable numbers for stocking various waters on Government reservations, and many of the storage reservoirs of the Bureau of Reclamation have been stocked. * * * In addition, large numbers of fish are planted in the reservoirs by the State fish hatcheries.

Not all the waters involved in the extensive reclamation work are suitable for trout. For the warmer waters of Roosevelt Reservoir and the Elephant Butte Reservoir, black bass, large-mouth bass, rock bass, crappie, sunfish, catfish, buffalo fish, and yellow perch have been supplied in large numbers, a few of them being adults. The species furnished for the other projects mentioned have been the eastern brook trout, the black-spotted trout, rainbow trout, and hake trout. The fish are delivered by means of the Bureau of Fisheries cars or by airplane at the railroad station nearest the waters for which they are intended, and from there are transported by motor truck or other conveyance by representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation.²⁸

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²⁸ Federal Irrigation Reservoirs as Pleasure Resorts, op. cit., p. 49.

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The pamphlet mentions other forms of recreation in addition to fishing, such as boating, duck hunting, bathing, camping, use of the adjacent areas for motoring, and other recreational activities.

In 1931 the Reclamation Service administered 28 irrigation projects. These projects included 60 reservoirs, having a total area of 657,750 acres and a total storage capacity of 45,858,800 acre-feet of water.²⁹

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²⁹ Figures furnished by the Bureau of Reclamation.

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Last Modified: Fri, Sep. 5, 2003 10:32:22 am PDT
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