Testimony of John W. Keys
Commissioner
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Oversight Hearing on
Water Supply and Water Resources
before the
Committee on Environment and Public Works
United States Senate
November 14, 2001
My name is John
Keys. I am Commissioner of the Bureau
of Reclamation (Reclamation). I
appreciate the opportunity to be here today to discuss Reclamation=s role and challenges in ensuring the
adequacy of water supplies in the areas we serve.
Before I discuss
these issues, I would like to give the Committee some background on the Bureau
of Reclamation B a water resources management agency within
the Department of the Interior whose mission is to provide water and power in
the 17 western states[1].
I would also like to include a short overview of the facilities which
Reclamation has developed and the benefits which they yield.
Background
On June 17, 1902 B almost one hundred years ago B President Theodore Roosevelt signed the
Reclamation Act to develop and construct irrigation water delivery projects in
the Western United States. The
President=s objective, and that of the Congress, in
supporting this legislation was to stimulate agricultural development through
irrigated agriculture in order to create economic opportunities in the arid
lands in the West and thereby facilitate the settlement of the Western United
States.
Partially because of
the success of this program, the 1930s saw an exponential growth in population
in the west which meant that electricity and other types of water supply, in
addition to irrigation development, were needed to meet increased demands. In response, Congress authorized numerous
multi-purpose projects B thereby expanding Reclamation=s focus from the construction of single purpose irrigation projects to
the construction of facilities to provide hydroelectric power, municipal and
industrial water supply, recreation, flood control and other benefits.
Bureau of
Reclamation=s Role in Meeting the West=s Water Supply Needs
As a result of its
activities to meet the contemporary B and changing B water
needs of the 17 western states,
Reclamation has become the largest water resources management agency in
the west. Three of Reclamation=s projects B Grand
Coulee, Hoover and Shasta dams B are listed on the National Critical Infrastructure list. Reclamation administers or operates 348
reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 245 million acre-feet, 58
hydroelectric powerplants with an installed capacity of 14,744 megawatts, and more
than 300 recreation sites in the 17 western states. These facilities enable Reclamation to meet important needs and
provide numerous benefits:
T
We provide one
out of five western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million acres of
farmland that produce 60 percent of the nation=s vegetables and 25 percent of its fruit and nuts.
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We deliver
water to more than 31 million people in the west, the most rapidly urbanizing
region of the country.
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Our powerplants
generate an average of more than 42 billion kilowatt hours of energy each year,
making Reclamation the nation=s second largest producer of hydroelectric power and the 11th largest
generating utility in the United States.
Reclamation produces enough electricity to serve 14 million people. Reclamation=s Central Valley Project in California generated more than 6.5 billion
kilowatt hours of energy in 1999 and serves approximately 2 million
Californians. Because of the
flexibility of Reclamation=s hydropower system which can provide power at the peak times of day,
its value to the West is significantly greater than the mere kilowatts
generated. That value was clearly demonstrated last summer during California=s electricity crisis. On numerous occasions, it was Reclamation=s power that kept the lights on in
California. And it was Reclamation=s hydropower system that ensured the
integrity and stability of the western power grid - when it was overloaded and
on the verge of failing.
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Our projects
support habitat with water for wildlife refuges, migratory waterfowl,
anadromous and resident fish, and endangered and threatened species.
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Our reservoirs
accommodate 90 million visits a year at more than 300 recreation sites.
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Reclamation=s Indian and other rural water projects
including the Mni Wiconi, Mid Dakota, Garrison, and Fort Peck projects, when
completed, will provide water to thousands of rural communities who currently
do not have access to potable water supplies.
Additionally,
Reclamation is helping to meet future water supply demand through broad
programs promoting more efficient water use.
Water
Conservation. Through our Water Conservation Field
Services Program, we provide water districts with technical and financial assistance to develop effective water
conservation plans. While Reclamation
has a role to play in water conservation, there also are opportunities for
state and local entities to offer incentives through rate restructuring, low
interest loans for farmers to install more efficient irrigation facilities, and
rebates for installation of efficient appliances, landscaping retrofits, and
toilets.
Water Reuse.
Recycled water is used for a variety of purposes, including agricultural
and landscape irrigation, ground water recharge, and industrial cooling. Reclamation=s water reuse program assists western cites in enhancing their water
supplies by providing funds for the 25 projects authorized under Title XVI of
Public Law 102-575, as amended. Since
1992, the Congress has authorized water reuse projects in the states of
California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Oregon. Nonfederal cost sharing partners pay at
least 50 percent of the feasibility study costs and 75 percent of the
construction costs. Total Federal costs
for the 25 authorized projects is estimated at $600 million. To date, approximately $205 million has been
made available in Federal assistance.
These projects are
in various stages of planning, design and construction but all are estimated to
be completed by 2012. Upon completion,
they are expected to yield an additional 494,000 acre feet water for beneficial
use.
Facilitating
Voluntary Water Transfers:
Approximately 85 to 90 percent of the water consumed in the West is devoted to
irrigated agriculture. In the face of
rapid urbanization, the changing economics of farming, and the need to strike a
balance with the appropriate protection of environmental values, voluntary
transfers of water from willing agricultural sellers to willing buyers is one
means by which the future water needs of the West will be addressed.
Current
Conditions
In many regions of
the western United States, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, the 2001
water year was very dry. This severe
drought meant that there was below normal water inflow to some Reclamation facilities
which required unprecedented steps to balance water deliveries, power
production and environmental requirements to satisfy, to the greatest extent
possible, multiple project purposes.
While it is difficult to predict with precision future water
availability, in many of the basins that were severely affected by drought this
past year, like the Klamath Basin in Oregon and California, as well as other
areas that were not impacted, Reclamation is working closely with the states,
local governments, watershed councils and other interested stakeholders to
identify alternative sources of water and to improve drought contingency
planning.
Meeting Future
Needs
Over the past 25
years, the population of the 17 Western states served by Reclamation has
increased by 32 percent compared to a growth rate of only 19 percent for the
rest of the United States B making the West the fastest growing area in the nation. Nearly every major river system in the West B the Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande and
Missouri B is heavily developed and over
appropriated. That trend is projected
to continue. This create significant
challenges to both Reclamation and other Federal, state and local water
agencies.
In addressing these
challenges, it is important to emphasize the primary responsibility of local
water users in developing and financing water projects. Reclamation has an important role to play,
both in maintaining its significant investment in water infrastructure, and in
using its expertise to help local communities meet their water needs. Also, as water demands intensify, it will
become increasingly important to encourage efficient water management
practices.
New Facilities to
Meet Agriculture to M&I Conversion: As one of the fastest growing regions of the United States, water
that was once used for irrigation will increasingly be converted to M&I
usage. Because of the change in the
location of usage, because of the changes in timing of when the water is needed,
and because of the need for treatment of M&I water to make it potable,
there is insufficient infrastructure to meet those needs.
New Projects to
Meet Growth: In addition to
converting the use of water from agricultural to M&I purposes, new water
supply will be needed to meet the growth of certain regions of the Western
United States.
Aging
Infrastructure: Having dependable supplies of water and
power also requires that the infrastructure which Reclamation has developed
over the past century be properly maintained and upgraded where needed. Many facilities built by the Bureau of
Reclamation B both for irrigation and municipal and
industrial (M&I) water delivery - were built prior to the development of
current engineering standards.
Approximately 50 percent of Reclamation=s dams were built prior to 1950.
An appropriate level of annual maintenance of existing facilities is
needed for beneficiaries to continue to deliver and receive the project water
supplies they need in order to meet rising demands in the future, and to ensure
that the benefits of Reclamation=s projects can continue to be realized.
As with our dams and
water delivery systems, Reclamation must also maintain its powerplants.
Sustained maintenance, replacement and modernization of equipment and machinery
over time, are critical to the reliability of our hydro power system.
Security:
Given the importance of Reclamation=s facilities for providing water and power and for protecting the
public safety of downstream communities across the west, we have always placed
a high priority on maintaining the safety and security of our facilities.
However, in light of the tragic events that began on September 11th
, Reclamation has placed its facilities at a heightened state of security. While we are working closely with state and
local law enforcement officials to supplement and complement our coverage,
these agencies are facing constraints with their budgets and manpower
capabilities.
We appreciate the
recent enactment of H.R. 2925 by Congress which authorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to assign law enforcement personnel from Interior, and other Federal,
state, local and Tribal agencies to enforce Federal law at Reclamation sites
and on Reclamation-administered lands.
Conclusion
As you can see, Mr.
Chairman, the Bureau of Reclamation has a diverse and important mission in
working to help the arid west to meet its water and power supply needs -
especially as this region continues to be the fastest growing in the nation.
We look forward to
working with the Subcommittee and with all water users and the interested
public to develop ways to meet competing water needs and demands into our
second hundred years of service to the west and to the United States. Thank you for the opportunity to participate
in today=s hearing.
I would be pleased
to answer any questions.
[1] This includes 17 states located west of the
100th meridian. These are:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington
and Wyoming.