Reclamation Act
The Reclamation Act, enacted on June 17, 1902, is a significant piece of U.S. federal legislation aimed at transforming arid lands in the American West into productive agricultural areas through irrigation projects. This act established the foundation for what would become the Bureau of Reclamation, which was responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of irrigation systems funded by a designated reclamation fund. The projects led to the development of infrastructure such as reservoirs, dams, and canals, facilitating agricultural expansion and population growth in the region.
Major river systems, notably the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri, were significantly influenced by these developments, which also supported increased electricity production and enhanced transportation networks. While the act allowed for federal investment in irrigation projects, it preserved state authority over water rights and usage. Over time, however, the environmental impacts of these large-scale developments prompted a reevaluation of the act's objectives, particularly in light of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The Reclamation Act thus stands as a pivotal moment in U.S. history, reflecting both the ambition to cultivate the West and the evolving awareness of environmental stewardship.
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Subject Terms
Reclamation Act
THE LAW: US federal law concerned with the building of irrigation projects to convert arid lands in the American West into productive agricultural regions
DATE: Enacted on June 17, 1902
The Reclamation Act created the federal agency that would become the Bureau of Reclamation and established a fund to be used to construct irrigation works so that marginal desert lands in the American West could be used for agriculture. The projects carried out under the act had major impacts on the environment, both by changing landscapes and by making further development of the West possible.
The Reclamation Act of 1902 (also known as the Newlands Act for its author, Congressman Francis Griffith Newlands of Nevada) laid the foundation for the Reclamation Service, which was created in July 1902. This agency, initially administered by the US Geological Survey, became the Bureau of Reclamation in 1907, and its administration moved to the Department of the Interior. The Reclamation Act provided that all moneys not previously earmarked for education that were received from the sale or disposal of public lands in the sixteen western states and territories (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) would be set aside in a “reclamation fund” in the US Treasury. This fund would be used to finance the construction and maintenance of works for the storage, diversion, and development of waters “for the of arid or semiarid lands.”
The act enabled the settlement of extensive new land for farms in the West. The secretary of the interior withdrew from public entry the federal lands required for each irrigation project, assigned construction contracts, and reported to Congress annually on each water project. Owners of irrigated reclaimed lands were assessed water use fees, which were paid into the reclamation fund to repay costs and to build and maintain additional projects. Bona fide landowners held water rights that could not be sold.
As a result of the Reclamation Act, large-scale reservoirs, dams, canals, and diversion channels were constructed that developed the West. The major river systems affected were the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri. Population boomed in the region when water was applied to desert scrublands and hydroelectricity was generated. Vast new areas of land were brought under cultivation as new farmers and ranchers complied with homestead laws and used at least half of their newly reclaimed land for agriculture.
Ownership of the federally funded irrigation projects largely remained with the federal government, which protected and operated them. The Reclamation Act did not interfere with the laws of any state or territory relating to the control, appropriation, use, or distribution of water to be used to irrigate arid lands, to make them productive and profitable, thereby increasing state or territorial revenues by increasing and tax bases. As far as was practicable, the major portion of funds arising from the sale of federal lands within each state or territory was reinvested in that same state or territory. Texas was added under the Reclamation Act’s purview in 1906 and projects were extended to the Rio Grande system.
The Reclamation Act marked the entry of the US government into a Herculean effort to assist farmers and ranchers by constructing major irrigation projects, including Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover Dam), Shasta Dam, and Grand Coulee Dam. The act’s irrigation successes greatly enlarged the capacity of America to feed itself, led to increased development of US transportation and communication networks, increased electricity production, provided flood control, created recreational facilities, and enlarged and redistributed US population. After the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, awareness of the negative environmental impacts associated with construction led to a reassessment of the goals of the Reclamation Act with regard to safeguarding the environment.
Bibliography
Pisani, Donald J. Water and American Government: The Reclamation Bureau, National Water Policies, and the West, 1902-1935. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
Robbins, William G. "National Reclamation Act." Oregon Encyclopedia, 2 June 2024, www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/national‗reclamation‗act‗1902‗/. Accessed 22 July 2024.
Surhone, Lambert M., Miriam T. Timpleton, and Susan F. Marseken. Salt River Project: Arizona, Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix Metropolitan Salt River, National Reclamation Act of 1902, Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Beau Bassin, Mauritius: Betascript, 2010.