Increas in Public Understanding of Water Management Criteria

The majority of the 16 federal reservoir projects operated by the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936. These dams were built primarily for the purposes of reducing flood stages (flood control) and providing low water regulation for water quality control along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and upper Ohio Rivers. After these dams were placed in operation, Congress granted general authority to all Corps reservoirs for the following limited purposes: recreation; municipal and industrial water supply; fish and wildlife conservation; water quality control; and threatened and endangered species preservation. However, none of these laws specifically allocated water in the Lakes or changed operational criteria for any of these added purposes. The legislation generally states that the dam will be operated in such a manner as will protect and enhance these purposes and to the extent that they are compatible with other project purposes.