Water Resources Site Preservation on Federal Lands

The Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Power Commission, and Geological Survey preserve water resources sites. Through cooperative procedures of these agencies and the land management agencies, Federal lands designated as being valuable for water power or reservoir sites are managed to forestall undesirable encumbrances, yet allow many interim uses without destroying site values. These designated sites are acquired for water development either through Congressional approval of projects to occupy them or through operation of public land laws. Site preservation procedures serve to protect a limited resource and to retain control of advantages derived; and such operations are beneficial to all organizations developing water resources, whether Federal or not.