Preservation of Historic Sites During Construction

Over the past approx 30 yr there has been an increased emphasis on historic preservation in the United States. This interest has been expressed at all levels of Government, but especially the national level, by the adoption of laws and statutes defining the role of the Government in relation to our heritage from the past. Recently there has been severe criticism in some quarters of the archaeological and historic preservation movement for interference in the creation of obstacles or both, related to the orderly development of major construction projects. In particular, the criticism has centered around the development of highway and water-related projects. The experience of the Water and Power Resources Service (formerly Bureau of Reclamation) indicates that the criticism of historic preservation is not warranted. While some problems have been encountered, no Service Water development project has been delayed as a result of historic preservation concerns.