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Dataweb

Inside Dataweb

DataWeb is an electronic presentation of the Bureau of Reclamation´s (Reclamation) Project Data Book. Compilations of this kind of information have been published beginning in 1941 under the title Summarized Data on Federal Reclamation Projects and continued until 1982 as Reclamation Project Data (Supplemental).  These publications have served the continuing need for historical, statistical, and technical information on the projects of the Bureau of Reclamation by legislators, State and Federal officials, water users, engineers, educators, students, and others, in foreign countries as well as the United States, who are concerned about water resource development.  DataWeb attempts to continue to serve this need by providing up-to-date project information on the Internet.

As you read about these individual projects, most of which are located west of the 100th Meridian, you will quickly realize that the original statement by the Congress in the Reclamation Act of 1902, " . . . . the construction and maintenance of irrigation works for the storage, diversion, and development of waters for reclamation of arid and semiarid lands. . .  " has been expanded by the concept of multiple-purpose development.  By applying this concept, Reclamation assures the Nation that maximum benefits are being derived today and will be in the future as we manage our water resources.Today, attention is focused on the Nation's energy needs and concern for the quality of our environment. These factors have become major considerations in the making of decisions on how our water resources are allocated to agriculture, municipalities and industries, the development of hydroelectric power, fish and wildlife enhancement, and recreation.

On this website, Reclamation projects, substantially complete and in operation, are reviewed in detail with considerable attention to history, costs, beneficiaries, engineering, water data, and productivity.  Pages on individual Projects, Dams & Reservoirs, and Power Plants can be found by selecting off of alphabetical and state listings, and flat maps.  Interactive Maps can also be created by the user showing desired features.

The names of projects and their chief features have sometimes changed.  Names used during the planning and development stages of projects may later be changed by action of the Congress or upon review by the Board on Geographic Names.  Statistical data are also subject to change.  Dimensions of structures may change because of structural alterations.  Reservoir capacities are subject to revision as a result of siltation studies.  Changes are sometimes introduced because of different methods of measurement, or because of revised definitions.Reclamation makes every effort to provide accurate data according to the resources available to us.  However, because of the changing nature of this information, neither the authors, Reclamation, or any other party involved in preparing the material and data available on or through this site, warrant or represent that the information provided here is in every respect complete and accurate, and are not responsible for errors or omissions.The contributions of the individual projects to the Nation's economic strength and recreation resource, when combined, are of major importance.  As of September 30, 1992 the Bureau of Reclamation had constructed storage and distribution facilities to serve 11.6 million acres of land with irrigation water. Crops harvested on farms receiving water from Reclamation in 1992 were valued at $8.3 billion, and cumulative harvest values since the first project crop report was made in 1906 total in excess of $173.5 billion.Municipal and industrial water, 1,554.5 billion gallons of it from Reclamation projects, was delivered to areas populated by 30.3 million people in 1992.The 54 hydroelectric powerplants constructed and operated by Reclamation had, in 1992, an installed capacity of 14,100 megawatts.  The hydroelectric energy totaling 35.9 billion kilowatt-hours generated in the 1992 fiscal year was sufficient to supply the residential needs of over 6 million households.There were 308 recreation areas, including reservoirs and other facilities, on Reclamation projects at the end of 1992.  Recreational use of these areas during 1992 totaled 50.5 million visitor days.

Increasing the public concern and awareness on the role of the Nation's natural resources in our future prosperity and well-being is a responsibility of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior.