Changes in Federal Water Project Repayment Policies Can Reduce Federal Costs
CED-81-77
Published: Aug 07, 1981. Publicly Released: Aug 07, 1981.
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Highlights
Because prior GAO studies disclosed several large federal reservoirs with substantial amounts of unsold water or storage space, GAO reviewed the repayment policies and practices of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation that do not ensure fair and timely recovery of water projects' reimbursable costs.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring all O&M charges to be updated annually and applied to new or amended contracts. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring all O&M charges to be updated annually and applied to new or amended contracts. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should develop an overall water marketing strategy for their agencies. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should develop an overall water marketing strategy for their agencies. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring all reservoir users to share equitably in O&M cost recovery. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring all reservoir users to share equitably in O&M cost recovery. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should issue instructions requiring that option revenues be equitably allocated to O&M cost recovery. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should annually disseminate information on the available water supply to Congress, state agencies, and potential buyers. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should annually disseminate information on the available water supply to Congress, state agencies, and potential buyers. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should issue instructions requiring that O&M cost reallocations be limited to those based upon demonstrated changes in benefits. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring congressional authorization to be sought for water uses not specifically authorized. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should issue instructions requiring congressional authorization to be sought for water uses not specifically authorized. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should issue instructions requiring that reallocation policies be equally applied to both reimbursable and nonreimbursable expenses. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require reasonable payment for all water reservations. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require water prices to be based upon how much water can be delivered and sold. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require water contracts with renewal provisions to specify the method for price adjustments. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require annual water price reevaluations as a basis for establishing new or amended contract prices. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that will require unrecovered reimbursable O&M costs to be accumulated and considered in future price determinations. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that will require unrecovered reimbursable O&M costs to be accumulated and considered in future price determinations. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that will require an interest allocation to be included in all water charges to municipal and industrial users. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that will require an interest allocation to be included in all water charges to municipal and industrial users. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that require all project purposes to share, in accordance with actual reservoir uses, in O&M expenses. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretaries of the Army and the Interior should establish policies that require all project purposes to share, in accordance with actual reservoir uses, in O&M expenses. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require specific approval of the Commissioner of Reclamation when contract revenues from federal reservoirs will be applied to a non-federal entity. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require nationwide distribution of its and the Bureau of Reclamation's repayment policies, procedures, and applicable interpretations for establishing and implementing repayment requirements. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should require a periodic review of regional pricing and accounting practices to ensure that they consistently and equitably apply agency policy. |
Closed – Implemented
Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
|
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Construction costsCost controlFederal aid to localitiesMarketingPaymentsProgram evaluationReimbursements to governmentWater resources developmentWater supply managementWater treatment