I wonder how many Western WaterWonks have heard of the Reclamation Fund? Probably a bunch.
Here's a nice little CRS two-pager from Charles V. Stern simply titled 'The Reclamation Fund'.
Download CRS_InFocus_Reclamation_Fund_21May2019
Here is the introduction:
The Reclamation Act of 1902 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to construct irrigation works in western states through the Reclamation Service (later renamed the Bureau of Reclamation [BOR or Reclamation]). It also established the Reclamation Fund to pay for these projects. The Reclamation Fund was established as a special fund within the U.S. Treasury. (Special funds are fund accounts for receipts and spending with specific taxes or revenues earmarked for a specific purpose.) The fund was designated to receive receipts from the sale of federal lands in the western United States, as well as other sources. It was originally conceived as a revolving fund (i.e., a business- like fund). That is, after its initial capitalization by federal appropriations, receipts from existing project repayments were expected to fund new projects. Congress later made substantial changes to the fund, including adding new receipt sources and making it subject to annual appropriations.
Enjoy!
"You are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights for there is not sufficient water to supply the land". - John Wesley Powell, 1893
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