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Show SECTION 16 STATE WATER PLAN - JORDAN RIVER BASIN FEDERAL WATER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT » In the past, federal agencies have played a big role in funding water development projects. This practice is currently in transition with federal agencies decreasing their funding for water development while increasing their regulatory responsibilities. 16.1 Introduction This section describes the involvement of federal agencies in Jordan River Basin water planning and development, including past and expected future involvement. Although the activities of federal agencies are changing, many programs are still available to benefit basin residents. To make the best use of these programs requires the local entities to be knowledgeable of ways to access these benefits. With this information, it is possible to develop better interagency and local working relationships. 16.2 Background The role of the federal government is changing from one of construction and development to one of management, preservation, conservation and maintenance. Federal funding programs are decreasing while regulatory programs are on the increase. With the change in federal agency activities, the state is being called upon to take a more active role in the planning and funding of local water projects. Although the federal government has decreased many funding programs, several federal agencies still have management responsibilities and regulatory authorities that are expected to continue indefinitely. Consequently, cooperative participation with federal agencies will continue to be very helpful to the state. The state is being called upon to shoulder additional financial responsibilities to carry out a number of federally mandated programs. Funding these federal programs may impair the state's ability to respond to local requests for project funding. The primary concerns expressed by the various federal agencies in the 1990 Utah State Water Plan are: 1) Reserved water rights, 2) interrelated planning ( multiple- use planning), 3) stream and riparian habitat loss, and 4) water rights filings. An additional concern that has surfaced is coordination between federal, state and local officials. In recent years, progress has been made in each of these areas, particularly in the area of coordination between various federal, state and local agencies. 16.3 Federal Programs and Future Planning and Development The various federal agencies and the programs they provide are briefly described on the following pages. Also see Section 8. Some project planning and implementation being considered by various agencies are also discussed. On October 20, 1994, the Secretary of Agriculture signed a memorandum implementing the reorganization authorities contained in HR 4217, the Federal Crop Insurance Reform Act of 1994, Public Law No. 103- 354. This reorganization changed the name and activities of some federal agencies involved in the state water planning effort. These changes, as they effect the State Water Plan, are briefly discussed in the following subsections. Two of the listed agencies, Bureau of Reclamation ( BOR) and the Corps of Engineers ( COE), were primarily development oriented in the past, with emphasis on relatively large projects. At the present time, the BOR is in a transitional phase with increasing emphasis on management of existing infrastructure while the COE has been increasing it's regulatory responsibilities. 16.3.1 Bureau of Land Management The Federal Land Policy and Management Act gives the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM) authority for inventory and comprehensive planning 16- 1 |