About Us - Fact Sheet
Contact: Public Affairs
The Bureau of Reclamation:
Manages, develops, and protects water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.Is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier, operating 294 reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 140 million acre-feet (an acre-foot, 325,851 gallons of water, supplies enough water for a family of four for one year).
Provides 1 out of 5 (or, 140,000) Western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million farmland acres that produce 60 percent of the nation's vegetables and one quarter of its fresh fruit and nut crops.
Is the second largest producer of hydropower in the United States and operates 53 hydroelectric powerplants that annually produced, on average, 40 billion kilowatt-hours for the last 10 years.
Delivers 10 trillion gallons of water to millions of people each year.
Manages, with partners, 249 recreation sites that have 90 million visits annually.
Reclamation’s management and recreation activities contribute $34.1 billion in value added to economic output, and support about 450,700 jobs.
The Bureau of Reclamation priorities are to:
Ensure the continued delivery of water and power benefits in conformity with contracts, statutes, and agreements.Operate and maintain projects in a safe and reliable manner, protecting the health and safety of the public and Reclamation employees and improve financial accountability and transparency to our contractors.
Honor State water rights, interstate compacts, contracts with Reclamation users, further the Secretary of the Interior's Indian Trust responsibilities, and comply with all environmental statutes.
Plan for the future using programs that focus Reclamation's financial and technical resources on areas in the West where conflict over water either currently exists or is likely to occur in the coming years.
Enhance the business operations of Reclamation in accord with the Managing for Excellence initiative.
The Bureau of Reclamation is:
Developing strategies to manage and deliver water more efficiently and effectively to our customers in order to help satisfy the many needs of irrigation, municipalities, power and the environment and serving as a technical resource for water users and planners.Working in partnership with states, Tribes, water and power customers, and others to seek creative and collaborative solutions to Western water issues.
Ensuring our dams do not create unacceptable risk to the public by monitoring, evaluating, and when appropriate, performing risk reduction modifications.
Additional Quick Facts:
Number |
Unit |
Description |
| TOPIC: Agriculture | ||
| 10 | Million Acres | Number of acres of farmland irrigated by Reclamation water |
| 1:5 | Farmers | Ratio of western farmers served by Reclamation water |
| 140,000 | Farmers | Number of farmers receive water from Reclamation |
| 25 | Percent Fruit and Nut Crop | Percent of the nation's fruit and nut crop produced using Reclamation water |
| 60 | Percent Vegetables | Percent of the nation's vegetables produced using Reclamation water |
| TOPIC: Budget | ||
| 1.073 | Billion Dollars | Total annual budget for Reclamation |
| TOPIC: Buildings | ||
| 2,117 | Buildings | Number of buildingsowned by Reclamation |
| 85 | Family Housing Units | Number of employee and family housing units maintained by Reclamation |
| TOPIC: Dams/Reservoirs/Other Water Control Structures | ||
| 140 | Million Acre-feet | Total Water Storage Capacity (million acre-feet) of Reclamation dams/reservoirs |
| 294 | Reservoirs | Reservoirs impounded by Reclamation dams |
| 490 | Dams | Number of dams maintained by Reclamation |
| 10,000 | Miles | Miles (approximate) of irrigation canals owned by Reclamation |
| TOPIC: Economic Data | ||
| 34.1 | Billion Dollars | Value Added to Total Economic Output |
| 450,700 | Jobs | Domestic Jobs Supported |
| TOPIC: Employees | ||
| 5,550 | Employees (As of 12/11/23) | Number of Reclamation employees |
| TOPIC: Energy and Power | ||
| 15 | Percent Hydropower | Percent of Nation's hydropower produced by Bureau of Reclamation facilities |
| 40 | Billion Kilowatt hours | Number of kilowatt hours of energy produced by Reclamation |
| 53 | Hydroelectric Power Plants | Number of Reclamation Hydroelectric Power Plants Owned and Operated |
| 24 | Hydroelectric Power Plants | Number of Transferred Hydroelectric Power Plants |
| TOPIC: Land | ||
| 7.8 | Million Acres | Number of acres of Reclamation land and easements |
| 6.1 | Million Acres | Number of acres of Reclamation land |
| 1.7 | Million Acres | Number of acres of Reclamation easements |
| TOPIC: Real Property Assets | ||
| 1,319 | Structures | Number of structures owned by Reclamation |
| 290 | Bridges | Number of Reclamation public bridges |
| 3,008 | Miles | Miles of Reclamation public roads |
| TOPIC: Recreation | ||
| 90 | Million Visits | Number of visits to Reclamation recreation areas |
| 590 | Campgrounds | Number of campgrounds at Reclamation recreation areas |
| 518 | Boat Ramps | Boat ramps open to public |
| 1,327 | Miles | Hiking trails owed by Reclamation |
| 249 | Areas | Number of recreation areas managed with partners |
| TOPIC: Revenues and Receipts | ||
| 1,106.3 | Million Dollars | Total revenue collected by Reclamation |
| TOPIC: Rivers and Streams | ||
| 40 | Million People | Number of people who rely on the Colorado River water supply |
| TOPIC: States | ||
| 17 | States | Number of Western States served by Reclamation |
| TOPIC: Water | ||
| 10 | Trillion gallons | Number of gallons of water produced by Reclamation for municipal, residential and industrial use |
| 31 | Million People | Number of people served by Reclamation Municipal, Residential and Industrial water Delivery |
