Newlands Reclamation Act facts for kids
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| Other short titles | Lowlands Reclamation Act of 1902 |
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| Long title | An Act appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in certain States and Territories to the construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid lands. |
| Nicknames | National Reclamation Act of 1902 |
| Enacted by | the 57th United States Congress |
| Effective | June 17, 1902 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub.L. 57-161 |
| Statutes at Large | 32 Stat. 388 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Reclamation Act of 1902 (Pub.L. 57-161) was an important U.S. federal law. It helped pay for projects to bring water to dry lands in 20 states across the American West. This law is also known as the Lowlands Reclamation Act or the National Reclamation Act.
At first, the law covered 13 western states. Texas was added later in 1906. The act used money from selling public lands to build and maintain irrigation projects. Irrigation means bringing water to dry land for farming. The money from selling the newly irrigated land would go into a special fund. This fund would then pay for even more irrigation projects.
This law led to building many dams on major western rivers. The Secretary of the Interior created the United States Reclamation Service. This group was part of the United States Geological Survey. Its job was to manage the new irrigation program. In 1907, this Service became its own organization. It was renamed the United States Bureau of Reclamation.
The law was written by Francis G. Newlands, a U.S. Representative from Nevada. He worked with George H. Maxwell, who led the National Reclamation Association. Over time, some farmers could not repay the loans they received. Later changes to the law, like the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, allowed the government to extend repayment times. The Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 also changed rules about how much land could get water and how much it cost.
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Why the Act Was Needed
John Wesley Powell is often called the "father of reclamation." He explored the American West starting in 1867. He noticed that western rivers flooded after snow melted and spring rains fell. But for the rest of the year, there wasn't enough rain for farming. He realized that the Western United States was too dry for a lot of development.
However, the U.S. government saw great economic potential in the West. They wanted to help people settle and farm there. By building dams on western rivers, they could create huge irrigation systems. This made it possible for more people to live and farm in the dry areas.
Some private groups and local farmers had already shown that irrigation worked. But a much bigger effort was needed. So, Representative Francis G. Newlands from Nevada suggested a law to Congress. This law would provide federal help for irrigation projects. The law was passed on June 17, 1902.
Newlands did most of the work to get the law passed. He had strong support from Frederick Haynes Newell of the Department of the Interior. President Theodore Roosevelt also helped bring together the groups needed to pass the act.
The law was later updated by the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982. This update helped limit how much water large companies could use. It also stopped people from buying land just to make money from the new irrigation.
What the Act Said
The full name of the law is: "An Act Appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in certain States and Territories to the construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid lands."
The act listed 16 states and territories that would be part of the project. These included:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
The law said that extra money from selling public land would go into a "reclamation fund." This fund would be used to develop water resources. It also allowed the Treasury Department to fund education under certain conditions.
How the Act Changed the West
The Reclamation Act had a huge impact on the American West. Many parts of the West could not have been settled without the water this law provided. The West became one of the best farming areas in the world.
The Bureau of Reclamation has built over 600 dams across the West. These dams provide water for about 10 million acres (40,000 square kilometers) of farmland. This land produces 60% of the nation's vegetables and 25% of its fruits and nuts. Today, the Bureau manages about 180 projects in the West.
The law also led to something unexpected: electricity. The Bureau of Reclamation's dams now support 58 power plants. These plants produce 40 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. Many large cities in the Far West grew because of these power sources.
Here are some of the larger irrigation projects that resulted from the act, showing the area they helped reclaim by 1925:
- Arizona: Salt River, 182,000 acres
- Arizona-California: Yuma, 158,000 acres
- California: Orland, 20,000 acres
- Colorado: Grand Valley, 53,000 acres; Uncompahgre Valley, 140,000 acres
- Idaho: Boise, 207,000 acres; Minidoka, 120,500 acres
- Kansas: Garden City, 10,677 acres
- Montana: Blackfeet, 122,500 acres; Flathead, 152,000 acres; Fort Peck, 152,000 acres; Huntley, 32,405 acres; Milk River, 219,557 acres; Sun River, 174,046 acres
- Montana-North Dakota: Lower Yellowstone, 60,116 acres
- Nebraska-Wyoming: North Platte, 129,270 acres
- Nevada: Truckee-Carson, 206,000 acres
- New Mexico: Carlsbad, 20,261 acres; Hondo, 10,000 acres; Rio Grande, 155,000 acres
- North Dakota: North Dakota Pumping, 26,314 acres
- Oregon: Umatilla, 36,300 acres
- Oregon-California: Klamath, 70,000 acres
- South Dakota: Belle Fourche, 100,000 acres
- Utah: Strawberry Valley, 50,000 acres
- Washington: Okanogan, 10,999 acres; Sunnyside, 102,824 acres; Tieton (Teton), 34,071 acres
- Wyoming: Shoshone, 164,122 acres
River Systems Affected
The Reclamation Act helped develop water resources in several major river systems in the American West:
