Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 facts for kids
The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 is an important law in the United States. It helps protect our natural areas and stop floods. This law has been updated many times since it was first created.
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Protecting Our Waterways: The Watershed Act
This law helps local communities work with the government to protect their land and water. It focuses on areas called watersheds. A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into one main river, lake, or ocean.
How the Act Helps
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) helps with this law. A part of the USDA called the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with local groups. These groups are often called flood control districts. The NRCS helps them plan and pay for projects.
These projects can include building things to hold back floodwaters. They also help protect soil and keep water clean. There are some rules for these projects:
- The watershed area must not be too big.
- No single structure can hold back too much floodwater.
- Larger projects or those costing a lot of money need approval from the United States Congress.
The Original Law: Working Together
When the law first started in 1954, it wanted the federal government to work with states and local areas. The main goal was to prevent damage from floods. The United States Secretary of Agriculture was given power to build flood protection.
Local communities had to help pay for these projects. They also had to provide the land needed for the work. The law also said that the United States Secretary of the Interior had to be asked for advice. This was important if projects affected things like irrigation (watering crops) or public lands.
Updates to the Law
Over the years, the law was changed to make it better.
- In 1956, new rules were added about how big projects could be without needing Congress's approval. The United States Department of the Interior also got more say in projects that involved public lands or wildlife.
- The law also made it possible for local groups to get loans to help pay for their projects.
- The Act was expanded to include places like Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Protecting Fish and Wildlife
Later updates in 1958 made sure that fish and wildlife were protected. The Secretary of Agriculture had to tell the Secretary of the Interior about projects. This allowed the Interior Department to create reports on how the projects might affect animals and their homes.
The Secretary of Agriculture had to consider these reports. They were encouraged to include ideas that would help fish and wildlife, as long as they were practical and affordable. This helped make sure that flood control projects also thought about nature.
Images for kids
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Baker River Watershed Floodwater Retarding Structure No.6
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Baker River Watershed Floodwater Retarding Structure No.6 Spillway
