US Code

Public Law 119-102 (07/12/2026)

16 U.S.C. § 590z–1

Prerequisites for construction of project

Section text and notes

(a)

Investigation and report to President

No construction of a project may be undertaken pursuant to the authority of this subchapter unless and until the Secretary has made an investigation thereof and has submitted to the President his report and findings on—
(i)
the engineering feasibility of the proposed construction;
(ii)
the estimated cost of the proposed construction;
(iii)
the part of the estimated cost which properly can be allocated to irrigation;
(iv)
section 590z–2 of this title the part of the estimated cost which probably can be repaid by the water users in accordance with the requirements of ;
(v)
the part of the estimated cost which can properly be allocated to municipal or miscellaneous water supplies or power and probably be returned to the United States in revenues therefrom;
(vi)
the part of the estimated cost which can properly be allocated to the irrigation of Indian trust and tribal lands, and be repayable in accordance with existing law relating to Indian lands;
(vii)
the part of the estimated cost which can properly be allocated to flood control as recommended by the Secretary after consultation with the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army.
section 590z–2 of this titlesection 590z–10(1) of this titlesection 590z–10(1) of this titlesection 590z of this titleIn connection with each such investigation, report, and finding, the Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Agriculture regarding participation in the proposed project by the Department of Agriculture under the authority of sections 590z–3 and 590z–4 of this title; and the Secretary shall also transmit to the President a report by the Secretary of Agriculture to the President on the participation, if any, proposed by the Department of Agriculture. The project shall be deemed authorized and may be undertaken pursuant to this subchapter if (1) the Secretary finds and certifies to the President that the project has engineering feasibility and that the water users probably can repay, in accordance with the requirements of an amount equal to or in excess of that part of the estimated cost allocated by him to irrigation to be met by expenditure of moneys appropriated pursuant to ; and (2) the President has approved said report and findings and has found that services, labor, materials, easements, and other property, including money, for the construction of the project, should be made available to the Department of the Interior by the Works Projects Administration or other Federal agencies, to the extent found necessary by the Secretary to make up the difference between the estimated cost of project construction and (i) the part thereof to be met by expenditure of moneys appropriated pursuant to , together with (ii) such services, materials, money, easements, and other property as non-Federal agencies or parties have agreed to contribute and the Secretary has found acceptable under .
(b)

Construction of physical features

No actual construction of the physical features of a project shall be undertaken unless and until (1) the Secretary has found that lands, or interests in lands, deemed necessary for the construction and operation of the major features of the projects have been secured, or sufficient progress made in their procurement to indicate the probability that all these lands or interests in lands can be secured, with titles and at prices satisfactory to him; and (2) the Secretary has found (i) that water rights adequate for the purposes of the project have been acquired with titles and at prices satisfactory to him, or that such water rights have been initiated and in his judgment can be perfected in conformity with State law and any applicable interstate agreements and in a manner satisfactory to him; and (ii) that such water rights can be utilized for the purposes of the project in conformity with State law and any applicable interstate agreements and in a manner satisfactory to him.

(c)

Division of project

section 590z–2 of this title53 Stat. 685 Any part of a project hereunder may be designated as a division of the project by the Secretary if he, after consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, deems this desirable for orderly and efficient construction or administration. The term “project”, as used in subsection (b) and , shall be deemed to mean also “division of a project”, designated as provided in this subsection. Any project authorized for construction from appropriations under the head “Water Conservation and Utility Projects” in the Interior Department Appropriation Act, 1940 [ch. 119] (), hereinafter called the 1940 water conservation appropriation, may be designated by the Secretary, upon agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture, a project under this subchapter, and shall thereupon be subject to all the provisions and requirements thereof, except those of subsections (a) and (b).

Aug. 11, 1939, ch. 717, § 3 53 Stat. 1419 Oct. 14, 1940, ch. 861 54 Stat. 1120 July 16, 1943, ch. 242 57 Stat. 567 July 26, 1947, ch. 343 61 Stat. 501 (, ; , ; , §§ 2–4, ; , title II, § 205(a), .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

53 Stat. 685 The head “Water Conservation Utility Projects” in the Interior Department Appropriation Act, 1940 [ch. 119] (), referred to in subsec. (c), was not classified to the Code.

Amendments

1943—Subsec. (a)(vii). Act , § 2, inserted “Secretary after consultation with the” after “as recommended”.

Subsec. (b). Act , § 3, amended subsec. (b) generally.

Subsec. (c). Act , § 4, added subsec. (c).

1940—Act , reenacted section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

act July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II 61 Stat. 501 act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041 70A Stat. 641 Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of , . Section 205(a) of act , was repealed by section 53 of , . Section 1 of act , enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued military Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

Section 701–1 of Title 33Construction With

act Dec. 22, 1944, ch. 665, § 1(c) 58 Stat. 665 section 701–1(c) of Title 33Section as amended and modified by , , see , Navigation and Navigable Waters.

Transfer of Functions

act June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title I, § 103 63 Stat. 380 section 303(b) of Title 40Section 303(b) of Title 40Pub. L. 109–313, § 2(a)(1)120 Stat. 1734 section 303 of Title 40Functions of Federal Works Agency transferred to General Services Administration by , . See Historical and Revision Notes under , Public Buildings, Property, and Works. was amended generally by , , , and, as so amended, no longer relates to the Federal Works Agency and Commissioner of Public Buildings. See 2006 Amendment note under .

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

53 Stat. 1426 Works Projects Administration and its functions transferred to Federal Works Agency by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1939, §§ 301, 306, eff. , 4 F.R. 2729, , set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.