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United States. Bureau of Reclamation
A major force in shaping water and power systems across the American West, this federal agency has been building and managing dams, canals, and reservoirs for more than a century. Its story reaches from the irrigation dreams of the early 1900s to today’s debates over water, energy, and the Colorado River.
1 Audiobook
Glen Canyon Dam
by United States. Bureau of Reclamation
About the author
Created in 1902 as the Reclamation Service and later renamed the Bureau of Reclamation, this U.S. Department of the Interior agency was established to bring water to arid lands in the West. Over time, it became one of the country’s central water management organizations, tied to large irrigation projects, dams, reservoirs, and hydroelectric facilities across the western states.
Its work expanded far beyond its original mission of supporting settlement and farming. The Bureau now operates and helps manage major water delivery and storage systems, and its history is closely connected to landmark projects such as Hoover Dam and Grand Coulee Dam.
Today, the Bureau of Reclamation sits at the center of some of the West’s biggest water challenges, including long-term river management, environmental protection, drought response, and balancing the needs of cities, farms, tribes, and ecosystems.