Multi-Purpose
Projects
When the Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSP) was enacted in 1956, multi-purpose projects were envisioned. These projects involved building dams to retain water in reservoirs that could be released to meet Compact, municipal and industrial (M&I), and irrigation requirements. As the water was released, electric power and energy could be produced to help pay for the projects. The lakes behind the dams provide recreational opportunities for camping, fishing, and boating, and a more controlled environment downstream provides recreational opportunities for fishing and rafting. Space also is held in some of the reservoirs to catch flood waters to minimize their impact on downstream systems, lives, and property. Costs associated with the projects were divided into reimbursable costs and non-reimbursable costs. The “reimbursable” costs were those costs associated with power and water uses. Congress decided that M&I water users would pay for the costs associated with their use, irrigation users would pay “up to their ability to pay”, and power users would pay for all of the power facilities plus the irrigation features “beyond the ability of the irrigators to pay”. “Non-reimbursable” costs included recreation and flood control costs, and these were to be paid by the federal government.
