Corps of Engineers' and Bureau of Reclamation's Recreation Construction Backlogs

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the $943 million recreation construction backlogs for water projects funded in fiscal year (FY) 1982 for the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.

At the start of FY 1982, the Corps had 86 water construction projects with unfunded recreation construction components with estimated unfunded future Corps costs totaling $755 million. The Corps is attempting to have local interests cost-share $251 million of this amount; however, the Army expects that a large portion of this amount will not be budgeted due to a lack of local support. In addition, the Bureau of Reclamation had an estimated $188 million of unfunded future recreation costs. GAO found that these backlogs were due to funding limitations, lack of funding priorities, and competing funding demands such as authorization of new projects and increasing operating and maintenance costs. In a previous report, GAO suggested that Congress deal with the recreation construction backlogs by funding increases, increasing cost sharing by non-Federal sponsors, and setting funding priorities. Because of policy and funding priority changes initiated at the start of FY 1982, some of the recreation construction in backlog was not carried out pending final decisions as to the amount of recreational construction and who will pay for it.