Water Resources

Corps Lacks Authority for Water Supply Contracts Gao ID: RCED-91-151 August 20, 1991

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO examined whether the Army Corps of Engineers has the legislative authority to operate nine water reservoirs for the purposes for which they are being managed.

GAO found that: (1) with one exception, the Corps has the authority to operate the nine reservoirs for the purposes for which they are being managed; (2) in that exception, the Corps improperly cited the Water Supply Act of 1958 in reallocating storage capacity to municipal and industrial (M&I) water supply and entering into six long-term contracts to supply water to M&I users without expanding those reservoirs; (3) the authority under the Water Supply Act to supply water for M&I needs is limited to what may be accomplished through the construction or expansion of reservoirs, and the act does not provide authority to reallocate existing water storage capacity for M&I purposes at reservoirs previously constructed or modified; and (4) the Corps used the act to enter into 38 water supply contracts and was planning to enter into similar contracts in the future.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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