Watershed A Separate Totality Summary

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What has been the general relationship between the Federal Bureau of Reclamation and the Western States and their politicians? The relationship between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Western States is that of disagreement and compromise. According to the source “Watershed: A Separate Totality”, in chapter one, as the Administration’s review teams worked to finalize their recommendations on the water projects, in 1977, there were certain interests at work within the government that were not in sync with what President Carter wanted. These people were the bureaucrats in the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation whose careers have been shaped by the idea of water development. Even though these people were honest and hard workers, loyal to the states, irrigation districts, the farmers, energy producers and land developers, they were not loyal to the President, in these dealings. Ellis L. Armstrong, commissioner of the Reclamation Bureau, called there people “Uninformed amateurs”, and it was these “amateurs” that had disrupted the harmony between the federal government and the Western States by assuring the states all they wanted in terms of water development that meant everything in the West. A promise …show more content…
According to the source, “Watershed: A Separate Totality” in chapter one, it quotes William E. Warne, a former official in the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior, saying “The Bureau of Reclamation has identified effectively with local leaders who have sought the economic growth and development of their communities. . . Thus, a clientele of the most active local leaders has been developed for the Bureau in the rural areas of the west.” While this statement may be true, it still took a long time for the Western States to control the Bureau and how they divided up their precious water

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