The marginalization of federal hydropower

Federal water resource development policy is assessed with respect to its (1) adaptability to changing demands on water and storage in federal multipurpose reservoirs, and (2) accommodation of basic sustainability notions of economic efficiency, social equity and ecological integrity. The policy assessment is supported by a case study of hydropower benefits supplied by three federal reservoir systems in the southeastern United States, in an effort to answer on a practical level the following questions: (1) With respect to the guidelines Established in current federal policy, is the continued commitment of federal reservoirs in these systems to the power purpose justified? (2) How do federal planing objectives, policies aid procedures facilitate or obstruct the conversion of these projects, many now several decades old, to more beneficial uses? (3) How well do current federal planning principles reflect formative criteria for sustainable management of water resource systems? In this respect, how might policy and its implementation be improved?; Intensifying competition between power and non-power uses of federal reservoirs makes this research timely and relevant to multipurpose river basin planning throughout the United States.