For example, demand for new project services (e.g., improved navigation, new water supply, improved or new flood control facilities), protection of threatened and endangered species, and water quality concerns are common to many conflicts. Bureau of Reclamation

Since the early 1900s, the Bureau has constructed and operated many large, multi-purpose water projects. Bureau-related water project and management issues that are being or may be considered during the 110 th Congress include:
San Joaquin River restoration settlement legislation; examination of the Bureau's Title 16 (recycling and reuse) program; oversight of CVPIA and CVP operations; oversight of, and appropriations for, CALFED (and other Bay-Delta issues, such as Delta Smelt population declines); San Joaquin/San Luis Unit drainage issues and potential title transfer; authorization of individual water recycling and desalination projects; response to drought, and effects of climate variability on federal reservoirs; and Colorado River water management issues. Corps of Engineers

Congress authorizes Corps water resources activities and makes changes to the agency's policies generally in Water Resources Development Acts, and at times in the annual Energy and Water Development Appropriations acts. Corps flood control and hurricane protection projects, in particular, are receiving congressional and public scrutiny following Hurricane Katrina. A broad water resource issue significant to the water resources agencies and the nation is the changing federal role in water resources planning, development, and management.
Water resources management often involves trade-offs among user groups, environmental interests, and local, regional, and national interests. Water resources development is particularly controversial because of budgetary constraints, conflicting policy objectives, environmental impacts, and demands for local control. Hurricane Katrina brought to the forefront long-simmering policy disputes involving local control, federal financing, environmental and social tradeoffs, and multi-level accountability and responsibility for water infrastructure projects, such as levees. Construction, improvement, and management of other federal water resource projects (e.g., locks, dams, and diversion facilities) face similar challenges.
The 110th Congress faces numerous issues and trade-offs as it considers water resource development, technology, water supply, and climate change legislation. These issues are likely to arise as Congress considers authorizations and appropriations for Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers projects (e.g., Water Resources Development Act of 2007, H.R. 1495), and agency policy and program changes (e.g., water reuse, federal project operations, and oversight of ecosystem restoration programs such as CALFED and Everglades). Oversight issues related to Hurricane Katrina and the federal role in hurricane and flood protection, and levee construction and management, also are ongoing.