Title 43Public LandsRelease 119-73

§3204 Critical maintenance and repair

Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 50— - WESTERN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE › § 3204

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Money from 3201(2)(A) can only pay for a reserved or transferred work if two things are true: construction began on or before January 1, 1915, and a part of the work had a critical failure in Bureau of Reclamation infrastructure during the two-year period ending on November 15, 2021 that caused water not to reach the project’s beneficiaries. That money can be used to repair, rebuild, or replace the whole work even if only one part failed. Those funds do not have to be paid back to the United States. Money from 3201(2)(B) must be used by the Secretary to fix, rebuild, or replace a dam when all these apply: construction began on or after January 1, 1905; the dam was developed under section 4 of the Carey Act; the state’s governor says the dam is past its useful life, poses significant health and safety concerns, and asked for federal help; and the estimated costs would exceed $50,000,000.

Full Legal Text

Title 43, §3204

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)A reserved or transferred work shall only be eligible for funding under section 3201(2)(A) of this title if—
(A)construction of the reserved or transferred work began on or before January 1, 1915; and
(B)a unit of the reserved or transferred work suffered a critical failure in Bureau of Reclamation infrastructure during the 2-year period ending on November 15, 2021, that resulted in the failure to deliver water to project beneficiaries.
(2)Rehabilitation, repair, and replacement activities for a transferred or reserved work using amounts made available under section 3201(2)(A) of this title may be used for the entire transferred or reserved work, regardless of whether the critical failure was limited to a single project of the overall work.
(3)Notwithstanding section 510b(b) of this title, amounts made available to a reserved or transferred work under section 3201(2)(A) of this title shall be nonreimbursable to the United States.
(b)The Secretary shall use amounts made available under section 3201(2)(B) of this title to fund the rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement of a dam—
(1)the construction of which began on or after January 1, 1905;
(2)that was developed pursuant to section 4 of the Act of August 18, 1894 (commonly known as the “Carey Act”) (43 U.S.C. 641; 28 Stat. 422, chapter 301);
(3)that the Governor of the State in which the dam is located has—
(A)determined the dam has reached its useful life;
(B)determined the dam poses significant health and safety concerns; and
(C)requested Federal support; and
(4)for which the estimated rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement, engineering, and permitting costs would exceed $50,000,000.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Carey Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is Aug. 18, 1894, ch. 301, § 4, 28 Stat. 422, which is classified to section 641 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Wage Rate RequirementsFor provisions relating to rates of wages to be paid to laborers and mechanics on projects for

Construction

, alteration, or repair work funded under div. D or an amendment by div. D of Pub. L. 117–58, including authority of Secretary of Labor, see section 18851 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

43 U.S.C. § 3204

Title 43Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73