Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§460l–20 Construction of Projects Under Certain Laws with Allocations to Recreation and Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Exceeding Allocations to Other Functions Unauthorized; Exception

Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER LXIX — OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAMS › Part C — Water Resources Projects › § 460l–20

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

It forbids building federal projects under the Federal reclamation laws or under any Rivers and Harbors or Flood Control Act when the money set aside for recreation plus fish and wildlife is larger than the money set aside for irrigation, hydroelectric power, municipal/domestic/industrial water supply, navigation, and flood control combined. An exception allows projects for anadromous fish, shrimp, or treaty‑protected migratory bird conservation if each of the other project purposes individually shows a favorable benefit‑cost ratio.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §460l–20

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Nothing contained in this part shall be taken to authorize or to sanction the construction under the Federal reclamation laws or under any Rivers and Harbors or Flood Control Act of any project in which the sum of the allocations to recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement exceeds the sum of the allocations to irrigation, hydroelectric power, municipal, domestic and industrial water supply, navigation, and flood control, except that this section shall not apply to any such project for the enhancement of anadromous fisheries, shrimp, or for the conservation of migratory birds protected by treaty, when each of the other functions of such a project has, of itself, a favorable benefit-cost ratio.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This part, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 89–72, which enacted sections 460l–12 to 460l–21 of this title and amended former section 460l–5(a) and section 662(d) of this title. Rivers and Harbors or Flood Control Act, referred to in text, is classified principally to Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 460l–20

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102