Managing Construction AND Infrastructure in the 21st Century Bureau of Reclamation
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract Number 04CS811007 between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Academy of Sciences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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Cover photographs from top to bottom: Parker Dam (from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation); deflector at Tracy fish screen (from San Luis and Delta Mendota Canal Authority); Flat Iron Power Plant and Pumping Station (from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation); Provo River restoration (from Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission); and Boise River Diversion Dam (from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation).
Copyright 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
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COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZING TO MANAGE CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
JAMES K. MITCHELL, Chair,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University, Blacksburg, Virginia
PATRICK R. ATKINS,
Alcoa, New York, New York
ALLAN V. BURMAN,
Jefferson Solutions, Washington, D.C.
TIMOTHY J. CONNOLLY,
HDR Engineering, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
LLOYD A. DUSCHA,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired), Reston, Virginia
G. BRIAN ESTES, Consulting Engineer,
Williamsburg, Virginia
MARTHA S. FELDMAN,
University of California, Irvine
DARRELL G. FONTANE,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
SAMMIE D. GUY, Consulting Engineer,
Falls Church, Virginia
L. MICHAEL KAAS, Consulting Engineer,
Arlington, Virginia
CHARLES I. McGINNIS,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired), Charlottesville, Virginia
ROGER K. PATTERSON,
Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (retired), Lincoln
Staff
LYNDA L. STANLEY, Director,
Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment
MICHAEL D. COHN, Program Officer
DANA CAINES, Financial Associate
PAT WILLIAMS, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CONSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENT
HENRY HATCH, Chair,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired), Oakton, Virginia
MASSOUD AMIN,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
REGINALD DesROCHES,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
DENNIS DUNNE, Consultant,
Scottsdale, Arizona
PAUL FISETTE,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
LUCIA GARSYS,
Hillsborough County, Florida
WILLIAM HANSMIRE,
Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Detroit, Michigan
THEODORE C. KENNEDY,
BE&K, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama
SUE McNEIL,
University of Delaware, Wilmington
DEREK PARKER,
Anshen+Allen, San Francisco, California
HENRY SCHWARTZ, JR.,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
WILLIAM WALLACE,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
CRAIG ZIMRING,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Staff
LYNDA STANLEY, Director
MICHAEL D. COHN, Program Officer
KEVIN M. LEWIS, Program Officer
DANA CAINES, Financial Associate
PAT WILLIAMS, Senior Project Assistant
Preface
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has a long history of accomplishments, and through this study and other efforts is preparing to continue its successful record of providing water and hydroelectric power in the western United States. Successful accomplishment of Reclamation’s current mission in the twenty-first century—to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public—is impacted, and in some cases dominated, by several new realities that are discussed in this report, including environmental factors, American Indian water rights, rural water needs, urbanization, increasing budget constraints, a broader set of stakeholders, an aging workforce, and an aging infrastructure.
The committee was not asked to assess the robustness of Reclamation in the face of extraordinary events, but the recent disasters caused by the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region have brought that question to the attention of the committee. In the short term, the dispersed geography, decentralized line organization, and centralized service center of Reclamation should allow it to respond to localized events effectively. Over the long term, the bureau has exhibited its ability to deal with disasters, as shown in its response to the failure of Teton Dam in 1976. That event led to the creation of a robust safety of dams program, risk analysis and design review procedures, and an active effort to learn from past experience. The committee also observed active efforts to plan responses to developing problems caused by persistent drought conditions in the West. If faced with unexpected catastrophic events, Reclamation can be expected, in the committee’s opinion, to rise to the challenge.
All the committee members, whose abbreviated biographies are given in Appendix A, contributed enormously to the successful completion of the study. They provided diverse expertise and a wealth of knowledge and experience in relevant disciplines and topics: organizational, construction, and operational history of the bureau, water resources engineering and planning, government policies and procedures, large organization management, human resources issues, and political considerations, among others. Each member brought a creative and fresh perspective to the study and participated in the drafting of the report and in the crafting of the several findings and recommendations. It has been a pleasure and excellent learning experience working with all of them.
An important element in the committee’s ability to complete its assigned tasks was the support and participation of the bureau. The committee appreciates the cooperation and support of John Keys III, commis-sioner, the assistance provided throughout the study by Fred Ore, deputy director of operations, and N. John Harb, manager, and the scores of managers and personnel in the Denver, regional, and area offices who took time from their busy schedules to brief the committee and candidly discuss Reclamation’s challenges and opportunities. The committee also appreciates the contributions of Reclamation’s water and power customers and their representative organizations, which provided a perspective on the bureau that was critical to the committee’s understanding of the factors that influence its facility and infrastructure tasks.
The committee was supported and guided in its work by study director Michael Cohn, program officer, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment (BICE). Mike’s dedication to the tasks and support for the committee is a key factor in the success of this study. We are also greatly indebted to Lynda Stanley, director, BICE, for her insights and suggestions.
The committee appreciates the opportunity to address an issue of importance to the future success of the Bureau of Reclamation’s mission in meeting water and hydroelectric power needs in the western United States in an environmentally sensitive and economical manner.
James K. Mitchell
Chair, Committee on Organizing to Manage Construction and Infrastructure in the 21st Century Bureau of Reclamation
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
John T. Christian, Consulting Engineer,
David W. Fowler, University of Texas at Austin,
Gerald E. Galloway, University of Maryland,
Lawrence J. MacDonnell, Porzak, Browning & Bushong,
Peter Marshall, Burns & Roe Services,
Robert S. O’Neil, Parsons Transportation Group (retired), and
Karlene H. Roberts, University of California, Berkeley.
Although the reviewers listed have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Richard N. Wright, Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards
and Technology (retired). Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
ALP
Animas–La Plata Project
BRC
Budget Review Committee
CALFED CALFED
Bay–Delta Program
CBT
Colorado–Big Thompson project
CCE
construction cost estimate
CFR
comprehensive facility review
CII
Construction Industry Institute
COTR
contracting officer’s technical representative
CPORT
Commissioner’s Program and Organization Review Team
CVP
Central Valley Project
DEC
Design, Estimating, and Construction Office
DOE
Department of Energy
DOI
Department of the Interior
DSIS
Dam Safety Information System
DSO
Dam Safety Office
DWR
California Department of Water Resources
EIA
environmental impact assessment
ESA
Endangered Species Act
FAR
federal acquisition regulations
FFC
Federal Facilities Council
GSA
General Services Administration
IDIQ
indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity
IDP
individual development plan
KSAs
knowledge, skills, and abilities
M&I
municipal and industrial
MSCP
Multi-Species Conservation Program
NCWCD
Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NWRA
National Water Resources Association
O&M
operations and maintenance
OMB
Office of Management and Budget
OPP
Office of Procurement Policy
OPPS
Office of Program and Policy Services
PBSA
performance-based services acquisition
PCE
project cost estimate
PFR
periodic facility review
PMP
project management plan
PMT
project management team
PMTS
Policy Management and Technical Services
QA/QC
quality assurance and quality control
R&D
research and development
RAX
replacement, addition, and exceptional maintenance
RDCCT
Reclamation Design and Construction Coordination Team
Reclamation
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
SABER
simplified acquisition of basic engineering requirements
SEED
safety evaluation of existing dams
SES
Senior Executive Service
SOD
Safety of Dams (program)
SSLE
Security, Safety, and Law Enforcement
SWP
state water project