A bill to amend the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956, as amended.
PL 94-181 (H.R.6874), enacted 12/27/1975

PUBLIC LAW 94-181—DEC. 27, 1975 
89 STAT. 1049 
Public Law 94-181 
94th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956, as amended. 
Be it enacted hy the Seriate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States 
of America 
in Congress 
assembled, 
That, the Small 
Eeclamation Projects Act of 1956 (70 Stat. 1044) as amended, is 
further amended as follows: 
(a) Subsection 2(d) of the Act, as amended, is further amended 
to read as follows: 
"(d) The term 'project' shall mean (i) any complete irrigation 
project, or (ii) any multiple-purpose water resource project that is 
authorized or is eligible for authorization under the Federal reclama-
tion laws, or (iii) any distinct unit of a project described in clause 
(i) and (ii) or (iv) any project for the drainage of irrigated lands, 
without regard to whether such lands are irrigated with water supplies 
developed pursuant to the Federal reclamation laws, or (v) any 
project for the rehabilitation and betterment of a project or distinct 
unit described in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) : Provided, 
That 
the estimated total cost of the project described in clause (i), (ii), 
(iii), (iv), or (v) does not exceed the maximum allowable estimated 
total project cost as determined by subsection (f) hereof: 
Provided 
further, 
That a project described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) may 
consist of existing facilities as distinct from newly constructed facili-
ties, and funds made available pursuant to this Act may be utilized 
to acquire such facilities subject to a determination by the Secretary 
that such facilities meet standards of design and construction which 
he shall promulgate and that the cost of such existing facilities repre-
sent less than fifty per centum of the cost of the project. JSTothing 
contained in this Act shall preclude the making of more than one loan 
or grant, or combined loan and grant, to an organization so long as no 
two such loans or grants, or combinations thereof, are for the same 
project, as herein defined.". 
(b) Section 2, as amended, is further amended by adding a new 
subsection (f) as follows: 
"(f) The maximum allowable estimated total project cost of a pro-
posal submitted during any given calendar year shall be determined 
by the Secretary using the Bureau of Reclamation composite con-
struction cost index for January of that year with $15,000,000 as the 
January 1971 base.". 
(c) Section 4, as amended, is further amended by adding a new 
subsection (d) as follows: 
"(d) At the time of his submitting the project proposal to the Con-
gress, or at any subsequent time prior to completion of construction 
of the project, including projects heretofore approved, the Secretary 
may increase the amount of the requested loan and/or grant to an 
amount within the maximum allowed by subsection (a) of section 5 
of the Act as herein amended, to compensate for increases in construc-
tion costs due to price escalation.". 
Dec. 27. 1975 
[H.R. 6874] 
Small 
Reclamation 
Projects Act of 
1956, 
amendments. 
43 use 4221i. 
"Project." 
43 use 422b. 
Project cost, 
maximum 
amount. 
Project proposal, 
submittal to 
eongress. 
43 use 422d. 
43 use 422e. 
89 STAT. 1050 
PUBLIC LAW 94-181—DEC. 27, 1975 
43 use 422d. 
(d) Section 4, as amended, is further amended by changing sub-
section (d) to subsection (e) and by changing the reference m the 
last sentence of the renumoered subsection from (d) to (e). 
(e) Section 4, as amended, is further amended by changing sub-
section (e) to subsection (f). 
43 USC422e. 
(f) Subsection 5(a), as amended, is further amended by deleting 
"$10,000,000 or" and iaserting in lieu thereof the following: "two-
thirds of the maximum allowable estimated total project cost as 
43 use 422b. 
determined by subsection (f) of section 2, or". 
43 use 422j. 
(g) Section 10, as amended, is further amended by deleting 
"$300,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof 
the amount of 
"$400,000,000". 
Approved December 27, 1975. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 94-505 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 94-544 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 121 (1975): 
Oct. 6, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 16, considered and passed Senate.