The Federal Government became involved in hydropower production because of its commitment
to water resource management in the arid West. The waterfalls of the Reclamation dams make
them significant producers of electricity. Hydroelectric power generation has long been an
integral part of Reclamation=s operations while it is actually a byproduct of water development.
In the early days, newly created projects lacked many of the modern conveniences, one of these
being electrical power. This made it desirable to take advantage of the potential power source in
water.