Competition or cooperation : the question of federal-state interaction and the rise of the Lower Colorado River Authority, 1933-1939

Abstract

During the New Deal a number of large water projects were either begun or given new life. One such creature was the Lower Colorado River Authority of Texas. After numerous attempts between 1900 and 1933 to harness and develop the Colorado River, Texas with help from the federal government implemented a multipurpose river development concept during the mid 1930's. The LCRA both benefited from other regional projects, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as contributing ideas for others. The rise of the LCRA provides an excellent study of both the conflict and cooperation between state and federal government. This interaction raised a number of questions on such issues as the role of federal authority over navigable rivers, the extent to which states right advocates could usurp federal jurisdiction and the resolution of public interest versus private hydropower initiative. Greater federal involvement raised numerous questions of control over such federal-state projects. The federal-state partnership during the 1930's was one of mutual necessity. However, this was not without political ramifications at both the state and national level. Expert advice and adequate funding were the two keys to success or failure for large endeavors such as dams, canals, hydroelectric and harbor projects. The LCRA project is no exception. The magnitude of dam projects was one factor that brought New Deal federal funding closer in harmony with states rights advocates of local projects. Furthermore, the LCRA demonstrated that federal-state cooperation could work for both regional recovery and the accomplishment of a major engineering project. Finally, the development of the Lower Colorado River, by the late 1930's fit neatly into the broader national concept of the New Deal. Key Texas advocates of the LCRA and multipurpose development such as James Buchanan, Alvin Wirtz and Lyndon Johnson, obtained prominent federal policy and leadership positions. Thus the objective of this project is to outline the roots of the federal-state interaction during the New Deal to develop a multipurpose river project from the perspective of Texas' experience with the creation of the Lower Colorado River Authority.