Reducing Interior's Deferred Maintenance Backlog

In addition to the challenges the department faces in adequately maintaining the natural resources under its stewardship, it also faces a challenge in maintaining its facilities and infrastructure. The department owns, builds, purchases, and contracts services for assets such as visitor centers, schools, office buildings, roads, bridges, dams, irrigation systems, and reservoirs; however, repairs and maintenance on these facilities have not been adequately funded. The deterioration of these facilities and infrastructure can adversely affect the visitor experience and public health and safety, reduce employees’ morale and productivity, and increase the need for costly major repairs or early replacement of structures and equipment.

• Last year, the department spent $1.6 billion on annual maintenance and construction but had a $9.6 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects.

  Highlights of GAO-07-310 (PDF)

• While Interior has made progress addressing prior recommendations GAO made to improve information on the maintenance needs of Park Service facilities and BIA schools, the challenge of how the department will secure the significant funding needed to reduce this daunting backlog to a manageable level remains.

  Highlights of GAO-06-431 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-314 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-03-1177T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-03-992T (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

Many tribes, individual Indians, and non-Indians rely on irrigation projects managed by BIA to provide water for their agricultural endeavors. A number of these Indian irrigation projects are in a serious state of disrepair. To obtain information on the long-term financial sustainability of each of the projects, Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs should conduct studies to determine both

• how much it would cost to financially sustain each project, and
• the extent to which water users on each project have the ability to pay these costs.

This information will be useful to congressional decision makers and other interested parties in debating the long-term direction of BIA’s irrigation program.

Highlights of GAO-06-314 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

National Park Service

National Park Service

National Park Service

Indian Irrigation Projects

High Risk Series

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