§ 1600 — Findings And Purposes

(a) The Congress finds that— (1) there are multiple purposes established by law for the dams and other control structures administered by the Secretary of the Interior on the Colorado River; (2) the maintenance of the Colorado River Floodway established in this chapter is essential to accomplish these multiple purposes; (3) developments within the Floodway are and will continue to be vulnerable to damaging flows such as the property damage which occurred in 1983 and may occur in the future; (4) certain Federal programs which subsidize or permit development within the Floodway threaten human life, health, property, and natural resources; and (5) there is a need for coordinated Federal, State, and local action to limit Floodway development. (b) The Congress declares that the purposes of this chapter are to— (1) establish the Colorado River Floodway, as designated and described further in this chapter, so as to provide benefits to river users and to minimize the loss of human life, protect health and safety, and minimize damage to property and natural resources by restricting future Federal expenditures and financial assistance, except public health funds, which have the effect of encouraging development within the Colorado River Floodway; and (2) establish a task force to advise the Secretary of the Interior and the Congress on establishment of the Floodway and on managing existing and future development within the Floodway, including the appropriateness of compensation in specified cases of extraordinary hardship.