For irrigation districts, contractors, and water users, water infrastructure projects often depend as much on process and coordination as on engineering and funding. When schedules extend, costs and delivery risk can increase, and communities may face added uncertainty for operations and long-term planning. Secretarial Order (SO) 3446 is a recent policy direction affecting the Bureau of Reclamation. It cuts red tape and streamlines certain administrative processes. It supports more efficient project delivery while maintaining appropriate oversight.

What is Secretarial Order 3446?

SO 3446 directs the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce unnecessary administrative burden, lower consumer costs, and accelerate delivery of Reclamation construction projects. Practically, the order signals an emphasis on streamlining how projects are managed. It does this by, where appropriate, leveraging qualified local partners—while maintaining federal roles and responsibilities.

How implementation could change project delivery

The Bureau of Reclamation has already signaled that implementation will focus on practical steps to move work faster, especially in a period of real staffing constraints. According to the Bureau’s SO 3446 implementation information (Bureau of Reclamation SO 3446), the intent is to reduce duplication, streamline review and procurement where appropriate, and expand local responsibility for capable partners. The result should be fewer process-driven delays and more on-the-ground momentum for needed water infrastructure.

For irrigation district managers, contractors, and water users, the most relevant questions are likely to be practical:

• whether project decision points become clearer,
• whether procurement and reviews are more predictable, and
• whether there are well-defined opportunities for local entities to take on discrete tasks (e.g., design support, contracting support, construction management elements) with Bureau of Reclamation coordination.

As implementation evolves, documenting current bottlenecks and identifying realistic handoffs can help stakeholders assess potential schedule, cost, and constructability impacts.

Why local partners should lean in now

Over the past year, the Family Farm Alliance and the National Water Resources Association have worked with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior to advance a more efficient, less bureaucratic approach to project delivery. That effort is now taking shape in a way that can directly benefit irrigation districts, contractors, and water users across the West, especially where local capacity already exists to manage pieces of work more efficiently with federal coordination.

A simple step that can make a real difference

Practical next step: Consider reaching out to your local Bureau of Reclamation area or field office in the next few weeks. Ask how SO 3446 implementation is being approached locally. Ask whether there are near-term opportunities to improve coordination on priority projects. The aim can be an initial, informational conversation—not a formal proposal—to better understand expectations, constraints, and potential roles.

• Where can timelines be shortened without reducing quality or oversight?
• Which review steps are creating delay due to process rather than substance?
• Are there functions your district is already equipped to handle locally (with federal coordination)?
• Which projects have been slowed by staffing bottlenecks or duplicative approvals?
• What would “success” look like over the next 6–12 months with fewer handoffs, faster procurement, clearer decision points?

To support your outreach, a short one-page guide is available here: one-page outreach guide.

Close the loop: share what you’re hearing

As you engage locally, report back to the Alliance and NWRA with what you’re seeing: opportunities, challenges, and feedback from local offices. That information helps keep national-level implementation grounded in field realities. It helps identify barriers that can be addressed quickly.

Key takeaway: SO 3446 is intended to support more efficient delivery of Bureau of Reclamation construction projects, and its practical effects will largely be determined at the field level. Irrigation districts, contractors, and water users may benefit from tracking how implementation affects schedules, review steps, contracting approaches, and local roles on specific projects. If you have active or planned Bureau of Reclamation-related work, an early check-in with your area office can help clarify what changes (if any) may be relevant to near-term planning and delivery.

References

• SO 3446 – Cutting Red Tape and Reducing Consumer Costs at Reclamation Construction Projects
• Bureau of Reclamation: SO 3446