losses against environmentalists, tarnishing his and the Bureau’s reputation, ultimately resulting in his dismissal.

Daniel Dreyfus

Known as the "house intellectual" of the Bureau of Reclamation, Dreyfus was involved in efforts to enhance the Bureau’s reputation through compromise, an approach Dominy rejected. Dreyfus left the agency disillusioned with Dominy's leadership.

Fred Eaton

Eaton hailed from a family that established Pasadena and was a Los Angeles native. He started his career in water management as superintendent of the city's Water Company. Recognizing the city's growing water shortage, he advised his successor, William Mulholland, to focus on the Owens River before embarking on a political career. Eaton eventually became the mayor of Los Angeles and, after retirement, assisted Mulholland in constructing the aqueduct.

Dwight Eisenhower

Like many other presidents, Eisenhower attempted to halt some projects promoted by the Bureau and the Corps with his "no new starts" policy, but was unsuccessful. Congress forced him to dismiss then-Commissioner Wilbur Dexheimer to make way for Floyd Dominy. Despite his conservative beliefs, Eisenhower had to support the Colorado River Storage Project.

Carl Hayden

An Arizona senator with near-absolute control over the Bureau’s authorizing committees, Hayden wielded substantial power on the Appropriations Committee to secure water deals for his state. He was part of a group of Western legislators who dominated Congress and successfully advocated for more dams. Eisenhower often had to endorse policies he opposed because Hayden was Dominy’s mentor.

Harold Ickes

A former journalist, Ickes led the Interior Department and the Public Works Administration during FDR’s presidency. He appointed Mike Strauss as the new Bureau Commissioner. Under Ickes, the Bureau expanded into a large bureaucracy and constructed several major dams. He also engaged in the growing rivalry between the Bureau and the Corps in the late 1930s, fighting numerous bureaucratic battles with Congress.

Lyndon B. Johnson

Johnson was among the politicians who achieved political power by supporting projects like the Marshall Ford Dam, for which he helped secure funding. When he became president, he faced the challenge of balancing the federal budget between the Vietnam War efforts and antipoverty initiatives. Johnson attempted to offload water projects that both the Bureau and the Corps were competing for, but he was unsuccessful. Ultimately, he signed the Colorado River Basin Project Act into law, marking it as "the most expensive single authorization in history."

Clarence J. Kuiper

As a young engineer, Kuiper was recruited from the Corps to work under Mike Strauss in the Bureau, where he witnessed the end of the agency's era of significant projects. He participated in the Klamath Diversion plan, one of the last major projects, which ultimately did not succeed. During the 1970s, while serving as the Colorado state engineer, Kuiper became involved with the Narrows Project. This was the only water project he publicly opposed due to its potential disastrous impact.

Joseph B. Lippincott

Lippincott, a young engineer disappointed by his inability to join John Wesley Powell’s Irrigation Survey due to funding issues, established a successful consulting engineering firm in Los Angeles. When the Reclamation Service was founded in 1902, he was appointed as the California district engineer, though he continued his private business. Through strategic maneuvers, such as hiring Fred Eaton as his chief engineer, Lippincott facilitated Los Angeles in acquiring the aqueduct for Owens River water.

William Mulholland

Mulholland, originally an Irish sailor, mercenary, and entrepreneur, moved to Los Angeles and chose to pursue engineering after working with a well-drilling team. He quickly rose through the ranks at the Los Angeles City Water Company and developed a close friendship with Fred Eaton. As the city's water shortage became evident, Mulholland advocated for soil and forest conservation. However, with rapid population growth, he realized the Owens River was the city's sole solution. Together with Eaton, he visited the Owens Valley, and the city soon acquired enough land there for the aqueduct. Despite potential speculation, the Bureau attempted to protect its reputation, but city officials consistently managed to endorse their project, even resorting to illegal methods.

Driven, unyielding, and cunning, Mulholland rose to be one of Los Angeles's most influential figures. He played a key role in establishing the city's water system. However, over three decades marked by corruption and political strife, he transformed into a relentless developer, intent on constructing a dam in Yosemite Valley to "stop the g—dd—d waste." He became notoriously tough on anyone who opposed his agency. By then, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was deeply corrupt, employing "secret agents, breaking into private records, and turning neighbors into mortal foes" to achieve its objectives and complete its projects. As an engineer, Mulholland was known for his recklessness and arrogance. In 1928, the Saint Francis Dam, which was built under his supervision, catastrophically failed, obliterating everything in the San Francisquito Canyon. It resulted in approximately 450 deaths, destroyed 1,200 homes, stripped topsoil from 8,000 acres of farmland, and ended Mulholland's career.

Frederick Newell

Newell served as the first Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. He backed the Owens Valley project, seeking a guaranteed success.

Richard Nixon

Nixon was largely indifferent to water projects, with his primary focus being foreign affairs. In an attempt to leverage the budget process for his interests, he imposed certain environmental restrictions on the Bureau. Additionally, he conducted an investigation into the administration's top officials. Upon receiving an extensive file on then-Commissioner Floyd Dominy, Nixon promptly dismissed him. However, he was forced to address some projects: when Mexico threatened to take the United States to the World Court at The Hague over receiving insufficient amounts of salty water from the Colorado River, Nixon had to negotiate a salinity-control treaty to settle the matter.

General Harrison Gray Otis

Seeking an easy job, Otis arrived in California and found power, wealth, and fame as a participant in one of the largest land development scams in U.S. history. He admired hustlers and adventurers and decided to start anew in the then-small town of Los Angeles. There, he became a partner in the Times and Mirror newspaper and soon became the sole owner. By controlling circulation routes, he befriended Harry Chandler.

An ardent opponent of socialism and the Democratic Party, Otis engaged in highly articulate battles with his adversaries. Since William Mulholland and Fred Eaton wanted to keep the Owens Valley plan secret until they finalized the legalities, Los Angeles newspapers were under a self-imposed gag order. Nevertheless, Otis couldn't resist and published the unauthorized story, leading to protests and difficulties for everyone involved. He supported the project with all his might, and for the first time, his opponents were aligned because everyone in Los Angeles wanted more water. Like the others involved from the beginning, Otis became incredibly wealthy.

Major John Wesley Powell

Major John Wesley Powell, a scientist who embarked on an exploratory expedition into the American West in 1869, is often described as a Renaissance man. Growing up on the western frontier, he received what he called a "vagabond's education" and developed a deep appreciation for nature. During this time, he gained substantial knowledge in Greek, Latin, botany, and philosophy. Powell achieved the rank of major during the Civil War, where he lost an arm. After the war, he played a role in establishing the Illinois Museum of Natural History.

During his expedition, Powell meticulously documented everything he encountered. Despite facing a mutiny from some crew members, the journey was successful. Upon his return, he spoke of the land's stunning beauty and its harsh yet promising nature. However, by 1876, Powell grew concerned that government policies regarding Western settlement were leading to monopolies, deceit, and corruption. That same year, he published A Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States, with a More Detailed Account of the Lands of Utah, highlighting water-related issues in the West that remain relevant today. He proposed a groundbreaking settlement plan, which Congress largely ignored due to their desire for expansion. The calamities he foresaw have since come to pass and continue to trouble the West.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan, known for his conservative stance, delayed the Dos Rios Dam for four years during his tenure as governor. As president, he threatened to veto numerous projects. However, being a westerner, members of Congress from the West anticipated his support for their water development initiatives. Ultimately, he engaged in bureaucratic compromises.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

During his presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt was among the most popular figures in American history and wielded significant influence over Congress. Aspiring to be remembered as both a great conservationist and developer, FDR supported large-scale water projects. Following the Dust Bowl, he had the Bureau take control of the Central Valley Project and various dams, including Shasta, Friant, and those on the Columbia River. He expanded the Bureau into a massive bureaucratic entity, outsourcing dam construction to engineering firms that profited greatly. Additionally, the role of the commissioner evolved; FDR sought a political strategist and effective spokesperson to advocate for Reclamation projects, a role filled by Mike Strauss. FDR played a pivotal role in initiating a "forty-year binge" of federal dam-building programs.

Theodore Roosevelt

As a utilitarian conservationist and a "bugaboo of monopolists," Theodore Roosevelt respected John Wesley Powell's insights on the West but aimed to maximize the efficiency of natural resources. He reformed the Reclamation Act, though challenges related to politics and funding persisted. Roosevelt opposed the aqueduct that would supply Los Angeles with water from the Owens River, approving it only for irrigation purposes.

Michael Strauss

Serving as a Bureau Commissioner under Franklin D. Roosevelt and previously a newspaper man with significant wealth and social ties, Strauss was an effective salesman who convinced numerous Congress members to support reclamation projects. Over his eight-year tenure leading the Bureau, he became "responsible for as many water projects as any person who ever lived."

Stewart Udall

As the Interior Secretary during the Kennedy-Johnson administration, Udall dedicated his political career to "reconciling his conflicting views on preservation and development." This often led him to negotiate extensively on water projects, resulting in a notably tense relationship with Floyd Dominy.

William Warne

As California's director of water resources, Warne was intricately involved in the contentious Central Valley Project. He "played both ends against the middle," securing inexpensive water for California through various deceitful tactics and legal manipulations.

The Watterson Brothers

Wilfred and Mark Watterson, bankers in Owens Valley, were the fiercest adversaries of Los Angeles' plan to divert their water. They even took part in sabotaging a section of the aqueduct. Ultimately, they were imprisoned for embezzlement and fraud after their opponents investigated their bank, discovering they had used bank funds to challenge the water takeover.