Question

How did the National Reclamation Act affect the environment?

Private irrigation companies staked claims to sections of all riverbeds and redirected the water.

Prospectors began mining and farming in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and California.

Millions of acres of land were set aside for water preservation and for later public use.

Water management projects created huge reservoirs and lakes where there had been dry canyons.

Answer 1

The answer is: Water management projects created huge reservoirs and lakes where there had been dry canyons.

The National Reclamation Act of 1902 was a federal law that was passed in order for the federal government to start major irrigation projects in the West.

The result of these major projects was the creation of complex structures and systems(reservoirs and lakes) that would allow for the transformation of arid lands into farm capable lands.