Western US Receives $585 Million to Bolster Water Infrastructure

The Department of the Interior announced on April 6th that $585 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be allocated towards water infrastructure repairs in the western United States.

The funds will be utilized for 83 projects across11 states aimed to ‘improve water conveyance and storage, increase safety, improve hydro power generation, and provide water treatment.’

This investment is a part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide clean, reliable water to families, farmers, and tribes. As we address record drought and changing climate, these investments in aging water infrastructure will conserve community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems, according to Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Tommy Beaudreau.

Projects will focus on increasing canal capacity, providing water treatment for tribal nations, replacing hydropower production equipment, and performing maintenance on aging infrastructure.

Every major river basin and region under the Bureau of Reclamation’s purview will benefit from the funding, including projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington.

According to the Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner, Camille Calimlim Touton, “As we manage through changing climate, we must look to the safety of our projects to ensure that we can continue to provide clean, reliable water to communities, irrigators, and ecosystems across the west.”

Infrastructure Package

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, passed in 2021, included $8.3 billion over a period of five years for Bureau of Reclamation projects.

President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) held a joint press conference in support of the infrastructure law, praising the bipartisan efforts that successfully passed it. “We can work together. We can get things done. We can move the nation forward if we just drop a little bit of our egos and focus on what is needed in the country,” Biden said at the time.

McConnell, in agreement with Biden, said he was “proud” of his vote for the bill.