Juan Ciscomani

04/24/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/24/2025 14:27

Ciscomani Marked Earth Day at Santa Cruz Watershed Collaboration

TUCSON, AZ - On Earth Day, U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani joined Audubon Southwest, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Business for Water Stewardship, and other key local water stakeholders while visiting a desert riparian area in Pima County.

Ciscomani, a consistent champion of the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP), a unique federal resource administered through the Bureau of Reclamation that provides critical funding to local stakeholders for the development, planning and design of watershed management programs, has worked to secure and increase critical federal funding for the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative's conservation projects.

"Water is our most precious resource, especially living here in the Sonoran Desert," said Ciscomani. "In Congress, water has been a top priority for me, and I have led in several areas to secure our region and our state's water security. Projects, like the ones the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative are working on to mitigate the effects of drought, are a prime example of the importance of supporting locally driven conservation efforts. I am proud to have fought for increased funding for the CWMP after several years of the program not receiving any increases."
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The Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative is funded by the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP), a grant program administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The CWMP is a unique federal resource that provides critical funding to local stakeholders for the development, planning, and design of watershed management programs.
Congressman Ciscomani advocated for an increase in the CWMP in the Appropriations Committee, which partially funds the Santa Cruz Watershed Collaborative. On April 10th, 2023, Ciscomani testified to the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee on the importance of the CWMP and the need to increase its funding. Prior to Ciscomani's advocacy, the program was flat-funded at $5 million, and since FY24, it has received $8 million in funding from the E&W subcommittee. 
Congressman Ciscomani is the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Colorado River Caucus with Rep Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) and was recently named the Vice-Chair of Conservative Climate Caucus.
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