Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $514 Million to Ensure Clean, Reliable Drinking Water for Western Communities

WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior today announced a $514 million investment as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda that will bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West through five water storage and conveyance projects.

"President Biden's Investing in America agenda has allowed us to begin work on long overdue water storage projects, providing clean, reliable drinking water to families, farmers and Tribes throughout the West," said Secretary Deb Haaland. "The investments we're announcing today will continue to fund these important efforts, expediting essential water storage projects and providing increased water security to Western communities."

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced the funding during a visit to Colorado where the Arkansas Valley Conduit Project will receive $250 million. The project has previously received almost $340 million, which has funded three major contracts and the installation of nearly 10 miles of pipeline. Once completed, the project will replace current groundwater sources contaminated with radionuclides and help communities comply with drinking water standards. The project consists of more than 121 miles of pipeline to deliver up to 7,500 acre-feet of water per year from Pueblo Reservoir.

"We are proud to see the work underway because of President Biden's Investing in America agenda," Commissioner Touton said. "But there's much more work to be done and we are again investing in this important project to bring safe drinking water to an estimated 50,000 people in 39 rural communities along the Arkansas River."

This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding builds upon previous year allocations to fully announce all of the storage and conveyance funding provided by the law. President Biden's Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation's history and is providing much-needed resources to enhance Western communities' resilience to drought and climate change. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed three years ago, Reclamation has announced almost $5.3 billion for more than 670 projects.

The other projects receiving funding include:

California   

• B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project: $125 million for the enhancement of off-stream storage capability. The project is in addition to the B.F. Sisk Safety of Dams Modification Project and is in partnership with the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority. While the Safety of Dams Modification project continues, Reclamation continues to coordinate with project partners and other agencies, on environmental permitting and geotechnical investigations required for the technical design. Once completed, the project will develop approximately 130,000 acre-feet of additional storage of water that can be delivered to water contractors and wildlife refuges.  
• Sites Reservoir Project: $129 million for an off-stream storage project that will develop up to 1.5 million acre-feet of new water storage on the Sacramento River system located west of Maxwell, California. The reservoir will deliver multiple benefits including cold water for salmon by using new and existing facilities to move water in and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain. 

Idaho  

• Anderson Ranch Dam Raise Project: $7 million for the Anderson Ranch Dam Raise Project. The project, a partnership with the Idaho Water Resource Board, proposes to raise Anderson Ranch Dam in Idaho by 6 feet to add 29,000 acre-feet. The raise of Anderson Ranch Dam will allow Reclamation to store precipitation when available during wet years to supply supplemental water or hold over for use during dry years.

Washington  

• Cle Elum Pool Raise Project: $3 million to continue to increase the reservoir's capacity an additional 14,600 acre-feet to be managed for instream flows for fish. Reclamation, the Yakama Nation, and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife are partners on the project.