The Department of Interior announced yesterday that $240.4 million in funding will be allocated to 46 projects in 11 states to repair water delivery systems. The program will be facilitated through the Bureau of Reclamation, and includes significant repairs on canal linings, dam spillways and water pipeline replacements.

The monies come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are for fiscal year 2022. Overall, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes one of the largest investments in drought resilience in American history, including $8.3 billion for water infrastructure programs and $1.4 billion for ecosystem restoration and resilience, dramatically expanding Reclamation’s ability to use existing program authorities to serve communities through infrastructure improvements that fundamentally impact their quality of life.

The projects selected for funding yesterday are found in all the major river basins and regions where Reclamation operates. Among the 46 projects selected for funding are large projects to conduct canal repairs in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming, dam spillway repairs in Kansas, pipeline repairs in Utah and investments in a pumping plant in Montana. Projects in Colorado, Oregon and Washington are also being funded. The 46 projects to be funded can be viewed here.

“The Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with states and local water districts receiving municipal water and irrigation water from federally-owned projects, is responsible for much of the water infrastructure in the West,” said Acting Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo. “These water systems work because of this federal to non-federal partnership, and this funding will help to complete necessary extraordinary maintenance keeping projects viable and partnerships strong.”

The initial application period for these funds was concluded on January 31, 2022. The second application period for extraordinary maintenance funding is planned for October 2022.

Image Source:

Colorado River Water Release, from Bureau of Reclamation Flickr