• Support for endangered species: Funds target programs working to conserve and recover endangered fish in the Colorado River Basin.
• Focus on habitat restoration: Projects aim to improve fish passage, reduce non-native species, and enhance fish-rearing facilities.
• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law impact: Investment represents ongoing commitment to water infrastructure revitalization.

May 6, 2024 — Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced a  $21 million investment supporting endangered species recovery within the Colorado River Basin. This funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, directly addresses conservation programs crucial to protecting vulnerable fish populations.

Specifically, the investment powers crucial projects within the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program, and the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. These initiatives, with their positive impact on restoring native fish populations and their habitats, while delicately balancing responsible water use, bring hope for a healthier environment.

Selected projects span several states and address diverse challenges. Highlights include:

• Preventing predatory fish movement in Colorado.
• Upgrading hatchery facilities in Utah and Colorado.
• Restoring critical floodplain habitats in Utah.
• Improving fish passage across a diversion weir in New Mexico.
• Building native fish rearing ponds in Arizona/California.
• Studying fish entrainment in Arizona.

This investment underscores the continued implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law allocates billions of dollars to address aging water infrastructure nationwide, ensuring a safe and sustainable water future for communities and ecosystems alike.

Image Source and Credit:

“Biologists weighing, measuring and tagging endangered fish pulled from the decades-old Old Charley water control structure, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Utah,” Reclamation news release photo.