- Five projects in California and Utah receive federal funding.
- New program aims to enhance drought resilience through water recycling.
- Investments are part of President Biden’s climate resilience agenda.
November 19, 2024 — To combat drought and enhance water security in the Western United States, the Department of the Interior announced yesterday a $125 million investment for five large-scale water recycling projects in California and Utah. The funding comes from the Department’s new Large-Scale Water Recycling Program, launched in 2023 with resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Transforming Unusable Water into Reliable Supplies.
“The President’s Investing in America agenda is making transformational investments in climate resilience in communities across America,” said Secretary Deb Haaland.
“Through the Large-Scale Water Recycling program, the Department is ensuring that communities in the West have the resources they need to safeguard water supplies and ensure this precious resource is available for generations to come.”
The program incentivizes conservation projects without a cap on size, aiming to help communities develop local, drought-resistant water supplies by converting unusable water sources into clean, reliable ones. “This effort to diversify our tools by taking previously unusable water sources and turning them into new supplies will be instrumental in managing through drought,” added Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton.
Details of the Funded Projects.
The five projects selected for funding are:
- City of San Buenaventura’s Ventura Water Program in California: Receiving $60.4 million, this project is estimated to produce 3,600 acre-feet of recycled water annually.
- Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project: Allocated $30 million, with an estimated annual production of 26,000 acre-feet.
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Pure Water Southern California: Granted $26.2 million to produce approximately 118,590 acre-feet annually.
- Inland Empire Utilities Agency’s Advanced Treatment of Recycled Water to Enhance Chino Basin Resiliency Project: Receiving $10.8 million, expected to yield 15,000 acre-feet annually.
- Washington County Water Conservancy District’s Regional Reuse System in Utah: Allocated $641,222, with an estimated annual production of 28,373 acre-feet.
A Broader Commitment to Climate Resilience.
These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, representing the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years in water infrastructure projects, including water storage, conservation, and purification initiatives.
Since the law was enacted in November 2021, the Bureau has announced more than $3.5 billion for over 530 projects. This funding also supports the President’s Justice40 Initiative, aiming to ensure that 40% of the benefits from federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
“These historic investments are allowing these communities to build and expand infrastructure to recycle large amounts of water to meet growing needs,” Commissioner Touton emphasized.
The new funding builds upon a previous announcement of $179 million in May, reinforcing the federal government’s commitment to enhancing drought resilience and water security in the West.
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Image:
February shot of downtown Los Angeles sunset
with Mount Baldy in the background after a large snow storm. February, 2019 by Alek Leckszas. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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