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$849 million for Western water projects announced by Biden administration • Arizona Mirror [1]

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Date: 2024-12

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced this week that it has awarded a total of $849 million to repair and improve water infrastructure projects across 11 Western states.

The funding includes $118.3 million for 14 projects located in the Colorado River Basin, where federal officials and state negotiators are weighing high-stakes decisions about the future management of the river ahead of the 2026 expiration of current operating guidelines.

The funding comes from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Aging Infrastructure Account, which received a $3 billion boost from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program funds repairs and upgrades to existing water storage infrastructure, hydropower generation and treatment plants.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda provides transformational resources to safeguard clean, reliable water for families, farmers and Tribes,” Laura Daniel-Davis, the Interior Department’s acting deputy secretary, said in a statement. “As we work to address record drought and changing climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the West, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will conserve community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems.”

The Colorado River provides water supplies to more than 40 million people across the Southwest, and irrigates about 15% of U.S. agricultural land. A climate change-fueled megadrought — the region’s worst dry spell in at least 1,200 years — has affected the basin since 2000, substantially decreasing flows below the historical averages on which the century-old Colorado River Compact’s state-by-state water allocations are based.

A series of interim guidelines for managing the basin’s water amid continuing shortages were enacted by the Bureau of Reclamation in 2007, but they will expire in 2026. Citing “ongoing conversations and collaborations with all Basin stakeholders,” the agency last month released a set five alternative proposals that will be analyzed and could form the basis of a post-2026 plan — but finalizing new guidelines will now fall to the incoming Trump administration.

The funding announced by the Biden administration this week includes nearly $41 million for several projects relating to the Glen Canyon Dam and power plant, as well as critical maintenance for Yuma’s water system.

Arizona’s aging infrastructure projects Glen Canyon Station Service Equipment Replacement ($20.2 million) — Funding is provided to complete a planning study, and then for final design and

implementation once planning activities are completed to replace the station service transformers and switchgears.

implementation once planning activities are completed to replace the station service transformers and switchgears. Glen Canyon Power Plant Cranes Replacement ($8.1 million) — Funding is provided to refurbish the Glen Canyon Powerplant and Dam Cranes to include the replacement of motors, drives, gearboxes, seals, brakes bearings, electrical distribution, ropes, controls and displays as needed to meet current OSHA and ASME code requirements. The funding will complete design activities, and subsequently for implementation.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Pipe Replacement ($6.5 million) — Funding is provided to replace all or part of aging and failed Yuma County Water Users Drainage System HDPE Advanced Drainage System (ADS) pipe that was installed during the expansion of Highway 95 in the Yuma area (mid-1990s). The pipe has failed, resulting in leaks which often reach the surface and require unplanned outages of the system to make expedient repairs. The funding will enable implementation.

Yuma Area Office Utilities Replacement ($3.6 million) — Funding is provided to design and replace required portions of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure at the Yuma Area Office. The funding will enable design activities and implementation.

Glen Canyon Fire Alarm Systems Modernization ($2.6 million) — Funding is provided to replace the fire alarm system at the Glen Canyon Powerplant and

Visitor Center with a system that meets all fire and life safety codes. The funding will enable implementation.

“I’m fighting to ensure Arizona has the resources needed to secure our water and energy future for the foreseeable future,” said U.S. Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego, a Democratic congressman from Phoenix who was elected last month to the U.S. Senate. “Today, I’m proud to announce millions in funding I helped secure to repair leaking pipes, upgrade aging utilities, and improve safety at the Glen Canyon Powerplant.”

Projects in other Western states awarded funding include:

$204 million for correcting subsidence impacts caused by the Delta–Mendota Canal in California’s Central Valley

$143 million for reconfiguring water infrastructure in the San Acacia Reach, a 60-mile stretch of the Rio Grande downstream from the San Acacia Diversion Dam south of Albuquerque, New Mexico

Three awards totaling over $27 million for the replacement of water mains and other infrastructure on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in northern North Dakota

$37.2 million to replace the St. Mary and Halls Coulee siphons in northern Montana, critical canal infrastructure that suffered a catastrophic failure earlier this year

A full list of the 77 newly funded projects is available on the Bureau of Reclamation’s website.

“Reclamation is committed to utilizing these historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize our infrastructure for continued reliability and sustainability for the next generation,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Roque Sánchez. “These facilities are essential to the West as they provide water for families, farms and Tribal communities, while … also producing hydropower and recreation opportunities for communities throughout the Basin.”

Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: [email protected]. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and X.

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[1] Url: https://azmirror.com/briefs/849-million-for-western-water-projects-announced-by-biden-administration/

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