This week, the U.S. Department of the Interior revealed that it has given $849 million to 11 Western states, including Idaho, for water infrastructure projects that will be repaired and improved.
$12.5 million of the financing will be used to install a geocomposite membrane and steel-reinforced concrete caps along six miles of the New York Canal across the Boise Bench’s commercial and urban district.
In addition, the financing includes $118.3 million for 14 projects in the Colorado River Basin, where state negotiators and federal officials are deliberating important choices over the river’s future management before the present operating parameters expire in 2026.
The money comes from the Aging Infrastructure Account of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which was boosted by $3 billion by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Existing hydropower generation, treatment facilities, and water storage infrastructure are all repaired and upgraded by the initiative.
Laura Daniel-Davis, the acting deputy secretary for the Interior Department, said in a statement that President Biden’s Investing in America initiative offers transformative resources to protect clean, dependable water for families, farmers, and Tribes. These improvements in our aging water infrastructure will rejuvenate water distribution systems and conserve community water supplies as we seek to confront unprecedented drought and changing climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin and across the West.
The Colorado River irrigates 15% of the agricultural area in the United States and delivers water to over 40 million people in the Southwest. Since 2000, a climate change-driven megadrought—the worst dry spell to hit the region in at least 1,200 years—has impacted the basin, significantly reducing flows below the historical averages that serve as the basis for state-by-state water allocations under the century-old Colorado River Compact.
The Bureau of Reclamation adopted a set of temporary standards in 2007 to manage the basin’s water in the face of ongoing shortages, but these will run out in 2026. The agency last month produced a set of five alternative suggestions that would be examined and may serve as the foundation for a post-2026 strategy, citing ongoing discussions and collaborations with all Basin stakeholders. However, the incoming Trump administration will now be responsible for completing new guidelines.
The Biden administration this week announced $34 million for a number of projects related to the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison County, Colorado, including a $32 million award for the repair and renovation of the small hydropower plant’s equipment at the Blue Mesa Dam. Additional Colorado projects include $3 million in safety modifications for the Upper Molina Power Plant, a small hydroelectric unit near Grand Mesa; $4.6 million for infrastructure connected to Turquoise Lake; and $20 million for improvements to the Mt. Elbert Forebay reservoir near Twin Lakes.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, said in a statement that our water is too valuable to spend even a drop on antiquated infrastructure designed to transport and conserve our water supply. That is being fixed by our (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). These improvements will increase our drought resistance and help conserve water.
Other Western states’ funded projects 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
- Two awards totaling $28.3 million to replace and refurbish equipment in the hydropower station within the Glen Canyon Dam, which forms Lake Powell in northern Arizona
- 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
The Bureau of Reclamation website has a complete list of the 77 recently funded projects.
According to Roque Sanchez, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, “Reclamation is dedicated to using these historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize our infrastructure for continued reliability and sustainability for the next generation.” In addition to providing electricity and offering recreational possibilities to communities across the Basin, these facilities are vital to the West because they supply water for families, farms, and Tribal settlements.
Christina Lords, editor-in-chief of the Idaho Capital Sun, contributed to this article.
Like the Idaho Capital Sun, Colorado Newsline is a member of States Newsroom, a 501c(3) public charity news network backed by grants and a coalition of donors. The editorial independence of Colorado Newsline is upheld. For inquiries, reach out to Editor Quentin Young at [email protected]. Keep up with Colorado Newsline on X and Facebook.
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