Interior Department officials say the Biden administration will transfer $585 million to water projects in 11 Western states. It includes over $6 million for renovations and repairs to three Idaho water infrastructure locations.
The money will go to 83 projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington, as part of a bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021. Over a five-year period, the law allocated $8.3 billion for water infrastructure improvements.
Renovation Of Water Storage And Hydropower Plants
According to Interior Department officials, the Biden administration will transfer $585 million to water projects in 11 Western states. It includes more than $6 million for renovations and repairs to three Idaho water infrastructure locations.
The money will be utilized to refurbish water storage, treatment, and hydropower plants. The statement on Wednesday coincided with a visit by administration officials to the Imperial Dam, which spans the Colorado River on the Arizona-California border, and they paid special attention to the river system, which delivers water to 40 million people.
According to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, the projects were chosen by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation, which administers water supplies in Western states.
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Federal Water Infrastructure Funding
There are 27 projects in North Dakota and 24 in California on the list. No other state selected more than six projects.
California alone received more than half of the funding, with $307.8 million awarded to state initiatives. The state of North Dakota will receive $80.2 million. Colorado projects will earn the third-highest funding, totaling $68.3 million. The most expensive single project is a $66 million renovation of the Trinity River Hatchery in California.
A $56 million allocation was made to complete the “planning, design, and subsequent construction” of a water treatment facility and chemical storage building at the Leadville, Colorado, mining drainage tunnel.
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