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WASHINGTON - Bureau of Reclamation Acting Commissioner Alan Mikkelsen announced that Reclamation has awarded $664,754 to seven entities to implement watershed management projects. The funding will be used for projects that enhance water conservation, improve water quality and ecological resilience, reduce water conflicts, and advance goals related to water quality and quantity.

"Cooperative watershed groups bring together diverse partners to address water management needs in their local communities," Mikkelsen said. "The projects announced today will help restore watersheds and reduce water conflicts that were collaboratively developed within their communities."

These are the first projects selected under Phase II of the Cooperative Watershed Management Program. Seven projects in five states were selected. They are:

• Animas Watershed Partnership will receive $83,137 for a total project cost of $167,169 to conduct stream restoration projects in the lower Animas River near Farmington, New Mexico. Others providing contributions to this project are the Ranchmans-Terrell Ditch Association, San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, Basin Hydrology Inc., and the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited.


• Boise River Enhancement Network will receive $100,000 for a total project cost of $398,845 will expose the lower 440 feet of Cottonwood Creek that flows through downtown Boise. The City of Boise, Land Trust of Treasure Valley, Trout Unlimited, Intermountain Bird Observatory and the Ada County Highway District are contributing to the non-federal cost share.


• Cienga Watershed Partnership will receive $92,632 for a total project cost of $185,632 to complete streambank and riparian restoration along Cienga Creek and its tributaries in Pima County, Arizona. The project is supported monetarily and in-kind by Pima County, the Cienga Watershed Partnership, and Bureau of Land Management.


• Eagle River Watershed Council, Inc., will receive $90,000 for a total project cost of $1,363,500 to improve instream flows in Abrams Creek, southwest of Eagle, Colorado. This project is being completed in conjunction with Trout Unlimited, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Buckhorn Valley Metropolitan District.


• Friends of Teton River will receive $99,987 for a total project cost of $222,447 to use a voluntary, incidental recharge program to stabilize the Teton Valley Aquifer and increase base flows downstream in the Teton River in Idaho. The project is supported by diverse groups, including the Teton Conservancy District, the City of Driggs, Teton County Farm Bureau, the City of Victor and the Teton Regional Land Trust.


• Gila Watershed Partnership will receive $99,000 for a total project cost of $199,000 to remove the invasive tamarisk and restore native vegetation on 100 acres of public and privately-owned riparian forest to improve riparian habitat, mitigate flood events, and improve water quality along the Upper Gila River in Graham County, Arizona.


• Truckee Watershed Council, Inc., will receive $99,998 for a total project cost of $274,998 to restore the section of Martis Creek that runs through the Martis Wildlife Area near Truckee, California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a partner on this project, as well as the Martis Fund.

A complete description of the projects and more information on the Cooperative Watershed Management Program is available at https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp.

WaterSMART is the U.S. Department of the Interior’s sustainable water initiative that uses the best available science to improve water conservation and help water resource managers identify strategies to narrow the gap between supply and demand. To learn more about WaterSMART, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.