Projects in Colorado and New Mexico total over $42 million
SALT LAKE CITY- The Department of the Interior recently announced a nearly $585 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for infrastructure repairs on water delivery systems. Funds will support 83 projects across all five Reclamation regions, including eight projects in the Upper Colorado Basin Region.
“These projects have been identified through a rigorous process and is a testament to the Bureau of Reclamation’s commitment to deliver water to future generations,” said Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “As we manage through changing climate, we must look to the safety of our projects to ensure that we can continue to provide clean, reliable water to communities, irrigators, and ecosystems across the west.”
The projects selected for funding are found in all the major river basins and regions where the Bureau of Reclamation operates. Among the 83 projects selected for funding are projects to increase canal capacity, provide water treatment for Tribes, replace equipment for hydropower production and provide necessary maintenance to aging project buildings.
The projects in the UCBR were selected throughout Colorado and New Mexico, totaling over $42 million in BIL funds this year, and include: in the Animas-La Plata Project, work to replace a section of the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline that was destroyed by a land slide; on the Middle Rio Grande Project, work on El Vado Dam and Reservoir to repair damaged concrete and work on the Rio Grande Channelization/Lower San Acacia Reach improvements; and on the Rio Grande Project, work to upgrade the Caballo Dam and Reservoir’s Bonita Lateral, and significant improvements on the Elephant Butte Historic District Dam Site Recreation Area roads, parking lots, restaurant, and utilities.
“These aging infrastructure funds will help us make necessary improvements to many of our facilities,” said Albuquerque Area Manager Jennifer Faler. “Along with work critical to our operations, the improvements will also help local communities. For example, the work planned at the Elephant Butte Historic District in New Mexico will be a great boost to local recreation and tourism.”
Reclamation initiated the second application process for funding from the Aging Infrastructure Account in October 2022 and it concluded in January. The next application period for extraordinary maintenance funds is expected in October 2023.
Detailed information on Reclamation programs and funding provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is available at https://www.usbr.gov/bil/.
