Budget continues Reclamation’s efforts to enhance water and hydropower reliability across the West.
Part of California's Central Valley water supply, February storms brought much needed precipitation and helped fill our reservoirs. The spillway at Shasta Dam opened 10 of the 18 valves to help manage reservoir storage.
WASHINGTON - President Biden today proposed a $1.6 billion gross discretionary fiscal year 2025 budget for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. The budget builds on recent accomplishments and supports the Administration’s goals of ensuring reliable and environmentally responsible delivery of water and power for farms, families, communities and industry, while providing tools to confront widening imbalances between supply and demand throughout the West.
"The President's budget proposal supports Reclamation's critical work delivering water and generating power in the West in the face of a historic drought and a changing climate," said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. "Reclamation will also be able to continue its collaboration with its many partners, stakeholders and Tribes as we all work for sustainable water and power solutions into the future."
The proposed FY 2025 budget includes $1.4 billion for Reclamation’s principal operating account (Water and Related Resources), which funds planning, construction, water conservation, drought resiliency and mitigation, efforts to address fish and wildlife habitat needs, as well as operation, maintenance and rehabilitation activities—including dam safety—at Reclamation facilities. Funding of $33 million is requested to implement the California Bay-Delta Program and address California’s current water supply and ecological challenges, while $55.7 million is for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund to protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats in California’s Central Valley and Trinity River Basins. The request also provides $66.8 million for the Policy and Administration account to develop, evaluate, and directly implement Reclamation-wide policy, rules and regulation as well as other administrative functions.
Reclamation’s dams and reservoirs, water conveyance systems, and power generating facilities continue to represent a primary focus area of organizational operations. The budget includes $210.2 million for the Dam Safety Program to effectively manage risks to the downstream public, of which $182.6 million is for modification actions. Another focus area for infrastructure is $74.8 million requested for extraordinary maintenance activities across Reclamation—part of a strategy to improve asset management and deal with aging infrastructure to ensure continued reliable delivery of water and power.
In addition to the request, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58), enacted in November 2021, appropriated $8.3 billion into Water and Related Resources in $1.66 billion annual appropriations from FY 2022 – FY 2026 under Title IX, Western Water Infrastructure. Of this amount more than $670 million is planned to further supplement the extraordinary maintenance request in FY 2025.
Section 70101 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also established the Indian Water Rights Settlements Completion Fund, making $2.5 billion available to the Secretary of the Interior for Tribal settlement implementation to be allocated to Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The FY 2025 discretionary request includes $181 million for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, while remaining capital expenses of Reclamation’s responsibilities for settlement implementation will be financed from the Completion Fund and the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund. The FY 2025 budget request also proposes legislation to provide an additional $2.8 billion for settlement implementation--$340 million ($34 million annually over ten years) for Reclamation’s ongoing requirements for specific settlements, and $2.5 billion ($250 million annually over ten years) available to BIA and Reclamation for existing and future settlement needs.
The budget supports many of the Biden-Harris administration priorities, including those for Conservation and Climate Resilience. This is emphasized by a $49.1 million request for the Lower Colorado River Operations Program, including $10.2 million to build on the work of Reclamation, Colorado River partners and stakeholders to implement drought contingency plans; $8.3 million for the Upper Colorado River Operations Program to support Drought Response Operations; $205.4 million to find long-term, comprehensive water supply solutions for farmers, families, and communities in the Central Valley Project of California; and $65.6 million for the WaterSMART Program to support Reclamation’s collaboration with non-federal partners in efforts to address emerging water demands and water shortage issues in the West. A total of $29.6 million will continue Reclamation’s Research and Development investments in science, technology, and desalination research in support of prize competitions, technology transfers, and pilot testing projects.
The FY 2025 request for Reclamation continues to support Racial and Economic Equity through commitments to underserved communities and Tribal areas. For example, it includes $58.5 million to advance the construction and continues the operations and maintenance of authorized rural water projects, and $29.5 million for the Native American Affairs Program, which provides technical support and assistance to tribal governments to develop and manage their water resources, including $9 million for Tribal drought assistance.
Other highlights of Reclamation’s FY 2025 budget proposal include:
- $4.5 million for Power Program Services to support renewable energy initiatives through efforts to increase Reclamation hydropower value and capability.
- $26.6 million for the Site Security Program which includes physical security upgrades at key facilities, guards and patrols, anti-terrorism program activities and security risk assessments.
- $35.3 million for the Klamath Project (Oregon, California), including funds for studies and initiatives related to improving water supplies and addressing competing demands for agricultural, tribal, wildlife and environmental needs.
- $13.1 million to continue work on the Arkansas Valley Conduit (Colorado), which will provide an alternate clean drinking water supply to rural communities grappling with groundwater contamination issues.
- $35.5 for the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (Washington) to continue the construction of the Cle Elum Fish Passage, development of irrigation district implementation grants, construction of the Toppenish Creek Corridor, and the Wapato Irrigation Project conservation improvements.
Additional details about Reclamation’s budget request are available at www.usbr.gov/budget. Additional details about anticipated FY 2025 allocations from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are available at www.usbr.gov/bil.
