WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced $1.8 million in grants to water districts for ten projects to improve delivery systems in California, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. Including matching contributions of non-federal partners, the selected projects represent a combined investment of more than $3.77 million.
Granted under the Bureau of Reclamation’s Water 2025 program, the “System Optimization Review Grants” will assist water districts and other water management entities by providing a broad look at their water delivery system operations. The grants will also enable water districts to develop a plan of action focused on improving efficiency and operations on a regional and/or basin perspective.
The Pixley Irrigation District in California, for example, will use this
Water 2025 grant to examine opportunities to improve management of water
resources through groundwater banking and “conjunctive use,” which consists
of combining surface and groundwater to minimize environmental effects and
to optimize the water demand/supply
balance.
In the future, all Water 2025 grant opportunities will be part of the Department of the Interior’s Water for America, an initiative focused on addressing 21st century water challenges and security water resources for future generations.
The Bureau of Reclamation will focus its efforts on two of the three strategies of Water for America--"Plan for our Nation's Water Future" and "Expand, Protect, and Conserve our Nation's Water Resources."
The U.S. Geological Survey, another Interior agency, will work on the third strategy to "Enhance our Nation's Water Knowledge."
Through these three strategies, the Water for America Initiative will provide the vision and leadership necessary to ensure sustainable western water supplies for the 21st century.
The list and descriptions of the grants announced today follows. For more information on Water 2025, please visit www.usbr.gov/water2025 and for more information on Water for America visit http://www.doi.gov/initiatives/water.html
Fiscal Year 2008 System Optimization Review Grants
California
Semitropic Water Storage District: The District will evaluate the water management of seven agricultural districts and build a plan for both structural and non-structural improvements. The total project cost is $600,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Arvin-Edison Water Storage District: The System Optimization Review will include a system inventory of water ordering, scheduling and measurement. The District will identify opportunities to control and reduce expenses, increase revenues and increase the District's involvement in water banking, exchanges and transfers. The total project cost is $580,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $290,000.
Pixley Irrigation District: The District will examine opportunities to improve
management of water resources through conjunctive use opportunities. The
total project cost is $640,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Contra Costa Water District: The District will perform a comprehensive water
audit of treated and untreated water service areas to determine real water
losses and recommend improvements. The total project cost is $99,953, including
a Water 2025 contribution of $48,826.
Henry Miller Recreation District 2131: The District will examine the water and salinity balance, and other hydraulic attributes to prioritize modernization. The total project cost is $206,607, including a Water 2025 contribution of $100,000.
New Mexico
Elephant Butte Irrigation District: The District will research the consumptive use of crops to complete a hydrologic budget as necessary to produce a complete and effective System Optimization Review. The total project cost is $545,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $265,000.
Oregon
Talent Irrigation District: The District will investigate and evaluate elements of the Rogue River Basin to promote future water conservation through seepage reduction, re-regulating basins, reservoir storage adjustments and a water budget. The total project cost is $123,024, including a Water 2025 contribution of $61,512.
West Extension Irrigation District: The District will identify water management problems and potential for water savings through enclosing open laterals, prioritizing projects and prepare a planning report to incorporate into the District's Water Management and Conservation Plan. The total project cost is $53,564, including a Water 2025 contribution of $22,000.
Utah
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District: The District will analyze conservation and water marketing opportunities including canal lining, installation of meters on irrigation water distribution systems, system automation, installation of new pressured piping, new ground water recharge possibilities and other system efficiency improvements. The total project cost is $567,884, including a Water 2025 contribution of $272,000.
Duchesne Co Water Conservancy District: The District will examine and test for benefits to operating on a basin-wide basis, rather than as individual facilities. The total project cost is $357,825, including a Water 2025 contribution of $167,825.