LOS ANGELES, CA -- Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today that he has approved $4.5 million in new Water 2025 Challenge Grants for water conservation projects across the West.
“These grants will help quench the West’s thirst for water in eight states by providing funds to 15 projects that will improve the efficient use of existing water supplies,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “The variety of projects includes water conservation, efficiency and water market projects and demonstrates the importance of this Bureau of Reclamation program in looking toward future water needs.”
Including the matching contributions of non-federal partners, the selected projects represent a combined investment of more than $31.8 million in water management improvements.
An example of a project that will create or expand water markets was awarded to the Irvine Ranch Water District in California. The district will develop groundwater banking facilities on the Strand Ranch, which will help reduce conflict caused by reduced imported supplies during dry years; and will better-manage up to 17,500 acre-feet per year. The total project cost is $15 million, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
The agencies and groups that proposed the 15 projects will now work with Reclamation to secure cooperative agreements and complete regulatory processes. Groundbreaking on the projects is expected by the end of September. They must be completed within two years. More information on Water 2025 is at www.doi.gov/water2025.
In the future, Challenge Grant opportunities will be part of the Department of the Interior’s Water for America initiative, focused on addressing 21st century water challenges and securing 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 improve sustainable western water supplies for the 21st century. Reclamation has released the Water for America Implementation Plan for review and comment. The plan is available at http://www.usbr.gov/wfa/. Comments are requested by August 18, 2008.
The list and descriptions of the grants announced today follows.
Fiscal Year 2008 Water 2025
Challenge Grant Awards
California
Fresno Irrigation District: The District will upgrade the existing diversion structure with new control and diversion structures that will allow improved water management of water that enters the Enterprise Canal and is carried downstream. Construction includes a new control structure, automated control gates, replacement of the existing siphon structure and connection to the District's telemetry system. The project is estimated to save 15,000 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $1,061,060, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Irvine Ranch Water District: The District will develop groundwater banking facilities on the Strand Ranch which will help reduce conflict for reduced imported supplies during dry years. The project is estimated to better manage up to 17,500 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $15,000,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
James Irrigation District: The project will reduce local and regional water conflicts by helping to eliminate the District's dependency on Central Valley Project water. The project proposes to expand an existing storage and recharge basin. The project is estimated to save 1,600 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $1,578,036, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Solano Irrigation District: The project will line currently unlined sections of canal with concrete. The project is estimated to save 800 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $901,500, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
West Basin Municipal Water District: This project involves the installation of Evapotranspiration (ET) Irrigation Controllers for urban landscapes that are 1 acre or greater in size. Through the installation of 558 ET Controllers, 20 to 50 percent of irrigation water will be conserved, thus reducing the need to import water to the region. The project will reduce excess water runoff up to 70 percent. The project is estimated to save 340 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $899,198, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Colorado
Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District: The District will install telemetry data-collection platforms and flow control at six reservoirs to accurately acquire data and install devices and related gauges at six reservoir outlet channels and nine streams to generate the accurate water flow measurements needed for good water management. The project is estimated to save 1,566 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $847,784, including a Water 2025 contribution of $296,724.
Washington
Roza Irrigation District: The District will replace approximately eight miles of the Roza Irrigation District laterals with PVC pipe ranging in size of 21 to 2-inch diameter and replace the weirs with flow meters. The project is estimated to save 144 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $1,191,183, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Idaho
Preston Whitney Irrigation Company: This project will replace 7.5 miles of unlined, earthen canals with 7.2 miles of high-pressure, plastic irrigation pipe and will convert 200 acres from flood irrigation to sprinkling. Each irrigation company will install an inline master meter at each of the reservoirs and McCrometer propeller-type meters at the point of delivery. The project is estimated to save 2,302 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $2,135,779, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
New Mexico
Navajo Agricultural Products Industry: The tribe will create a canal Gate Operating System (system) and an irrigation scheduling program to decrease annual canal spills and to reduce incidents of over-applications of water to the irrigated fields. The system will gather water level data from upstream and downstream positions of the 22 gate structures and make calculations and provide seamless integration back into the supervisory control and data acquisitions (SCADA) system for proper gate operations and settings. The project is estimated to save 26,600 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $1,095,848, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Oregon
Swalley Irrigation District: The District will pipe 1.9 miles of open canal to conserve water, protect water quality, improve public safety, reduce operation and maintenance costs and reduce energy costs to individual water users and farms. Seven cubic feet per second will be permanently dedicated to the Deschutes River for instream flow, improving water quality and habitat conditions for fish and wildlife in the Deschutes Sub-basin. The project is estimated to save 2,966 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $1,500,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Three Sisters Irrigation District: The District will install High Density Polyethylene Pressurized Pipeline in the existing open irrigation delivery canals and ditches to eliminate excessive seepage losses. The project will conserve water and improve fishery habitat in Whychus Creek while improving the economic sustainability of agriculture in the McKenzie Canyon project area. The project is estimated to save 500 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $700,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Texas
Brownsville Irrigation District: The District will convert 1,800 linear feet of earthen canal into pipe, install two vertical gate structures and necessary SCADA components, and install three transducers to measure water levels in storage reservoirs. The project is estimated to save 147 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $602,048, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Cameron County Irrigation District No. 2: The District will install ten Rubicon standard Flume Gate structures and remote flow measurement and control features that are fully compatible with the existing SCADA system in the District. This project will allow for the accurate metering of water flow and level through the Low Line canal. The project is estimated to save 3,253 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $534,843, including a Water 2025 contribution of $262,923.
City of McAllen Public Utility: The Utility will install 6,000 linear feet of underground pipeline as well as install a magnetic meter raw water measuring device at the intake side of the pipe that will allow the Utility to remotely and more accurately monitor the amount of water received from the water supplier. The project is estimated to save 700 acre-feet of water per year. The water saved will be stored and used during peak summer months by the rapidly-growing residential and commercial/industrial sector and developing new water markets with other municipalities and water users in the region. The total project cost is $2,604,000, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Utah
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District: The District will install a new diversion structure on the Middle Fork of Dry Creek and connect it to an existing raw water supply pipeline. This will complete required storm drainage improvements in the surrounding area. The District will also remove the historic Draper Irrigation Company ditch to improve management of the Middle Fork of Dry Creek water source. The project is estimated to save 132 acre-feet of water per year. The total project cost is $880,154, including a Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.