Water is essential to feeding families, growing crops, sustaining wildlife and the environment, and powering agricultural businesses. Unfortunately, the climate crisis has created drought conditions in the west that continue to worsen, leading to historically low water allocations.
With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, President Biden took the historic step to provide critical funding to address water and drought challenges and invest in our nation’s western water and power infrastructure while rebuilding our existing projects to withstand a changing hydrology.
The infrastructure law provides $8.3 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation’s water infrastructure programs and $2.5 for authorized water rights settlement projects (more details on our Tribal Investments page). The funding includes:
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes one of the largest investments in drought resilience in the nation’s history, showing the urgent need to minimize the impacts of drought and develop a long-term plan. The Interior Department is helping to marshal existing resources and work in partnership with irrigators and local, state and Tribal governments to address and develop these long-term measures while combatting climate change and restoring lands, water and wildlife.
$250 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support the health of fisheries, wildlife or aquatic habitat through habitat restoration and improved fish passage.
$300 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support the implementation of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan designed to protect the Colorado River system through voluntary reductions and increased conservation.
$500 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support construction and maintain the operational capacity of 12 dams that require modification and minimize risk to the public.
$100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support the design, implementation and monitoring of conservation outcomes of habitat restoration projects that improve watershed health.
$1 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support rural water projects that had been authorized before July 1, 2021, to meet the critical water supply needs of rural communities and Tribal nations.
$100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support small water storage with a capacity of not less than 2,000 acre-feet and not more than 30,000 acre-feet and increases surface water or groundwater storage; or conveys water to or from surface water or groundwater storage.
$250 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support desalination construction, a process which turns salt water into freshwater. Funding also supports projects to develop and supplement municipal and irrigation water supplies through the treatment of water to provide a local supply and flexibility during water shortages.
$1 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support reuse projects, with $550 million for Title XVI (Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects), and $450 million for large-scale projects.
