Reclamation announces over $310M for drought resilience projects

Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have announced $309.8 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act and $1 million in appropriated funding for the planning, design, and construction of water reuse projects across the country.

The selected projects will advance drought resilience and are expected to increase annual capacity by about 213,000 acre-feet of water, enough water to support more than 850,000 people a year.

“Water is essential to everything we do and it will take all of us, working together, to address the significant drought impacts we are seeing across the West. As the climate crisis drives severe drought conditions and historically low water allocations, President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making historic investments to address water and drought challenges and invest in our nation’s western water and power infrastructure,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

"Water reuse helps communities diversify their water supply as they are facing an unprecedented drought and a changing climate," said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “This has tangible impacts and can help feed families, grow crops, sustain wildlife and the environment and help more families access safe, clean, reliable water. These projects will provide flexibility for communities and help them stretch their current drinking supplies as they will be treating wastewater that continues to be available."

The funding will support local water management agencies with stretching existing drinking water supplies and helping to ensure that growing water needs can be met through the advanced treatment of wastewater and naturally impaired surface and groundwater. Along with non-federal contributions, the investment will support an overall $1.2 billion in infrastructure projects. 

The IIJA allocates $8.3 billion for Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure projects to repair aging water delivery systems, secure dams, complete rural water projects, and protect aquatic ecosystems. The funding announced is part of the $1 billion in WaterSMART Water Recycling and Reuse grants provided by the Law.

The funded projects are as follows:

Recipient	State	Title	Reclamation Funding
Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency	CA	Replenish Big Bear Project	$8,267,112
Carpinteria Valley Water District	CA	Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project	$9,659,990
Coachella Valley Water District	CA	Water Reclamation Plant 10 (WRP-10) Non-Potable Water System	$12,276,517
Eastern Municipal Water District	CA	Purified Water Replenishment Project	$10,000,000
Irvine Ranch Water District	CA	Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project	$12,245,625
Jurupa Community Services District	CA	Joint IEUA-JCSD Recycled Water Intertie Project	$12,275,000
Las-Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority	CA	Pure Water Project Las Virgenes-Triunfo	$10,199,637
Monterey One Water	CA	Expand Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project	$10,316,822
City of Morro Bay	CA	Water Reclamation Facility Project	$9,310,095
City of Oceanside	CA	Pure Water Oceanside Program	$9,941,533
Olivenhain Municipal Water District	CA	North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition Regional Recycled Water Program: 2020 Project	$17,826,952
Padre Dam Municipal Water District	CA	East County Advanced Water Purification Program Phase 2	$28,300,000
City of Palo Alto	CA	City of Palo Alto Advanced Water Purification System	$12,867,875
City of Pismo Beach	CA	Central Coast Blue	$14,124,000
Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District	CA	Harvest Water Program	$24,115,808
City of San Buenaventura	CA	Ventura Water Pure Program	$14,026,650
Santa Margarita Water District	CA	San Juan Watershed Project	$7,928,615
Sonoma County Water Agency	CA	North Bay Reuse Program: Phase 2 Program	$6,934,655
Soquel Creek Water District	CA	Pure Water Soquel: Groundwater Replenishment and Seawater Intrusion Prevention Project	$20,925,000
Water Replenishment District of Southern California	CA	Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program Recycled Water Project	$15,478,307
County of Maui	HI	Lahaina Water Recycling Project #3: West Maui Recycled Water Expansion	$1,080,244
City of Nampa	ID	City of Nampa Recycled Water Program	$3,000,000
El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board	TX	Advanced Water Purification Facility	$20,000,000
Weber Basin Water Conservancy District	UT	Tertiary Treatment Facility in Central Weber	$14,300,000
City of Cheney	WA	Cheney Purple Pipe Project	$5,445,750

The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture co-lead the Drought Resilience Interagency Working Group and recently released their Drought Resilience 2022 Year One Summary Report.

More information, including details about other current opportunities to apply for funding available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is available on Reclamation's WaterSMART program webpage. Full descriptions of the funded projects are also available online.