Department of the Interior allocates $514 million for five water storage and conveyance projects

The Department of the Interior allocated $514 million investment for five water storage and conveyance projects to bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West.

The majority ($250 million) will be allocated to the Arkansas Valley Conduit Project. The Arkansas Valley Conduit Project has already secured nearly $340 million, funding three major contracts and installing almost 10 miles of pipeline. Once completed, its 121-mile network will deliver up to 7,500 acre-feet of water annually from Pueblo Reservoir, replacing radionuclide-contaminated groundwater and ensuring compliance with drinking water standards.

Of the remaining amount, $125 million will be allocated to the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project in California, $129 million to the Sites Reservoir Project in California, $7 million to the Anderson Ranch Dam Raise Project in Idaho and $3 million to Cle Elum Pool Raise Project in Washington.

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $8.3 billion is being invested over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination.Until December 2024, nearly $5.3 billion for more than 670 projects have been allocated.