Assistant Secretary Trujillo Highlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments for Drought Resilience in California

Date: Friday, November 4, 2022
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo today wrapped a visit to California where she highlighted historic investments being made through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to boost water infrastructure and tackle western drought.

On Thursday, Assistant Secretary Trujillo joined state and local partners to commemorate the Water Replenishment District (WRD)’s 60 years of using recycled water for groundwater replenishment and to celebrate a $15.4 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for WRD’s Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program to help protect groundwater resources for 4 million people in the region. Investments for the project will support a flow equalization and pumping facility, an advanced water treatment facility, supplemental recharge wells and groundwater monitoring wells and once completed, is expected to produce 21,000 acre-feet of water annually.

Today, Assistant Secretary Trujillo toured water recycling facilities in Oceanside, Calif., where a more than $10 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support the construction of an advanced water treatment facility, new conveyance pipelines, and injection and monitoring wells. The project is expected to create 3,360 acre-feet of additional water to provide over 30% of the water supply for the city annually and will reduce the community’s reliance on imported water from the Colorado River Basin.

Funding for both southern California water districts are part of nearly $310 million announced this summer for recycled water projects across the West.

In the wake of severe western drought, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making historic investments in water infrastructure and drought resilience projects throughout the country, expanding access to reliable water supplies for families, farmers and Tribes. The Law allocates $8.3 billion for Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure projects over the next five years to repair aging water delivery systems, secure dams, complete rural water projects and protect aquatic ecosystems.

During her visit, Trujillo also met with partners from the Urban Water Federal Partnership—a multi-agency wide initiative to work with local communities to restore urban waterways — met with officials from the San Diego County Water Authority and held a roundtable event to discuss opportunities for water conservation and recycling.

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