Biden-Harris Administration Continues Commitment to Protect the Stability, Sustainability of Colorado River Basin

Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration today announced new investments that will help improve and protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future, including critical funding to help increase water conservation, improve water efficiency, protect critical environmental resources, and prevent the Colorado River System’s reservoirs from falling to critically low elevations that would threaten water deliveries and power production. The funding, part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, follows an historic consensus system conservation proposal announced earlier this week that commits to measures to conserve at least 3 million-acre feet of system water through the end of 2026, when the current operating guidelines are set to expire.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation is finalizing eight new system conservation agreements, which will conserve up to 393,000-acre feet of water in Lake Mead through 2025. The conservation agreements – administered through the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program and funded by the Inflation Reduction Act – are helping finance system conservation to protect Colorado River reservoir storage volumes amid persistent climate change-driven drought conditions. Reclamation today also announced it is accepting new proposals for long-term system efficiency improvements that will result in additional water conservation in the Colorado River System.

"The Interior Department is committed to a continued collaborative, consensus-based approach to conserve water and increase the efficiency of water use in the Colorado River Basin. These locally led conservation agreements reflect our sustained progress in increasing water conservation across the West,” said Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau. “Recognizing the severity of the worsening drought, the Biden-Harris administration is bringing every tool and every resource to bear through the President’s Investing in America agenda to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future.”

“Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program is a new and critical tool to address, improve and protect the stability of the Colorado River System,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “The projects funded under the program will help increase water conservation, improve water efficiency, and prevent the System’s reservoirs from falling to critically low elevations, threatening water deliveries and hydropower production.”

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history and is providing much-needed resources to enhance the resilience of the West to drought and climate change, including to protect the short- and long-term sustainability of the Colorado River System. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including water purification and reuse, water storage and conveyance, desalination and dam safety. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing an additional $4.6 billion to address the historic drought across the West.

Eight New Conservation Agreements

The System Conservation Implementation Agreements announced today will commit water entities in the Tucson and Phoenix metro areas to conserve up to 140,000-acre feet of water in Lake Mead in 2023, and up to 393,000-acre feet through 2025. Water entities entering into these agreements include:

With these commitments, 11 Arizona entities will have entered into System Conservation Implementation Agreements (SCIA) with the Bureau of Reclamation. The Gila River Indian Community and the Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation also recently entered into agreements to conserve water throughout the System, and GM Gabrych Family Limited Partnership has committed to do the same.

The three-year agreements provide $400 for each acre-foot that contractors do not use from their allotment of Central Arizona Project water. Overall, the Program is a part of the commitment made by the Department on August 16, 2022, to address the drought crisis with prompt and responsive actions and investments to ensure the entire Colorado River Basin can function and support all who rely on it.

Long-Term Water Efficiency and Conservation Proposals

Reclamation also announced today it is accepting new proposals for long-term system efficiency improvements that will result in additional system conservation in the Colorado River System. This is the third opportunity for voluntary participation in the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program.

The proposal review and evaluation process will be competitive and will consider the amount and timing of water conserved in Lake Mead, the duration of the conservation and previous participation in existing conservation programs.

Reclamation will accept the proposals through July 19, 2023, from Colorado River water delivery contract or entitlement holders and Central Arizona Project water delivery contract or subcontract holders and their partners.

To date, the Interior Department has announced the following investments for Colorado River Basin states, which will yield hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water savings each year once these projects are complete:

• $281 million for 21 water recycling projects that are expected to increase annual water capacity by 127,000 acre-feet annually
• Up to $233 million in water conservation funding for the Gila River Indian Community, including $83 million for a water pipeline project and an additional $50 million from the Inflation Reduction Act through the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, which will also provide similar investments in 2024 and 2025
• Over $73 million for infrastructure repairs on water delivery systems, $19.3 million in fiscal year 2022 and another $54 million announced last month
• $71 million for 32 drought resiliency projects to expand access to water through groundwater storage, rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge and water treatment
• $20 million in new water storage and groundwater storage investments

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