The Department of the Interior has announced a significant investment of $242 million as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, aimed at bringing clean and reliable drinking water to communities across the Western United States. The investment will fund five water storage and conveyance projects in California, Colorado, and Washington, which are expected to add at least 1.6 million acre-feet of additional water storage capacity, sufficient to support 6.4 million people for an entire year. Additionally, the funding will support a feasibility study in Arizona designed to advance water storage capacity once completed.
President Biden's Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resiliency in the nation's history, providing crucial resources to enhance Western communities' resilience to drought and climate change. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for various water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination.
Secretary Deb Haaland emphasized the importance of these investments, stating, "In the wake of severe drought across the West, the Interior Department is putting funding from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to work to provide clean, reliable drinking water to families, farmers and Tribes throughout the West. Through the investments we're announcing today, we will expedite essential water storage projects and provide increased water security to Western communities."
The projects receiving funding include the Verde Reservoirs Sediment Mitigation Project in Arizona, which will receive $8.5 million to continue a feasibility study to address water storage lost due to sediment accumulation and investigate potential operational flexibilities. In California, the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project will receive $75 million to enhance off-stream storage capability, while the Sites Reservoir Project will receive $67.5 million for an off-stream storage project that will develop up to 1.5 million acre-feet of new water storage on the Sacramento River system.
In Colorado, the Arkansas Valley Conduit will receive $90 million to continue the construction of a safe, long-term water supply to an estimated 50,000 people in 39 rural communities along the Arkansas River. The project consists of more than 103 miles of pipeline to deliver up to 7,500 acre-feet of water per year from Pueblo Reservoir, replacing current groundwater sources contaminated with radionuclides and helping communities comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards.
Lastly, in Washington, the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project will receive $1 million to continue increasing the reservoir's capacity by an additional 14,600 acre-feet to be managed for instream flows for fish. Reclamation, the Yakama Nation, and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife are partners on this project.
This announcement builds on $152 million announced for these projects last year and $210 million for these and other storage and conveyance projects announced in 2022. Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed in November 2021, Reclamation has announced more than $3.5 billion for more than 530 projects, demonstrating the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to investing in water infrastructure and ensuring clean, reliable drinking water for Western communities.
