LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Department of the Interior announced $700 million in federal funding to help raise Lake Mead’s levels.
In a press release on Thursday, the department shared that the investment in the Lower Colorado River Basin could save more than 700,00 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead. The project will also fund water distribution structures, advanced metering infrastructure, farm efficiency improvements, canal lining, turf removal, groundwater banking, desalination, recycling water, and water purification.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to making western communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Building on our significant efforts to protect the Colorado River System, we are continuing to make smart investments through the President’s Investing in America agenda to strengthen the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System and support the 40 million people who rely on this basin now and into the future.”
This is the latest announcement of funding by the Lower Colorado Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, established through the Inflation Reduction Act to tackle climate change and address the drought crisis.
“We are already seeing returns on the historic investments made by the Biden-Harris administration in the Lower Colorado River Basin, with commitments to save more than 1.7 million acre-feet of water in the basin through 2026 facilitated largely through the Bucket 1 program,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “These Bucket 2 projects will build long-term resiliency in the basin by investing in system efficiency projects across all sectors.”
Reclamation is working with Tribal, state, and individual water entitlement holders on proposals for projects located in Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California to utilize this funding.
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