The Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced drought mitigation funding for farmers, Tribes and irrigation districts to conserve Colorado River water usage.
The $4 billion in funding will come from the Inflation Reduction Act and be used to create the Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program to fund drought mitigation projects in Arizona, California and Nevada. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) would manage the program and be responsible for funding proposal submissions.
“This significant investment from the Inflation Reduction Act enables the Bureau of Reclamation to improve water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin today—and for the future,” said BOR Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton in a statement.
“The Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program provides both new opportunities for system conservation and more durable long-term solutions for areas experiencing drought.”
The program has three components, and two of the three components are open for proposal submissions until Nov. 21.
The first component open for proposals will pay farmers who undertake water conservation measures $330 per acre-foot for a one-year agreement, $365 per acre-foot for a two-year agreement and $400 per acre-foot for a three-year commitment.
Project proposals should include a plan description, the amount of water conserved based on the history of use, the methodology for estimated use reduction and a description of the verification methods.
The program to conserve water is designed in the hopes of preserving water levels in Lake Mead, which as of Oct. 14, was at 1,045 feet, well below the 2021 level of 1,067 feet.
According to a letter from BOR, the second program component would regard conservation plans that reduce the amount of water consumed from the Colorado River. The second component is for Colorado River water delivery contract or entitlement holders and Central Arizona Project water delivery contract or entitlement holders. BOR does not give specific details but states it is for “water conservation and efficiency projects that could involve a variety of pricing options.”
Beginning in early 2023, a third component will “solicit proposals for long-term system efficiency improvements resulting in multi-year system conservation.”
DOI also announced $500 million in funding for the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico “to invest in long-term system efficiency improvements across the Basin,” but it did not provide any details.
“It’s a big deal, but I think it’s only a big deal if we make this $4 billion count,” Alex Funk, director of water resources and senior counsel at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, told public radio station KUNC. “Crystal balling here a little bit, I don’t think we’re going to see something of this scale of an investment to address this problem again anytime soon.”
More information can be found at https://www.usbr.gov/inflation-reduction-act/docs/LC-Conservation-Program-Letter-with-Enclosures.pdf or by visiting https://www.usbr.gov/inflation-reduction-act. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
