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SALT LAKE CITY — A program that aims to conserve Colorado River water in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming is getting a major cut of $728 million in new funds for drought and climate resilience projects in the U.S., the Department of Interior announced Monday.
Up to $125 million will be set aside for the Upper Basin System Conservation Pilot Program, which is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Upper Colorado River Commission, composed of representatives from the four states. The program, department officials explained, "supplements" efforts to increase water conservation, improve water efficiency and avoid "critically low elevations" at reservoirs along the Colorado River.
"(We're) committed to ensuring the continued availability of water across the West while, at the same time, enhancing the resiliency of our communities to a changing climate," Camille Calimlim Touton, bureau commissioner, said in a statement. "As we move forward with these urgent priorities, we are doing so in close collaboration with basin states, tribes, water managers, farmers, irrigators and other stakeholders."
The Upper Colorado River Commission initially ran the temporary and voluntary four-year pilot program from 2015 through the end of 2018 as a way to "explore potential solutions and to address declining water levels" at Lake Powell and Lake Mead along the Colorado River.
A little more than $8.5 million of funds went into the program over that span of time for dozens of projects that saved an estimated 47,213 acre-feet of water, according to a pair of reports issued by the commission in 2018 and 2019.
The commission decided to revisit the program as it responded to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's challenge to all Colorado River Basin managers to save an additional 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water last year.
The commission states quickly adopted a five-point plan that outlines that the states will complete a drought response operations plan, which is expected to be finalized this spring; consider a new management plan to better understand how the states are consuming water; and continue "strict water management and administration within the available annual water supply" within the four states.
But the conservation pilot program is the bread and butter of the plan. It notes that the states would bring back the program in 2023 and also asked for federal assistance as sought to expand the program's budget. That's what Monday's announcement accomplished.
"The System Conservation Pilot Program is a significant piece of that. It's framed ... on temporary, voluntary and compensated reductions in consumptive water use," said Chuck Cullom, the Colorado River programs manager, during a meeting on the subject last month, noting at that time the Upper Basin states had yet to determine how many projects it will approve or how much water will be saved.
"At the highest level, we need to be able to show that water is conserved and benefits the Colorado River," he added.
The deadline for the 2023 projects was Feb. 1. Collum said that while the focus is 2023, there is "no way" that the program could spend $125 million this year. It's up to the states to agree to expand the program.
The states will also consider long-term infrastructure projects such as new irrigation efficiencies and new types of infrastructure for municipal and industrial users. More details about these projects are expected to be released later this year, he said in the Jan. 18 meeting.
Related:
How will lower Colorado River flows impact Utah business, way of life?
Utah's growth is aided by the Colorado River. What happens when it's not producing water?The entire $728 million in funding comes from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, though the Upper Colorado River Basin project is funded by the latter of the two. The Bureau of Reclamation is slated to spend over $325 million overall on "drought resilience projects" across the U.S.
"We are investing historic resources through the (two bills) to provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural and tribal communities, protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System and increase water efficiency across the West," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.
The 2021 bill set aside $8.3 billion for water infrastructure projects across the U.S. over a five-year span, while the 2022 bill tacked on $4.6 billion to tackle the "worsening drought crisis" and plan for future water consumption needs across the country.
