In late November, The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that it will allocate $974 million to fund 82 water projects. These projects include large-scale water recycling programs in California and Utah, as well as efforts to revitalize aging water delivery systems in 11 western states. 

The DOI is allocating $125 million to fund five projects in California and Utah that will help create new sources of water and improve drought resiliency. These projects are part of the DOI’s Large-Scale Water Recycling Program (LSWRP), funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). According to the agency, the initiative seeks to create new water supplies that are less vulnerable to drought and climate change.

The LSWRP incentivizes large-scale conservation projects with no cap on project size and plays a vital role in helping communities create local, drought-resistant water supplies. By transforming unusable water sources into clean, reliable ones, the program supports sustainable water management, according to the DOI.

The five water-reuse projects DOI is providing funds for in California and Utah were planned by members of the WateReuse Association, an organization focused on advancing laws, policy and funding to increase water reuse. 

In a written statement, Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of the WateReuse Association, told The Driller, “WateReuse Association applauds the Department of Interior’s funding announcement. We hope that our members will benefit from additional rounds of funding through the Large-Scale Water Recycling Program.” 

The five projects and the amounts for each are:  

• The City of San Buenaventura’s Ventura Water Program, which is estimated to produce 3,600 acre-feet of recycled water annually; $60.4 million.
  
  
• The Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project, which is estimated to produce 26,000 acre-feet annually; $30 million.
  
  
• The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Pure Water Southern California, which is estimated to produce 118,590 acre-feet annually; $26.2 million.
  
  
• The Inland Empire Utilities Agency of California Advanced Treatment of Recycled Water to Enhance Chino Basin Resiliency Project, which is estimated to produce 15,000 acre-feet annually; $10.8 million.
  
  
• The Washington County Water Conservancy District, Utah’s Regional Reuse system, which is estimated to produce 28,373 acre-feet annually; $641,222. 

This is the second round of DOI funding for water-reuse projects in California and Utah. On May 28, 2024, DOI announced an allocation of $179 million for projects in those states. 

Furthermore, on Dec. 3, 2024, DOI announced an allocation of $849 million to revitalize 77 aging water delivery systems in 11 states across the western U.S. The funding supports 77 projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington State. 

DOI says the 77 projects selected for funding are found in all the major river basins, including 14 projects in the Colorado River Basin, and seek to restore canal capacity, sustain water treatment for tribes, replace equipment for hydropower production and provide necessary maintenance to aging project buildings. 

This latest round of funding is part of an effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and address the ongoing megadrought across the region, including in the Colorado River Basin, which has experienced the driest period in the region in over one thousand years, DOI says. 

“These facilities are essential to the West as they provide water for families, farms and tribal communities, while also producing hydropower and recreation opportunities for communities throughout the Basin,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Roque Sanchez. The Bureau of Reclamation is committed to revitalizing “our infrastructure for continued reliability and sustainability for the next generation,” he said. 

Click here to read the funding announcement for the five projects in California and Utah, and click here to read the announcement for the 77 projects in 11 states.