05/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/03/2024 10:42
WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation today announced a $21 million investment from President Biden's Investing in America agenda for endangered species recovery and conservation in the Colorado River Basin. Project funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program and the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program.
"This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will aid us in fulfilling our mission of safeguarding and responsibly managing water resources," said Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. "With this investment, each of our programs will have the opportunity to advance initiatives aimed at protecting species affected by drought, contributing to environmental sustainability."
The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program work to recover endangered and threatened fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin while water development proceeds in accordance with Federal and state laws and interstate compacts. The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program was created to balance the use of the Colorado River water resources in Arizona, California and Nevada with the conservation of native species and their habitats.
The selected projects are:
This funding builds on a previous $20 million investment announcedin 2022 for environmental projects.
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Since Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed, Reclamation has announced more than $3 billion for more than 440 projects.