The Department of the Interior today announced a $36.1 million investment, including $26.7 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, to safeguard local water supplies in the wake of record drought across the West.
Thanks to a $375,000 WaterSMART grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Trout Unlimited, in partnership with the Town of Pagosa Springs and the Upper San Juan Watershed Enhancement Partnership, will improve a 2.5-mile stretch of the San Juan River.
Prolonged drought in the area has changed stream hydrology resulting in low flows affecting water temperature and available fish habitat, especially for native fish such as the Flannel mouth sucker and the Bluehead sucker. The project includes low-flow channel shaping, placement of grade-control structures and habitat structures, approximately 1,295 linear feet of riparian revegetation, and stabilization and regrading of streambank along the 2.5-mile project area. The re-shaping of the channel and addition of grade-control structures will increase water supply reliability and availability at low flows during the late summer and fall seasons.
Riparian revegetation will provide shaded areas and habitat diversity, cooling water temperatures critical to the viability and quality of the sport fishery through the Town of Pagosa Springs. Recreational use of the river is an important economic driver for the local community and modifications to the stream channel will also make the channel more passable by watercraft during low flow conditions, extending the period of time when people can utilize the river. Streambank stabilization work to remove old cars and debris and replace it with rock, woody materials and vegetation will provide ecologic benefits and it will also improve safety.
This project is supported by the Partnership’s Upper San Juan Integrated Water Management Plan. The Partnership includes a variety of stakeholders, including Federal
and state agencies, agricultural entities, water districts, universities, and environmental entities.
Twenty-seven projects in 12 states and the first-ever in Puerto Rico will be awarded funding to advance quantifiable and sustained water savings by protecting watersheds impacted by wildland fire, restoring aquatic habitats and stream beds, and advancing other environmental restoration projects to mitigate drought-related impacts. These investments will be leveraged through partnerships with local communities to address regional water challenges, including projects to address damage left by the Caldor Fire in California and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. These funds follow a $25.5 million investment announced last month allocated for 14 water efficiency projects across eight western states.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is advancing locally-led initiatives to address severe and historic western drought,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. ”Through the Water Smart program funded under this law, we are addressing a variety of regional challenges to increase water reliability and accessibility for families, farmers and Tribes. Today’s investment will conserve water, restore riparian habitat and stream function, and improve watershed health to benefit local supplies and the surrounding environment.”
Overall, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $8.3 billion to address water and drought challenges for the nation’s western water and power infrastructure by repairing aging water delivery systems, securing dams, completing rural water projects, protecting aquatic ecosystems and fulfilling Indian Water Rights Settlements.
The funding announced today is part of the $160 million in WaterSMART grants provided by the Law in 2022. Local governments in states set to receive funding must complete their project within three years. Through a 25 percent cost-share, a total of $56.2 million in federal and non-federal investments will be leveraged to support selected projects.
For more than 100 years, Reclamation and its partners have developed sustainable water and power solutions for the West. This Department’s WaterSMART Program focuses on collaborative efforts to plan and implement actions to increase water supply sustainability, including investments to modernize infrastructure.
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