USBR to fund Midwest water infrastructure projects

The US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has announced that it will provide $44.3m in funding for water infrastructure projects in the West and Midwest US.

Of the amount, $27.1m will be given to advance five projects in rural communities that will deliver drinking water to remote areas. The projects were selected according to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014.

Of this amount, $9.3m will go to the Garrison Diversion Unit (Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program) in North Dakota, $6m will go to The Rocky Boy’s / North Central Montana Rural Water System, and $4.9m to the Fort Peck Reservation / Dry Prairie Rural Water System in Montana. In addition, $5.2m will be given to the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, and $1.7m will go to the Eastern New Mexico Water Supply Project in New Mexico.

Additionally, $4m will be provided for fish passage and fish screens to meet increasing water demands, protect the environment and restore the aquatic habitat that has been impacted by development.

The bureau will also give $8m for water conservation and delivery studies to promote water conservation and improved water management, and $1m for environmental restoration and compliance efforts with an emphasis on species recovery and protection.

It allocated $4.2m for facility operation, maintenance and rehabilitation to ensure the reliability and safety of infrastructure in support of sustainable water management.

USBR commissioner Michael Connor said that clean, reliable drinking water is absolutely vital to maintain healthy communities and economies, especially in remote areas of the Midwest.

"Building the infrastructure our rural and tribal communities need to deliver clean water creates construction jobs and provides lasting benefits for local economies and public health," Connor added.