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TACKLING AMERICA’S WATER CHALLENGES

Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary Salazar return from an aerial tour of the drought-stricken Sacramento Delta prior to announcing $1 Billion in in water related investments today, including $260 million to help California address long-term water supply challenges and devastating drought conditions.

Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary Salazar return from an aerial tour of the drought-stricken Sacramento Delta prior to announcing $1 Billion in in water related investments today, including $260 million to help California address long-term water supply challenges and devastating drought conditions. Hi-Res

Creating Jobs While Modernizing America’s Water Infrastructure

Under President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act the Bureau of Reclamation is investing $1 billion to fund water reuse projects and construct rural water projects that will provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas and ensure adequate water supplies to western localities. Funds are also being used to promote water conservation, improve energy efficiency, address aging water infrastructure, and meet endangered species requirements through improvements such as fish screens and fish passage projects.

Helping California Weather the Drought

Secretary Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack have taken the lead in organizing a federal drought action team that is coordinating the response of federal agencies to the California drought. In addition, the Department of the Interior has invested $40 million from the economic recovery plan for projects that will immediately help boost water supplies and provide relief to farmers, businesses, and communities that the drought has hit especially hard. The Interior Department also has committed more than $200 million through the Recovery Act stimulus plan to modernize California’s water infrastructure and help address long-term water supply challenges.