WASHINGTON, DC – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will award grants totaling more than $11.1 million to irrigation companies in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to fund salinity control projects within the Upper Colorado River Basin under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
These Recovery Act grants will leverage an additional $4.8 million cost-share from the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin Funds (funds from area water district’s revenues from sale of water and power), to help control nearly 12,000 tons of salt loading from occurring that would otherwise enter the Colorado River system.
“These grants, and the cost sharing funds, mean controlling salt at its source to prevent it from entering the Colorado River system,” said Secretary Salazar. “This is a major step forward in reversing the significant damages salinity causes each year to agricultural and municipal water delivery and conveyance systems in the Lower Colorado River Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada.”
“Through the Recovery Act funding, area residents are on the job tackling a major challenge for the river basin. Today’s investments will help to make a lasting improvement for the region,” Secretary Salazar said.
Historically, there has been approximately 9 million tons of salt loading to the Colorado River annually. About one half of the present salt load can be attributed to natural sources such as erosion of lands and saline springs. The remainder of the salt load is human-induced, originating from irrigation practices and municipal and industrial sources.
These projects will benefit water users by constructing pipelines and related infrastructure providing a more efficient water supply. The increased efficiency of water delivery and use also reduces salinity contributions from agricultural return flows.
Grants were awarded to:
Huntington Cleveland Irrigation Company, Emery County, Utah, $2,068,718.
Eden Valley Irrigation and Drainage District, Eden/Farson Wyoming, $381,584.
Red Cap Lake Fork Irrigation Company, Duchesne, Utah, $1,780,980.
Peoples Canal Company, Manila, Utah, $5,012,364.
Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company, Cortez, Colo., $1,521,288.
Additionally, the Bureau of Reclamation will utilize about $350,000 for administration of the projects and to ensure the projects’ compliance with federal regulations and statutes as well as adherence to the Recovery Act goals.
Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region solicited applications for reducing salinity contributions to the Colorado River through a Funding Opportunity Announcement announced on March 31, 2009 and closed on May 14, 2009. Applications were evaluated and ranked by an Application Review Committee with representatives from the Colorado River Basin States and Reclamation.
Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320 (Act), in June 1974, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to proceed with a program to enhance and protect the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the United States and Republic of Mexico. Public Law 104-20 of July 28, 1995, amended the Act and authorized the Secretary, acting through Reclamation, to implement a basinwide salinity control program.
Since the program’s inception, Reclamation, through the Basinwide Program, has funded more than 40 salinity control projects. Most of these projects consist of placing off-farm irrigation canals and laterals in pressure pipelines, generally utilizing either PVC or a high-density polyethylene pipeline that eliminate canal and lateral seepage that carries salt into the river system. All salinity control projects are required to replace incidental wildlife habitat losses concurrent with construction of salinity control features.
The purposes of the ARRA are, among others, to quickly and prudently commence activities that preserve and create jobs promoting economic recovery and to invest in infrastructure providing long-term economic benefits. ARRA funding must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2010, and the identified projects must meet specific milestones and timetables or their funding could be reconsidered. Before implementation, the projects must also meet specific requirements such as demonstrating compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental laws.
Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department of the Interior’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery. Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force. Henderson and the Task Force will work closely with the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General to ensure that the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility and transparency that President Obama has set.
For a list of project summaries for the Bureau of Reclamation's ARRA Basinwide Salinity Program: http://recovery.doi.gov/press/bureaus/bureau-of-reclamation/basinwideprojects/