The Department of the Interior, the California Natural Resources Agency, and other stakeholders today broke ground on the latest phase of the Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project, funded as part of President Biden’s Invest America Policy.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on the shores of the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake. The Bureau of Reclamation is investing $250 million over five years in the Salton Sea through the Inflation Control Act. This investment began in 2023 to facilitate implementation of the state’s 10-year plan for dust suppression and aquatic restoration efforts, while enabling emergency water conservation. This continued investment complements an investment of more than $500 million in state funds.
President Biden’s Investment Plan for America represents the largest investment in climate resilience in U.S. history and provides much-needed resources to strengthen the resilience of Western communities to the impacts of drought and climate change. Provide. The Inflation Control Act includes a total of $550 million for residential water projects and $4 billion for water conservation and management efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other regions experiencing similar levels of long-term drought. It is. To date, Reclamation has announced 208 drought mitigation projects and 15 domestic water supply projects totaling $2 billion.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to making the West more resilient to the impacts of drought and climate change,” said Acting Deputy Secretary of State Laura Daniel Davis. “With the transformative investments of the President’s Inflation Control Act, we are working with our partners to strengthen the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River system and support families, farmers, and tribes well into the future.”
“Less than two years ago we signed the Salton Sea Memorandum of Understanding, but following on from the largest ever water conservation agreement with the Imperial Government, we today announced the second part of the Species Conservation Habitat Project. Construction will begin on the Irrigation District,” said Camille Karimrim Touton, director of the Bureau of Reclamation. “We are grateful to our partners in California, the Imperial Irrigation District Board, and the farmers and producers of the Imperial and Coachella Valleys for leading the way to the ocean and the Colorado River Basin.”
The reclamation will be used to implement projects at the Salton Sea, provide support to the Cahuilla Indian Tribe in the Torres Martinez Desert, and expand species conservation habitat projects that provide aquatic habitat for wildlife and provide dust control benefits. provided $72 million in fiscal year 2023. Protect local communities.
California water users have committed to saving 400,000 acre-feet of water each year starting in 2023. After signing the Imperial Irrigation District’s system preservation agreement last month, Reclamation provided California with $170 million in additional Inflation Control Act funding to continue. Expanding conservation efforts and species conservation habitat projects.
To learn more about how Reclamation is supporting this project, visit www.usbr.gov/inflation-reduction-act.
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