Dive Brief:
- The Department of the Interior will invest $889 million in water infrastructure projects across six Western states, according to a March 17 news release.
- The funding, made possible through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, targets upgrades to Bureau of Reclamation projects in California, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, according to the agency.
- The announcement signals sustained federal backing for water infrastructure modernization, especially in the systems across the drought-prone West.
Dive Insight:
The projects, which include canal rehabilitation and dam upgrades, further bolster the pipeline of heavy civil work, a segment several contractors have already earmarked for growth.
Much of the funding concentrates on large-scale upgrades to aging water systems, particularly in California. For example, the Golden State will receive $540 million of the total funding to support improvements to major water conveyance systems and storage projects, according to the announcement.
The Delta-Mendota Canal, a 117-mile-long aqueduct in California’s Central Valley, will receive $235 million, the largest allocation from the legislation, according to the release. Funding on that project will support rehabilitation of the upper canal and the advancement of a new concrete-lined canal segment.
Other funding earmarked for California water systems includes:
- $200 million for subsidence correction efforts along the Friant-Kern Canal from Fresno to Bakersfield.
- $50 million to address subsidence issues affecting water delivery reliability for the San Luis Canal in California’s Central Valley.
- $40 million to support planning and preconstruction activities on Shasta Dam near Redding.
- $15 million to increase flow rates and improve system performance at the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority pumping plant in the Sacramento Valley.
Outside of California, five other states will receive a boost from the federal funding announcement.
For example, North Dakota will receive $100 million to upgrade the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply project, as well as another $8 million for repairs at the McClusky Canal and Snake Creek pumping plant near McClusky, according to the release.
South Dakota will receive $11 million to repair leaking concrete siphons for the Belle Fourche Siphon lining project near Belle Fourche. Utah will receive $100 million to replace the 110-year old Highline Canal with an enclosed pipeline to improve safety and water delivery efficiency. Wyoming will receive $100 million for long-term repairs to the Fort Laramie Tunnels to reduce risk of future system failures, according to the release.
Finally, Idaho will receive $30 million for a conveyance and pump storage project in the northern portion of the state.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill is delivering major new investments in Western water infrastructure,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in the release. “These investments strengthen our nation’s water security, modernize aging infrastructure and support the farmers, communities and industries that depend on reliable water supplies.”
