Federal Funding

To help build resilience to long-term drought fueled by climate change in the Colorado River Basin, significant investment is needed across the entire Basin. Watershed restoration, forest management, agricultural adaptations, and municipal and industrial conservation are critical strategies that will help local communities, restore ecosystems, and improve overall resilience for the Basin. 

The passage of both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) authorized billions of dollars to mitigate risks of drought and a changing climate through resilience improvements for communities, economies, and the environment. Through these and other appropriations, federal agencies, including, but not limited to, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, are providing significant funding opportunities to help reduce the impacts of drought and other natural hazards across the West. 

BIL and IRA funding is hitting the ground across the Colorado River Basin, providing an essential down payment on the investments needed to establish resilience across the region. Since the BIL and IRA were authorized, approximately $2 billion has been invested in projects across the western United States, including the Colorado River Basin, to help communities and the environment adapt to the impacts of drought, improve aging infrastructure, and stretch water supplies further. We commend federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation for their work on getting these important funds to the ground.