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Office of the Secretary |
Trudy Harlow, 202-513-0574
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For Immediate Release: June 21, 2004 | Frank Quimby, 202-208-6416 |
Secretary Norton Awards $4 Million in
Grants
For Water Conservation Projects in the West |
(PHOENIX) - Interior
Secretary Gale Norton today announced that she has approved more than $4
million in water conservation grants under the Water 2025 Secretarial
Challenge Grant Program.
“Watersheds in the West are
experiencing a worsening of chronic water supply shortages because of
growing populations and heightened competition for a finite supply,”
Secretary Norton said. “These conservation grants support realistic and
cooperative local approaches to help prevent crises and conflict over our
limited water resources in these regions.”
The 19 projects selected are
located in ten states. The total investment for all projects selected for
grants is more than $39 million, which includes the matching contributions
of non-federal partners.
“Of the $8.4 million
appropriated for Reclamation’s Water 2025 program in Fiscal Year 2004,
Congress directed that about half be invested in targeted areas and projects
like the Middle Rio Grande in New Mexico, the Desert Research Institute in
Nevada, and the OhioView Consortium for using advanced remote sensing
technology throughout the West,” Norton said. “We put the remaining $4
million into the creation of the Challenge Grant Program as a way to
leverage those funds.”
Today, at an event at Arizona Falls in Phoenix, Secretary Norton
recognized the three projects located in Arizona – the Gila Gravity Main
Canal Board, the Salt River Project and the Yuma County Water Users
Association.
The grants from the Bureau of Reclamation will fund a variety of projects
to make more efficient use of existing water supplies through water
conservation, efficiency and water market projects. The Challenge Grants
program focuses on meeting the goals identified in
Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West.
Water 2025 encourages voluntary water banks and other market-based
measures, promotes the use of new technology for water conservation and
efficiency, and removes institutional barriers to increase cooperation and
collaboration among federal, state, tribal and private organizations.
In New Mexico, for example, the San Juan River Dineh Water Users, Inc.
will convert three open lateral ditches to underground pipelines that could
save up to 5,600 acre-feet of water each year. An acre-foot of water is
enough for a family of four for a year.
In Oregon, the Swalley Irrigation District will partner with seven
irrigation districts, six cities, three tribes and the Deschutes Resource
Conservancy to establish a basin-wide water market and bank and include a
study to identify sources of water for the new water bank.
In Montana, the Paradise Valley Irrigation District will replace 9,000
feet of a leaky hillside canal with pressure pipe, saving up to 1,000
acre-feet of water each year.
The 19 selected projects will now work with Reclamation to secure a
cooperative agreement and complete the regulatory processes. Groundbreaking
on the projects is anticipated before the end of the fiscal year, and they
will be completed in 24 months. The following is a complete list of the 19
projects by state:
ARIZONA
The Gila Gravity Main Canal Board, in partnership with the City of
Yuma and NAD Bank, will make canal system improvements to conserve water,
restore canal capacity and improve operation efficiency. Five irrigation
districts, the City of Yuma and other domestic water users will benefit from
the project. Improvements include sealing canals at high seepage points and
removing sediment from the Gila Main Gravity Canal. Additional work includes
installing a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, a
complex system to control a river system by providing more precise
measurement of water flow. Resulting savings will be about 45,000 acre-feet
of water per year. The conserved water will be available for other Colorado
River users. The total project cost is $2,207,775 with a Water 2025
contribution of $284,000.
Salt River Project, Tempe: The New River-Agua Fria Underground
Storage Project, an artificial groundwater recharge facility with a total
capacity of 1 million acre-feet, is designed to take available water
supplies, including both excess Central Arizona Project and reclaimed water,
and store it in underground aquifers for use in the future. This recharge
project further enhances the Phoenix metropolitan area water management
objectives, including improving water adequacy, supply reliability, and
meeting state mandated water resources goals. This project also will help
each of the partners meet the water needs of the explosive population growth
in this area, reduce conflict between
water agencies through a
partnership approach and improve flexibility in water management, including
overdraft mitigation and drought protection. In addition to Reclamation and
the Salt River Project, the partners include the cities of Avondale,
Chandler, Glendale and Peoria. The total project cost is $13,000,000, with a
Water 2025 contribution of $200,000.
Yuma County Water Users Association, Yuma: The Association will
upgrade a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and
implement a new water tracking and measurement system. The project also
includes reconstruction of key diversion structures along the main canal
that will facilitate remote control of water flows. This modernization will
reduce diversions from the Colorado River and provide an overall savings in
water diversions of 12,000-20,000 acre-feet per year. The total project cost
is $615,552, with a Water 2025 contribution of $246,221.
CALIFORNIA
Calleguas Municipal Water District, Thousand Oaks: The District
will install automated monitoring devices to 23 water distributors to allow
the District to implement new rate structures. These devices will improve
distribution during peak demand and will encourage more efficient water use,
conserve water and manage local groundwater supplies in concert with
imported water. The District covers an area of approximately 350 square
miles in Ventura County. Communities served include the cities of Oxnard,
Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Port Hueneme, as well
as Oak Park, Santa Rose Valley, Bell Canyon, Lake Sherwood, Somis, Camarillo
Estates, and Camarillo Heights. This project will reduce demand on the
Metropolitan Water District and the Colorado River, resulting in a savings
of 5,500 acre-feet per year. The total project cost is $3,095,000, with a
Water 2025 contribution of $300,000.
Contra Costa Water District, Concord: The District will install
2,100 feet of pipe in the Contra Costa Canal to isolate drinking water from
agricultural saline ground water seepage. The canal conveys drinking water
to 450,000 residents and vital industries in Contra Costa County. This
project provides benefits statewide as well as for local stakeholders. The
project will improve the ability of the Central Valley Project to meet
established Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water quality standards because of
long-standing local degradation on this reach of the canal. Water savings
will range from 9,000 to 34,000 acre-feet per year, depending on the water
supply conditions. This amounts to a savings of an average of $1.4 million
each year. The total project cost is $9,132,716, with a Water 2025
contribution of $200,000.
Imperial Irrigation District, El Centro: The District will
strategically place four independent flow meter sensors along the All
American Canal to improve monitoring of delivery water, particularly during
high and low flow periods into the Imperial Valley, and at the diversions to
Mexico and Coachella Valley. This project will result in these three areas
receiving the proper allotment of water necessary for agricultural,
municipal and industrial uses. Newly measured and accounted-for supply will
result in more efficient distribution of water, reducing demand on the
Colorado River and saving 34,500 acre-feet per year. The total project cost
is $230,452, with a Water 2025 contribution of $115,226.
Stevinson Water District, Merced: The District will replace 23,067
feet of open canals with pipe to control high water tables fed by seepage,
water conservation, improved delivery flexibility and reduction on
operational spillage. Increased measurements and improved system
responsiveness will enhance irrigation service and is expected to result in
further water conservation. The project will save approximately 1,155
acre-feet per year, which may be sold to Reclamation for the San Luis
National Wildlife Refuge. The total project cost is $1,556,500, with a Water
2025 contribution of $300,000.
COLORADO
Mancos Water Conservancy District, Mancos: This project will test
the effectiveness of different materials for canal lining on 340 feet of the
Jackson Gulch Inlet Canal. The inlet canal is the only source of water into
Jackson Gulch Reservoir. The water users who depend on the reservoir include
agricultural communities in the surrounding area, the town of Mancos and
Mesa Verde National Park. Lining the canal will provide the District with
10-15 percent more water, easing tensions between domestic and agricultural
users. The total project cost is $38,676, with a Water 2025 contribution of
$19,338.
MONTANA
Paradise Valley Irrigation District, Chinook: The District will
replace 9,000 feet of leaky hillside canal with a pressure pipeline system,
conserving 1,000 acre-feet per year of water. It will be one of the first in
the area and a significant improvement over the old system. This project
will conserve water for the District by eliminating seepage in the canal and
improve operation and control in the main canal. Efficiency levels will
nearly be 100 percent with the new pipeline system, compared to the current
efficiency rate of 40-45 percent. Irrigation seasons will be extended during
drought years by making more use of the water that is available. The total
project cost is $ $524,215, with a Water 2025 contribution of $262,107.
NEW MEXICO
San Juan River Dineh Water Users, Inc., Shiprock: The project will
convert three lateral ditches to underground pipelines, potentially saving
5,600 acre-feet each year for other water users on the main canal.
Converting all three lateral ditches into underground pipeline will improve
equitable water distribution, increase conveyance efficiency, allow farmers
to pursue new irrigation technologies, reduce demand on the San Juan River
and reduce operation and maintenance costs. The total project cost is
$751,000, with a Water 2025 contribution of $200,000.
NEVADA
Truckee Carson Irrigation District and City of Fernly, Fernly:
This project will improve the control of the Gilpin Spill structure by
automating gate changes through installation of remote-controlled gates and
telemetry at one location on the Truckee Canal. This project will allow the
District to make more frequent and timelier changes to meet its demand more
accurately, thus reducing the amount of water diverted from the Truckee
River. The saved water - approximately 3,000 acre-feet per year - will flow
downstream and enhance instream flows or be stored upstream to meet future
needs. The total project cost is $ 300,000, with a Water 2025 contribution
of $150,000.
OREGON
Farmers Irrigation District, Hood River: The District will improve
its water delivery system by replacing 8.6 miles of open canals with high
quality piping, thus conserving an average of 40 percent of current water
usage over the course of the season. The project will market saved water
(1,500-3,500 acre-feet per year) for instream use in a fish habitat area and
a siphon will be installed to eliminate barrier to fish passage. The total
cost of the project is $6,382,973, with a Water 2025 contribution of
$300,000.
Klamath Irrigation District, Klamath Falls: The District will line
the 4,316-foot long C Canal Flume with polyurethane to stop leaking and
extend the life of the 83-year-old structure. This will save up to 2,000
acre-feet per year, which will then be used to address irrigation shortages,
refuge supplies, Endangered Species Act requirements, water quality
improvements and tribal trusts. The total cost of the project is $233,035,
with a Water 2025 contribution of $116,517.
Medford Irrigation District, Medford: The District proposes an
innovative approach to address water shortages for irrigation and instream
uses by replacing 2,500 feet of an antiquated, open canal with 66-inch
pipeline. This project will save 94 acre-feet per year, improve delivery
efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. It also will remove three fish
passage barriers and open up three miles of historic steelhead trout
habitat. The total cost of the project is $602,032, with a Water 2025
contribution of $300,000.
Swalley Irrigation District, Bend: This project involves numerous
partners — seven irrigation districts, six cities, three tribes and the
Deschutes Resource Conservancy. The project addresses long-term basin water
needs by establishing a pilot water bank, with a long-term potential savings
of up to 326,522 acre-feet a year. The project demonstrates collective
partnering of basin interests and addresses many institutional constraints.
The total cost of the project is $588,750, with a Water 2025 contribution of
$233,750.
TEXAS
Harlingen Irrigation District, Harlingen: The District will
purchase and install 225 on-farm delivery site meters for more precise water
measurement and efficient water delivery. The saved water -- 3,464 acre-feet
per year -- will enable continued farming during droughts and increase the
length of the irrigation season. On-farm metering will help the District
achieve its goal of 100 percent volumetric pricing of water delivered to its
users. The total cost of the project is $602,500, with a Water 2025
contribution of $300,000.
UTAH
Emery Water Conservancy District, Castle Dale: The District will
install automatic remote controls at three dams and automate diversions on
four creeks in the Green River Basin. The devices will be integrated with
existing SCADA software. The District also will install measuring weirs,
upgrade weather stations and establish an online irrigation advisory
program. Water savings are estimated to be between 10 and 20 percent. The
total cost of the project is $535,520, with a Water 2025 contribution of
$257,910.
Springville Irrigation District, Springville: The District will
replace an open lateral in Wasatch County, with 550 feet of pipe to reduce
seepage. It also will construct a new diversion structure and install a
measuring weir to reduce water loss. The project will save 220 acre-feet per
year and possibly benefit the June sucker, an endangered fish. The total
cost of the project is $58,000, with a Water 2025 contribution of $29,000.
WYOMING
Casper-Alcova Irrigation District, Casper: The District will
replace a portion of unlined canal with 5,158 feet of PVC pipe and install
new head gates, valves and flow measurement devices to save 490 acre-feet
per year. When finished, the project will potentially conserve 31.7 percent
of the total available water in the two lateral systems and substantially
reduce operating and maintenance costs. The District intends to market the
water savings as it has done in the past. The total cost of the project is
$502,189, with a Water 2025 contribution of $232,215.
Reclamation is the largest
wholesale water supplier in the United States, and the nation's second
largest producer of hydroelectric power. Its facilities also provide
substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits.
Information on Water 2025 is available online at www.doi.gov/water2025
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