$30 million from Interior Department will help build drought-resistant water supplies

The Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI program is making $30 million available for seven projects that will provide clean water to California communities and promote water and energy efficiency.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor said, ““With California in its fifth year of drought, these investments will build resilience for local communities struggling with limited water supplies – an effort that is more important than ever as the dangers of drought escalate in the face of climate change,” Deputy Secretary Connor said. “Using the best available science and technology to improve the growing disparity between water supplies and demand, this funding will help local water managers stretch dwindling resources.”

Connor will be traveling to California to participate in meetings regarding Bay-Delta water issues next week. The Bureau of Reclamation identifies and investigates opportunities to reclaim and reuse wastewaters and naturally impaired ground and surface water in western states and Hawaii.

Title XVI funding is in place for the planning, design, and construction of water recycling and reuse projects, on a project-specific basis. Since 1992, Title XVI funding has been used to provide communities with a new source of clean water, while promoting water and energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. In that time, approximately $629 million in federal funding through the Title XVI program has been leveraged with nonfederal funding to implement more than $3 billion in water reuse improvements.

Title XVI has become an important part of the Department of the Interior’s implementation of the President’s June 2013 Climate Action Plan and the Nov. 1, 2013 Executive Order, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change.

Specific projects selected for portions of the $30 million are:

• City of Corona Water Recycling and Reuse Project, Corona Comprehensive Reclaimed Water Conversion, Phase 1 – $4 million
• San Diego Area Water Reclamation Program, Pure Water San Diego Program – $5 million
• Eastern Municipal Water District Recycled Water System, Recycled Water System Pressurized and Expansion Project – $1,222,164
• Lower Chino Dairy Area Desalination and Reclamation Project, Chino Desalter Phase 3 Expansion Project – $7.2 million
• San Diego Area Water Reclamation Program, Padre Dam Water Recycling Facilities – Phase 1 Expansion – $4.5 million
• Sonoma County Water Agency, North Bay Water Reuse Program – $4,706,150
• San Diego Area Water Reclamation Program, Sweetwater Authority Water Reclamation Project – $3.7 million

To learn more about these projects, visit http://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/title/.