Delta Mendota Canal cropped photo by flickr user Dave Park under CC license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Department of the Interior last week announced a $84.7 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help 36 communities throughout the West prepare and respond to the challenges of drought.

The selected projects will help bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West through investments in innovative drought resilience efforts, such as groundwater storage, rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, water reuse, ion exchange treatment and other methods to stretch existing water supplies, according to a government news release.

Local infrastructure projects receiving funding include:

Fresno Irrigation District, Carter-Bybee Recharge Basin Project, $2 million

Pixley Irrigation District, Phase I – Lateral #4 Expansion Project, $2 million

Porterville Irrigation District, North West Service Area Conjunctive Use Groundwater Recharge Project, $460,891

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $8.3 billion for Reclamation water infrastructure projects over the next five years to advance drought resilience and expand access to clean water for families, farmers and wildlife. The investment will repair aging water delivery systems, secure dams, complete rural water projects, and protect aquatic ecosystems.

The funding announcement is part of $1 billion provided through the law for the innovative WaterSMART program, which supports states, tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply through investments to modernize existing infrastructure and avoid potential water conflicts.