Projects aimed at addressing drought in the Upper Rio Grande River Basin are getting nearly $25 million in federal funding, according to a recent announcement from the Bureau of Reclamation.
The San Luis Valley and Conejos Water Conservancy Districts are cooperating with a half a dozen other organizations and agencies to improve the region's resilience to drought, including the Rio Grande National Forest.
Several different projects will target issues like managing low water flows, restoring ecosystems and creating more efficient water infrastructure.
According to the Alamosa News some of the specific projects include “retirement of irrigated farmland, acquisition of water rights to address depletions and replacement, and monitoring of well network upgrades and improvements.”
The funding is coming through the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The announcement came in under the Biden administration and so far remains unaffected by the new administration's funding pause on parts of the program.
In a social media post, the Salazar Rio Grande Center said it is a “huge score for Rio Grande Basin water projects.”
