Meeting follows announcement of historic, Sinema-secured funding for water conservation and infrastructure on the Gila River Indian Community reservation and in Yuma
PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema held a meeting with her Water Advisory Council and representatives from the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation to discuss new funding she secured for water conservation, as well as her continued focus on finding long-term solutions to record drought conditions in the American West.
Earlier, Sinema, White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, representatives from the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation, and other Arizona leaders announced major, Sinema-secured investments in water conservation and infrastructure for the Gila River Indian Community and in Yuma from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and Inflation Reduction law.
“Arizona leads the way in water conservation, a fact made clear by today’s incredible funding announcement from the Gila River Indian Community. We’re bringing leaders from all levels of government together to find a lasting, durable solution to our water crisis,” said Sinema.
From the Sinema-led Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law, the Bureau of Reclamation has allocated $83 million for a reclaimed water pipeline running from Mesa onto the reservation. From the Sinema-shaped Inflation Reduction law, the Gila River Indian Community and Bureau of Reclamation agreed that the Community will conserve up to 125,000 acre feet of water per year for three years at a price of $400/acre foot. If fully implemented, this is $50 million per year and $150 million over three years.
The Senator also detailed an additional $27 million investment she secured in her bipartisan infrastructure law to repair and upgrade aging water infrastructure in Yuma – ensuring a safe and reliable water supply for the community.
During the meeting, members of the Senator’s Water Advisory Council presented ideas to the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation for infrastructure projects to be funded by the $4 billion for water conservation Sinema secured in the Inflation Reduction law.
Sinema launched her Water Advisory Council of Arizona water experts from agriculture, tribal, conservation, academic, and business communities across Arizona at the Hoover Dam last year to advise the Senator on water issues and form a lasting regional plan that relieves ongoing drought conditions.
Between Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law and the Inflation Reduction law she shaped, the Senator has secured more than $12 billion in drought relief and Western water funding. Sinema has regularly met with farmers, stakeholders, irrigation groups, tribal leaders, and her Water Advisory Council to ensure the funding is implemented efficiently and effectively.
In February, Sinema announced a historic $728 million for Western drought relief from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law, the Inflation Reduction law, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
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