The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced $4.6 million to conduct comprehensive water basin studies in Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Idaho.
Reclamation will use the funds to partner with local water managers working on four comprehensive basin basin studies, according to a Dec. 22 Bureau of Reclamation news release. The Basin Study Program falls under the WaterSMART Program, which supports programs as they update existing infrastructure and avoid potential water variances exacerbated by drought.
"Reclamation is working to address widening imbalances between demand and supply in basins throughout the West," Reclamation Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo said in the news release. "Working collaboratively with stakeholders within each respective basin, we can develop options that will achieve a sustainable water supply."
Three of the basins were selected for complete examination "to evaluate water supply and demand and help ensure reliable water supplies by identifying strategies to address imbalances in water supply and demand," according to the release. The fourth will use the funds for a study plan development to define outcomes "and set the scope and focus for a potential future basin study," the news release said.
The basins for complete examination include the Great Salt Lake Basin, Walla Walla River Basin and the Big Wood River Basin, the release reported. The additional project is the Dolores Water Conservancy Project Plan of Study.
All of the studies will take a hard look at water supply and demand issues in the various western basins, according to the release.
This money will aid projects across all four states, allowing them to update and organize modeling efforts, engage a diverse set of stakeholders and public interests and identify mitigation and adaptation techniques to support sustainable management. Projects cover a range of issues, from ensuring water for people, farms and fish to analyzing infrastructure and procedures, the release reported.
"These studies will help ensure reliable water supplies in communities affected by the impacts of drought," Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in the news release. "Each of these programs will use the latest science and data available to develop strategies that meet current and future water demands."
