The U.S. Department of the Interior will allocate $50 million for key water infrastructure in the Upper Colorado River Basin, according to a press release. The funding will be delivered over a five-year period.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to bringing every tool and every resource to bear to as we work with states, tribes and communities throughout the West to find long-term solutions in the face of climate change and the sustained drought it is creating,” Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said. “As we look toward the next decade of Colorado River guidelines and strategies, we are simultaneously making smart investments now that will make our path forward stronger and more sustainable."

Beaudreau said the Colorado River Basin provides water for upwards of 40 million Americans, a press release reported.

“It fuels hydropower resources in eight states, supports agriculture and agricultural communities across the West and is a crucial resource for 30 Tribal Nations. Failure is not an option,” he said. “Recognizing the severity of the worsening drought, the Biden-Harris administration is bringing every tool and every resource to bear through the president’s Investing in America agenda to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System now and into the future.”

The initial $8.7 million will purchase and place 12 new eddy covariance stations. Reclamation will locate the stations throughout the basin to measure evapotranspiration, a key measurement for determining consumptive water use. There are currently four of these stations in the Upper Basin, one placed in each of the Upper Basin states. Reclamation and the Upper Basin states, along with other partners, studied evapotranspiration in the Upper Basin from 2018 through 2020. The data that was collected and analyzed provided critical insight and demonstrated the need and value of expanding the data-gathering ability, according to the press release.

The U.S. Geological Service explains evapotranspiration this way: "Evapotranspiration is the sum of all processes by which water moves from the land surface to the atmosphere via evaporation and transpiration. Evapotranspiration includes water evaporation into the atmosphere from the soil surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table and evaporation from water bodies on land. Evapotranspiration also includes transpiration, which is the water movement from the soil to the atmosphere via plants. Transpiration occurs when plants take up liquid water from the soil and release water vapor into the air from their leaves."

“Resources from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda are allowing us to meet a number of program needs across the Colorado River System, including expanding the Basin’s existing network of instrumentation to improve water accounting, weather predicting and monitoring. Today’s funding will enhance critical data and empower us with the best available science and technology to more accurately measure the Upper Basin’s consumptive water use," Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said.