Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
The Department of the Interior has announced a $43 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for rural water projects aimed at providing clean, reliable drinking water to rural and Tribal communities. The funds, managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, will support six projects either under construction or in the planning phase across Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota. This follows $733 million previously allocated for rural water projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
President Biden's Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in U.S. history and aims to enhance Western communities' resilience to drought and climate change. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates a total of $8.3 billion over five years for various water infrastructure projects including rural water systems, storage, conservation, conveyance solutions, dam safety measures, purification and reuse technologies, and desalination efforts. Since its enactment in November 2021, Reclamation has announced more than $4.1 billion for over 537 projects.
"With historic resources from President Biden's Investing in America agenda," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, "we are continuing to make significant investments to help states and Tribes fundamentally alter current and future water sustainability and conservation efforts across the country." She added that these resources expedite long-overdue rural water projects ensuring that more Americans have access to clean water through reliable supplies.
Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton emphasized the urgency of addressing aging infrastructure: "Across the country, in rural and Tribal communities," she stated, "pipes and treatment plants are aging, and polluted drinking water endangers public health." Touton noted that investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enable expedited project completions making these communities more resilient against droughts and climate change impacts.
The specific allocations announced include:
- $13 million for Montana’s Rocky Boys / North Central Montana Rural Water System to plan on-reservation pipelines.
- $10 million for Lewis & Clark Rural Water System spanning Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota to expand a treatment plant.
- $9.8 million for Fort Peck Reservation/Dry Prairie in Montana to complete service lines within reservation areas.
- $5 million for Jicarilla-Apache Nation’s data collection and design work.
- $2.6 million for Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Project focusing on raw water pipeline construction.
- $2.5 million for Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System in Montana targeting additional groundwater wells.
These investments build on previous commitments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aimed at enhancing potable water delivery systems across affected regions.
