White House Announces $13 Million To Repair WA Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON — Washington is one of 11 states that will benefit from a Department of the Interior plan to spend $240.4 million to repair aging water infrastructure systems across the West Coast.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making a historic investment in drought resilience and water infrastructure,” said Secretary Deb Haaland in a news release. “As western communities face growing challenges accessing water in the wake of record drought, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will safeguard community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems.”

The funding, announced Monday by the Biden administration, will be sent to 46 projects across 11 western states. The administration called the move one of the largest investments in drought resilience in American history, alongside an $8.3 billion investment in funding for water infrastructure programs and $1.4 billion for ecosystem restoration and resilience.

Two of the projects are in Washington, one in Yakima County and another in the Columbia Basin. The Yakima project will repair the Yakima-Tieton Main Canal, installing new lining until the 111-year-old main canal can be fully replaced or upgraded. The Columbia Basin project will replace about 1,500 feet of the west canal, adding new drain pumps and protecting homes downstream of the canal. Together, the projects will cost slightly over $13 million.

“The Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with states and local water districts receiving municipal water and irrigation water from federally-owned projects, is responsible for much of the water infrastructure in the West,” said Acting Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo. “These water systems work because of this federal to non-federal partnership, and this funding will help to complete necessary extraordinary maintenance keeping projects viable and partnerships strong."

Of the $240.4 million in approved spending, the largest chunk will go to a project in Boise, Idaho, funding a $50 million project to line 6 miles of the city's New York Canal. Other big ticket items include $35 million to line the Truckee Canal in Nevada, and $27 million to replace sludge pipes near Yuma, Arizona.