The United States Department of the Interior has unveiled a major funding package totalling $889 million for water infrastructure projects across six western states, channelled through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — legislation signed by President Donald Trump on 4 July 2025.
The Bureau of Reclamation will administer the funds with the aim of improving water conveyance networks, expanding storage capacity and modernizing aging infrastructure serving both agricultural and municipal users. Allocations are directed at projects in California, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, with disbursements scheduled through to 2034.
California accounts for the largest share at $540 million, spread across five projects:
- Delta-Mendota Canal – $235 million: Embankment upgrades, structural repairs and potential construction of a new concrete-lined segment.
- Friant-Kern Canal – $200 million: Remediation of land subsidence along the canal corridor.
- San Luis Canal – $50 million: Subsidence correction to restore water delivery reliability.
- Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority pumping plant – $15 million: Upgrades to increase flow capacity and system performance.
- Shasta Dam – $40 million: Planning and preconstruction work towards raising the dam, which could add approximately 634,000 acre-feet of storage — enough to supply around 2.5 million people for a year.
Beyond California, the remaining $349 million is distributed across six projects in five states:
- Idaho – $30 million: Conveyance and pump storage project for the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District in northern Idaho.
- North Dakota – $100 million to the Eastern Alternate Water Supply Project utilising existing Garrison Diversion Unit infrastructure to deliver water to municipal and rural systems, plus $8 million for repairs to the McClusky Canal and Snake Creek pumping plant.
- South Dakota – $11 million: Lining of the Belle Fourche Siphon to repair leaking concrete siphons serving more than 24,000 acres of farmland.
- Utah – $100 million: Replacement of a 110-year-old canal near Duchesne with an enclosed pipeline to improve safety and delivery efficiency.
- Wyoming – $100 million: Long-term repairs to the Fort Laramie Tunnels in the south-east of the state to reduce the risk of future system failures.
"These investments strengthen our nation's water security, modernize aging infrastructure and support the farmers, communities and industries that depend on reliable water supplies," said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
