WASHINGTON — Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined Democratic Senators from the three Lower Colorado Basin states in urging the Department of the Interior to immediately lift its freeze of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. The Senators criticized the Trump Administration’s day-one executive order halting all Inflation Reduction Act disbursements, including the $4 billion passed by Congress for water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other drought-stricken areas in the West.
“This Program, funded with an initial allocation through the Inflation Reduction Act and managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, has been instrumental in increasing water conservation, improving efficiency, and preventing the Colorado River system’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels that threaten water deliveries and power production,” wrote the Senators.
The Colorado River Basin, which supports 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of agricultural land across seven states, depends on a stable and reliable water supply from Lake Mead. The Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program has already added 1.2 million acre-feet of water to the lake in the past two years, raising its elevation by 15 feet. Projects planned for this year were set to conserve 734,000 more acre-feet and add another nine feet to the lake’s elevation.
These savings were pivotal in securing last year’s historic seven-state consensus agreement for operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2026, with Lower Basin States committed to conserving 3 million acre-feet of water. The Trump Administration’s funding freeze jeopardizes these critical conservation goals while undermining similar multistate agreements in the future.
“The need for this water is more urgent than ever. This year’s water outlook is dry, with forecasts predicting below-average supply. Project recipients need certainty that the federal funding they were promised — whether formally under contract or not — will be available so they can plan accordingly,” the Senators continued. “Without continued support from Interior, efforts to conserve water and sustain the communities, economies, and ecosystems that rely on the Colorado River are in serious jeopardy.”
In light of ongoing cuts to the federal workforce, the Senators also pushed to ensure that any cuts do not further impact the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), who are essential to Western water management.
In January, Senator Gallego announced $257.6 million in funding for Colorado River conservation projects in Arizona—including initiatives in Tucson, Gilbert, and for the Central Arizona Project. That funding is now also on hold due to the Trump Administration’s freeze. That’s why Senators Gallego and Kelly are calling for an immediate reversal of the freeze to release these funds and protect Arizona’s water future.
Read the full letter HERE.