Kelly, Sinema Announce $8.5M Investment Coming to Arizona for Drought Relief from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly provides Arizona $8.5 million to continue the Verde Reservoirs Sediment Mitigation Project

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema announced that $8.5 million will be invested in Arizona to continue a feasibility study identifying alternatives to address water storage lost due to sediment accumulation and manage future sediment accumulation in Horseshoe and Bartlett Reservoirs from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly.

Kelly and Sinema’s provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide the Department of the Interior $242 million to strengthen clean, reliable drinking water in communities across the West through five water storage and conveyance projects, including $8.5 million to continue the Verde Reservoirs Sediment Mitigation Project.

“Our bipartisan infrastructure law is rapidly addressing critical water challenges in Arizona and the western United States,” said Kelly. “As our state continues to deal with the consequences of a historic drought, this investment will help us identify and develop solutions to better adapt to drought conditions.”

“Arizona jobs, economic opportunities, and the health of our communities all depend on clean and sustainable water. The historic investments we secured in our bipartisan infrastructure law continue to strengthen Arizona’s water systems and help secure our state’s water future,” said Sinema, co-author and negotiator of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Sinema led bipartisan Senate negotiations with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that included Kelly and senators from both parties.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the strongest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in U.S. history, delivering clean water to millions of American families – and more than $8 billion to strengthen water infrastructure throughout the American West, such as aging infrastructure, water storage, water recycling, drought contingency plans and dam safety.

This funding specifically includes $300 million over the next five years for water reclamation operations under the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan. Of this funding, $250 million is for the Bureau of Reclamation to create or conserve 100,000-acre feet of water annually for the Lower Colorado River Basin at Lake Mead.

The bipartisan infrastructure law was supported by groups including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, The National Association of Manufacturers, The AFL-CIO, The National Retail Federation, The Bipartisan Policy Center, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Outdoor Industry Association, The American Hotel and Lodging Association, The National Education Association, as well as hundreds of mayors across all 50 states.