The types of projects selected to receive grants include canal lining, advanced water metering, and flow measurement and real-time monitoring of water deliveries
WaterSMART grants used to address water canal infrastructure. (Credit: US Bureau of Reclamation.)
The US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has agreed to provide $40.99m in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency grants to 54 projects across 12 states to improve water efficiency.
Projects across California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming were selected by USBR.
The types of projects selected to receive grants include canal lining, advanced water metering, flow measurement and real-time monitoring of water deliveries, and pressurised irrigation systems.
Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman said: “The WaterSMART Program is helping Reclamation address the West’s water challenges. Water and Energy Efficiency Grants provide water districts and communities the needed assistance to modernize their water delivery infrastructure and increase hydropower generation.”
Some of the projects receiving the USBR grants
USBR is granting $300,000 to the City of Grand Junction, located in western Colorado, to upgrade 4,069 manual-read water metres with advanced metering infrastructure compatible metres.
A fixed network data collection system will be also installed by the city to automatically collect and store hourly consumption data from the metres. With the provision of real-time data to customers, it is expected that nearly 741acre-feet of water could be saved annually, which is currently lost to customer overuse and leaks.
Similarly, the Kittitas Reclamation District located near Yakima, Washington, will receive $975,000 for installing 4,637ft of double barrel 60-inch, steel reinforced polyethylene pipe on the existing earthen South Branch Canal. The project could help save 515 acre-feet of water annually, which is currently lost to seepage and operational spills.
USBR stated: “The project is consistent with a memorandum of agreement between Reclamation, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the District to address water management issues in over-appropriated or flow-impaired tributaries to the upper Yakima River.”
The Buffalo Rapids Irrigation Project – District 2, located in eastern Montana, will receive $300,000 to convert 8,660ft of open canal to a closed plastic irrigation pipeline.
The project could result in 1087 acre-feet of annual water savings that is lost to seepage, which will remain in the Yellowstone River.