Finance

Presidential budget includes $1.4 billion in FY2023 for Bureau of Reclamation

Presidential budget includes $1.4 billion in FY2023 for Bureau of Reclamation

The U.S. President’s Budget proposes a $1.4 billion Fiscal Year 2023 budget for the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, to continue Reclamation’s efforts to enhance water and hydropower reliability across the western U.S. This is down slightly from the $1.5 billion the president proposed for Reclamation in FY2022.

The budget supports the administration’s goals of ensuring reliable and environmentally responsible delivery of water and power for farms, families, communities and industry, while providing tools to confront widening imbalances between water and power supply and demand throughout the West.

The proposed FY2023 budget includes $1.3 billion for Reclamation’s principal operating account (Water and Related Resources), which funds planning; construction; water conservation; management of Reclamation; efforts to address fish and wildlife habitat needs; and operation, maintenance and rehabilitation activities (including dam safety) at Reclamation facilities. The budget also includes funding requests of $33 million to implement the California Bay-Delta Program to address water supply and ecological challenges and $45.8 million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund to protect, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and associated habitats in California’s Central Valley and Trinity River Basins.

The FY2023 Budget request complements the funding Reclamation has received through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58), which authorized and appropriated $8.3 billion into Water and Related Resources in $1.66 billion annual installments from FY2022 to FY2026. Section 70101 of this law also appropriated $2.5 billion to support the Secretary of the Interior’s efforts to implement authorized Indian Water Rights Settlements through the Indian Water Rights Settlements Completion Fund.

Reclamation’s budget supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s conservation and climate resilience priorities through funding for programs in the Colorado River Basin to continue to implement drought contingency plans and long-term, comprehensive water supply solutions for farmers, families and communities in California. It also includes continued funding for programs such as WaterSMART that allow Reclamation to work in collaboration with non-federal partners to address emerging water demands and water shortage issues in the West.

The FY2023 budget includes $210.2 million for the Dam Safety Program to address continued critical infrastructure needs and effectively manage risks to the downstream public and $99.7 million for extraordinary maintenance activities across Reclamation — part of a strategy to improve asset management and deal with aging infrastructure to ensure continued reliable delivery of water and power.

Reclamation’s FY2023 request includes $5.0 million in Power and Program Services to advance its clean energy and climate change goals by increasing Reclamation’s hydropower capabilities and value. This funding will also support Reclamation efforts to develop and implement mitigation strategies for supply chain risks to hydropower and asset management efforts.

Other highlights of Reclamation’s FY 2023 budget proposal include:

  • $50.3 million for the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (Wash.) to continue construction of the Cle Elum Fish Passage, development of irrigation district implementation grants, construction of the Toppenish Creek Corridor, and Wapato Irrigation Project conservation improvements.
  • $34.8 million for the Klamath Project (Ore., Calif.), including funds for studies and initiatives related to improving water supplies and addressing competing demands for agricultural, tribal, wildlife and environmental needs.

Reclamation is a contemporary water management agency and the largest wholesale provider of water in the U.S. It brings water to more than 31 million people and provides one out of five western farmers with irrigation water for farmland. Reclamation is also the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the U.S., with 53 hydroelectric powerplants that have produced an average of 40 billion kWh annually over the past decade.

Reclamation’s Commissioner, Camille Calimlim Touton, will speak during the opening keynote address at HYDROVISION International 2022 this July in Denver, Colo., U.S.