Dozens of communities and environmental groups across the Colorado River Basin have petitioned Congress for $2 billion in emergency funding to combat what is being described as one of the most severe hydrologic years in more than a century of recordkeeping. As water supply forecasts drop dramatically, stakeholders are urging lawmakers for a rapid response.
The requested funding would act as a baseline to support a broad array of urgent drought-response initiatives. Proposed projects include paying ranchers and water-rights holders to leave more water in the river, clearing dead vegetation to safeguard critical watersheds from devastating wildfires and restoring headwater lands to slow down water flow and retain moisture.
The plea for infrastructure funding arrives as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation signals it could slash the Lower Basin states' river water allocations by up to 40% under its preferred preliminary plan.
Congress Questions Officials About Potomac River Spill
Lawmakers on a congressional subcommittee recently questioned utility leaders regarding the Jan. 19 collapse of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line. The infrastructure failure dumped over 242 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the Potomac River.
During the hearing, DC Water CEO David Gadis told Rep. John Joyce that the 72-inch pipe was ultimately debilitated by falling boulders. Gadis admitted he'd been aware of boulders near the pipeline since 2018, though he claimed he did not realize the imminent danger they posed. While expressing hope that a similar disaster will not happen again, the utility head cautioned that there are simply no guarantees when managing aging infrastructure that is more than six decades old.
EPA Provides Funds to Monitor Water Quality at Beaches
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing $9.75 million in grant funding that coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes and territories will use to monitor water quality at beaches and to notify the public if elevated levels of bacteria make swimming unsafe.
The funding is authorized by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act and advances EPA’s goals of enhancing cooperative federalism and ensuring that every American has access to clean and safe water.
