Sinema’s legislation builds on investments from her bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law
Salt River Project could use investments secured in STREAM Act for future construction to clear sediment at Bartlett Lake
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cosponsored the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture, and Municipalities (STREAM) Act – legislation authorizing investments for water storage, recycling, and desalination projects, building on investments secured in Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.
“Our STREAM Act builds on our bipartisan infrastructure law’s investments modernizing and increasing Arizona’s water supply by strengthening Arizona’s water storage, recycling, and desalination projects, helping ensure Arizona’s water future is safe and secure,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.
The STREAM Act expands Sinema’s work successfully securing $8.3 billion investment in Western water infrastructure included in her bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law. The STREAM Act focuses on water storage project – authorizing $400 million investments for water recycling and $100 million for desalination projects. This legislation authorizes $750 million for storage and conveyance and dedicates an additional $100 million for small water storage projects. Additional authorized investments include $100 million for drought disaster preparation projects and $100 million for drinking water assistance. Importantly for Arizona, the bill authorizes SRP to apply to use IIJA funds in future work to expand critical shortage capacity on the Verde River – which is experiencing storage loss due to a sediment build up – work that is currently in the study phase.
Last week, Sinema received an update on Arizona’s response to the worsening drought conditions in the Lower Colorado River Basin from the Arizona Water Conservation District and the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Sinema’s briefing included updates on the need for additional water conservation, impact on water prices, and potential ideas on augmenting the Lower Colorado River Basin’s water supply, and continued work with the Bureau of Reclamation to release the historic Western water investments in Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law invests in strengthening and upgrading critical water systems and addresses drought with $250 million for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to create or conserve 100,000 acre-feet of water annually for the Lower Colorado River Basin at Lake Mead. Learn more HERE.