Over $33 million for Blue Mesa Reservoir projects
Funding comes from the senators’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet celebrated the Department of Interior’s (DOI) announcement of over $61 million in federal loans for six Colorado projects to update aging water infrastructure, increase drought resilience, and improve hydropower generation. The funding is provided through the DOI’s Aging Infrastructure Account, which received over $3 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Our water is too precious to waste even a drop on outdated infrastructure meant to deliver and conserve our water supplies,” said Hickenlooper. “Our BIL is fixing that. These updates will help save water and make us more resilient to drought.”
“As Colorado and the West face historic drought, we must act to safeguard clean water for future generations,” said Bennet. “These Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments will revitalize aging water delivery systems across the West and help ensure Colorado’s families, farmers, and Tribes have access to a safe, reliable water supply.”
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda provides transformational resources to safeguard clean, reliable water for families, farmers and Tribes,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “As we work to address record drought and changing climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the West, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will conserve community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems.”
Hickenlooper and Bennet fought to include $8 billion for western water infrastructure, $10 billion for forests, $19 billion for agricultural conservation, and $4 billion for drought in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Full details on the projects receiving funding are below:
| Location | Title | Project Description | Amount |
| Blue Mesa Reservoir | Blue Mesa Powerplant Butterfly Valves Replacement | Replace the two existing 156″ butterfly valves at the Blue MesaPowerplant and refurbish the two existing Ring Follower Gates at the Blue Mesa Dam. | $32,035,759 |
| Blue Mesa Reservoir | Blue Mesa Powerplant Access Road Pavement | Pave the public access road to Blue Mesa powerplant. | $1,300,000 |
| Blue Mesa Reservoir | Blue Mesa Station Service Transformer Electrical Bus Replacement | Replace the electrical bus from the station service transformer to thestation service switchgear. | $650,000 |
| Mt. Elbert Forebay | Mt. Elbert Unit 2 Seal Ring Replacement | Design and fabricate of headcover supports and draft tubeplatforms, load testing of current below-the-hook lifting devices, disassembly of Unit 2,removal and replacement of the stationary and rotational seal rings, and reassembly ofUnit 2. | $20,000,000 |
| Turquoise Lake | Boustead Tunnel Weep Holes Drilling | Install 299 additional weep holes and the cleaning of 293 existing weepholes throughout the 5.5-mile tunnel to relieve and prevent the buildup of hydrostaticpressure behind the tunnel concrete lining. | $4,632,800 |
| Upper Molina Power Plant | Upper Molina Penstock Emergency Shut Off Valve | Install a remotely operated emergency isolation valve to prevent catastrophic flooding in case of rupture. | $3,000,000 |
Full list of selected projects available HERE.
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