On February 13, 2023, the DOI announced a $728 million investment in drought mitigation and the delivery of clean drinking water to Tribal and rural communities in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The investment aims to enhance the sustainability of the Colorado River System.
$125 million of this investment was appropriated through section 50233 of the IRA, and supports the relaunch of the Upper Basin System Conservation Pilot Program in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The program is intended to support water management and conservation efforts, improve water efficiency, and protect the sustainability of the Colorado River System. From 2015 to 2018, the pilot program tested new approaches for water conservation on the Colorado River. These temporary, voluntary, and compensated approaches successfully increased short-term water efficiency and drought mitigation. The February 2023 investment will reboot the pilot program, a project carried out by the Bureau of Reclamation and Upper Colorado River Commission.