The Interior Department will provide $125 million for a program that compensates water users, including farmers, on the Upper Colorado River who voluntarily conserve water. The money for the System Conservation Pilot Program was part of $728 million announced by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Monday for Western water projects.
“Empowering voluntary conservation is a critical part of managing our diminished water supplies,” said Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, who sponsored legislation last year to reauthorize the pilot program, which initially ran from 2015-18.
Farmers and ranchers could be paid from $330 to $400 per acre-foot of water under the revived program, depending on how long they carry out conservation measures, said the news site Colorado Politics.
“There is no target volume for conservation for SCPP 2023 participation,” said the Upper Colorado River Commission. “It is a voluntary, temporary, and compensated program to put forward additional reductions in 2023, and therefore participation is not known in advance of program initiation.” Applications to join the program are due by March 1.
The Bureau of Reclamation was reviewing applications for a similar program on the Lower Colorado River “and expects to make additional announcements in the coming months to support water conservation and address the ongoing drought,” said the Interior Department. The government is seeking large reductions in water usage in the Colorado River Basin.