Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has introduced a bill to improve infrastructure along the Colorado River amid ongoing crises.
What the Bill Does
Rep. Biggs's Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act includes provisions to reduce federal red tape on infrastructure projects and to create a Basin‑wide Water Augmentation Fund with a 2:1 federal cost share for desalination, reuse, storage, conveyance, aquifer recharge, salt cedar removal, and other supply‑side projects.
Additionally, the bill authorizes and accelerates federal construction to restore the Yuma Desalting Plant to full capacity, binational desalination with Mexico, California ocean discharge capture, augmentation projects in Arizona and Nevada, and Upper Basin projects that increase reliable supply without reducing downstream delivery.
What Biggs is Saying
"The goal of this legislation is simple: add new water, strengthen the Basin, and protect the farms, communities, and military installations that depend on the Colorado River," said Rep. Biggs in a press release. "After the Basin states were unable to reach a long-term consensus agreement and the Bureau of Reclamation imposed significant new reductions on Lower Basin water deliveries for 2027 and 2028, it became more apparent than ever that Congress must pursue solutions that increase water supplies and provide greater long-term certainty."
Moreover, the Arizona congressman emphasized, "My bill offers a path forward by investing in new water, modernizing critical infrastructure, and removing unnecessary federal barriers that can delay projects for years."
"Increasing the amount of water available to the Basin will bolster our single-family housing market, and strengthen food security, economic security, and national security throughout the American Southwest," Biggs concluded. "Congress and the people we serve cannot simply wait for relief from the drought or conserve our way out of this crisis. We must think big, be leaders, and deliver real solutions that will bring relief for decades to come. I urge my colleagues to act quickly and send this legislation to the President's desk."
