Hickenlooper, Bennet Welcome $4.8 Million for Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration

WaterSMART program receives funding from the senators’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON –
Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet welcomed the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR)
announcement
of $4.8 million in WaterSMART grant funding for three Colorado ecosystem restoration projects.
BOR provided the investment through its
WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects
program, which is funded by the senators’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Long-term drought is reshaping Colorado rivers, threatening the delicate ecosystems that make life in the West possible,”
said Hickenlooper.
“Our
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
is empowering Colorado communities to protect them.”
“Climate change isn’t a future condition in the West––it’s here now,”
said Bennet.
“As communities across our state face dwindling water resources and historic drought, I’m grateful that these investments will help Colorado’s nonprofit partners work with local governments to restore critical waterways and wildlife habitat.”
The WaterSMART
Environmental Water Resources Projects
support ecosystem restoration efforts that increase water reliability, all developed through collaborative local efforts. The $4.8 million will fund three restoration projects on Boulder Creek, Willow Creek, and the Upper Colorado River.
A full list of selected Colorado projects is available below:
Project Title
Location
Purpose
Funding Amount
Boulder Creek Headwaters Resiliency Project
Boulder
Restore 181 acres of degraded aquatic and riparian habitat along the Boulder Creek Watershed
$954,204
Ecological Stream Restoration of Willow Creek
North Creede
Establish 2.2 acres of vegetated floodplain and restore 3,300 linear feet of Willow Creek to increase watershed resilience
$2,450,719
Upper Colorado River Ecosystem Enhancement Project
Granby
Restore two stream reaches on the Fraser River and Willow Creek to create habitat for wildlife and improve stream function
$1,425,859
More information on the Colorado projects is available
HERE.
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