Congress could let $150M for Colorado River water recycling expire
To keep taps flowing in the parched Colorado River Basin, recycling water that’s already in the system seems like an easy solution.
But pooling enough money to get construction projects off the ground is a challenge big enough that some states fail to recycle any meaningful amount of water in the face of extreme drought. That’s where the Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act comes in.
Introduced Tuesday by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and John Curtis, R-Utah, it could reauthorize $150 million in unallocated federal grants to boost water recycling in the basin. The federal government has doled out $300 million of its intended $450 million, and the remaining funds would expire if this bill doesn’t pass.
“My Large-Scale Water Recycling Project Grant Program has been a vital tool for saving water, mitigating drought, and reducing strain on Lake Mead,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “It’s time to extend this program so it can continue providing water to homes and businesses throughout the Southwest.”
The funds for the grant would need to be spent within five years, if the bill is signed into law.
A boost for SoCal
The program previously gave the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California a sum of $125 million for its Pure Water Southern California Program, according to a news release. The Southern Nevada Water Authority committed $750 million to the development of the project in 2021, in exchange for being able to use more water from Lake Mead.
According to a 2025 basinwide study of water recyling, Nevada reuses about 85 percent of its wastewater, the most of any state by far. Arizona’s figure was about 52 percent, and California’s was 22 percent.
Wyoming and Utah were dead last in the analysis, with 3.3 and 1 percent of wastewater reuse, respectively.
The general managers of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Washington County Water Conservancy District in Southern Utah praised the introduction of the bill.
“Large-scale water recycling projects require a level of investment that exceeds the capacity of any single community,” said John Entsminger of the Southern Nevada agency. “These federal grants provide critical funding to enable sustainable solutions that strengthen water security and build resiliency, helping ensure reliable water resources for millions of Americans.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
