Department of the Interior Awards $180 Million for Advanced Water Desalination and Aquifer Storage

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Reclamation announced $180 million in competitive grant funding through the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding 14 advanced water purification and groundwater recharge projects in five western states.

Generating 100 Million Gallons of Drought-Proof Water Daily

The funding packages provide capital to construct commercial brackish groundwater reverse osmosis desalination plants, indirect potable reuse purification facilities, and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) injection wells in Los Angeles, San Diego, El Paso, and Salt Lake City. The projects will generate over 100 million gallons of high-purity drinking water daily from previously unusable brackish inland aquifers, insulating western metropolitan areas from volatile surface water droughts along the Colorado River and Sierra Nevada snowpacks.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland stated that investing in advanced water recycling and desalination technology provides reliable, climate-resilient water security for western families and farmers.

Western Water Districts and Municipal Utilities Praise

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) praised the federal cost-share grants for advancing the Pure Water Southern California regional purification megaproject.

El Paso Water highlighted that brackish desalination secures 50-year drinking water security for West Texas.

Construction Milestones

Desalination membrane building and injection well drilling across all 14 project sites will commence in spring 2027.