President Trump is proposing to eliminate a key water conservation program that has sent more than $3.2 billion to Western states, including nearly $1 million for Boulder Creek habitat restoration, CPR reports.
The 15-year-old WaterSMART program provides funding to Western states to address drought and water scarcity, including a grant to the Boulder Watershed Collective to restore 181 acres of “degraded aquatic and riparian habitat” near the headwaters of Boulder Creek. The restoration efforts are meant to increase water reliability, improve water quality, reduce the severity of downstream flooding and improve aquatic habitats, among other goals.
The Boulder Creek restoration is just one of 118 water conservation projects WaterSMART has funded in Colorado since 2010. The program is run through the Bureau of Reclamation, but Trump’s budget proposes eliminating all of the program’s funding, as well as funding for other water initiatives at the bureau.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, this section of Boulder Creek was identified in numerous regional planning efforts, including the City of Boulder Source Water Protection Plan. It includes habitat for the threatened Greenback Cutthroat Trout and Southern Rocky Mountain Boreal Toad.
Trump’s budget proposal is only advisory. Congress will have to decide which elements, if any, to adopt and could still fund WaterSMART.
