… Protecting the functionality and resilience of this critical resource has never been more important for the Californians and wildlife alike who depend on it every single day. Now, with funds committed to the Central Valley Project from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are ensuring the future of critical water supplies for wildlife refuges and Northern California cities, saving crops from being fallowed in drought years, and keeping water in the San Joaquin River – California’s second largest.  To date, nearly $3 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act has been invested to address drought, promote conservation, and repair aging infrastructure in California. In the Central Valley, these include projects like improvements to the San Benito County Water District’s Accelerated Drought Response Project which, with $6.7 million announced earlier this year, will save an average of 1,035 acre-feet per year of stored water during wet years.
—Written by Deb Haaland, United States Secretary of the Interior