Hickenlooper, Bennet Bill to Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Heads to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet's Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC) Act unanimously passed the Senate, and will head to the President's desk to be signed into law. Their bill will lower costs and complete the AVC, a water project that will deliver clean, reliable water to Southeast Colorado communities.

"Water has been the lifeblood of Colorado's Arkansas River Valley since long before JFK promised to deliver them clean drinking water," said Hickenlooper. "Shovels are in the ground and we're now on the way to completing the AVC to deliver reliable drinking water to Southeast Colorado."

"Over six decades ago, President Kennedy came to Pueblo, Colorado and promised to build the Arkansas Valley Conduit," said Bennet. "Now, I am pleased to see my Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act head to the President's desk to be signed into law. This bill will ensure the federal government makes good on its promise to Southeastern Coloradans to deliver a safe and reliable water supply."

The Arkansas Valley Conduit is the final component of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, a water diversion and storage project in the lower Arkansas Valley, which Congress approved in 1962. Once constructed, the Conduit will deliver clean drinking water from the Pueblo Reservoir to more than 50,000 families, producers, and municipalities throughout 39 communities in the Lower Arkansas River Valley.

The Finish the AVC Act would remove interest payments on all non-federal cost share funds and extend the repayment period from 50 to 100 years. This bill helps make sure that underserved communities of Southeastern Colorado can access clean drinking water and repay the federal government. The estimated cost of the project more than doubled from the 2019 estimate of $640 million to $1.3 billion due to increased inflation and labor costs.

Hickenlooper and Bennet have long advocated for increased federal funding for the AVC and reintroduced the bipartisan Finish the AVC Act in January this year. Both senators helped deliver $500 million in funding for the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the AVC, including $250 million earlier this month, $90 million earlier this year, $100 million in 2023 and $60 million in 2022. Following Hickenlooper and Bennet's call to the Senate Appropriations Committee Leadership this April to increase funds for the project, the Committee included $13 million for the AVC in their fiscal year 2025 Energy and Water bill.

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