San Joaquin Valley canals snag federal funding for subsidence repairs 

The Department of the Interior announced Tuesday a total of $889 million in federal funding for water infrastructure across the Western United States, with California getting more than two-thirds of the pot for five projects to support improvements to major water conveyance systems and storage.

Those include the Delta-Mendota, Friant-Kern and San Luis canals in the San Joaquin Valley — all aging and sinking from the effects of severe land subsidence.

According to Interior’s press release:

• The Delta-Mendota Canal will receive $235 million, the largest allocation from the legislation. Funding will support rehabilitation of the upper canal, including raising canal embankments, repairing check structures and advancing potential construction of a new concrete-lined canal segment.
• The Friant-Kern Canal will receive $200 million for subsidence correction efforts along the canal.
• The San Luis Canal will receive $50 million to address subsidence issues affecting water delivery reliability.
• The Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority pumping plant will receive $15 million to increase flow rates and improve system performance.
• An additional $40 million will support planning and preconstruction activities associated with raising Shasta Dam, which will increase water storage capacity by approximately 634,000 acre-feet. That volume of water is enough to supply about 2.5 million people for a year.

The federal funding comes from President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025. The legislation provides $1 billion to the Bureau of Reclamation through 2034 to restore and expand existing water conveyance systems and increase surface water storage capacity across the West.

In a press release, Friant Water Authority Chief Executive Officer Johnny Amaral said the Friant-Kern Canal is a lifeline for farms, communities and groundwater recharge efforts. 

“It cannot be overstated how important and lasting this funding will be for FWA and the communities we serve,” he stated. 

Additional projects supported by the One Big Beautiful Bill include:

Idaho 

$30 million to the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District for a conveyance and pump storage project in northern Idaho.

North Dakota 

$100 million to the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project to use existing supply features under the Garrison Diversion Unit to deliver reliable and affordable water for municipal and rural water systems.

$8 million to the Garrison Diversion Unit for repairs at the McClusky Canal and Snake Creek pumping plant.

South Dakota 

$11 million to the Belle Fourche Siphon lining project to repair leaking concrete siphons serving more than 24,000 acres of farmland.

Utah 

$100 million to replace the 110-year-old Highline Canal near Duchesne with an enclosed pipeline to improve safety and water delivery efficiency.

Wyoming 

$100 million for long-term repairs to the Fort Laramie Tunnels in southeast Wyoming to reduce the risk of future system failures.