Colorado's U.S. senators celebrate funding to secure clean water for part of southeastern Colorado

This week Colorado's two U.S. senators along with local leaders in the Pueblo area celebrated funding to secure clean water for a portion of the state. It's part of a project that should help provide fresh water to more than 50,000 Coloradans.

The Arkansas Valley Conduit -- a 130-mile pipeline project -- is getting $60 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A news release from Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. John Hickenlooper described the conduit, a project that was started 60 years ago, as follows:

The AVC is a planned 130-mile water-delivery system from the Pueblo Dam to communities throughout the Arkansas River Valley in southeast Colorado.

President John F. Kennedy signed the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project Act in 1962, authorizing the construction of what eventually will be the second largest water project in Colorado, (behind only the Colorado-Big Thompson). The diversion of Western Slope water originating in the Fryingpan and Roaring Fork rivers near Aspen into Pueblo Reservoir was completed by 1982. But the last stretch reaching the smaller communities of Lamar and Eads -- a portion that's referred to as the Arkansas Valley Conduit -- was put on hold due to funding and is only now getting close to completion.

Communities along the Arkansas River east of Pueblo have to endure poor water quality due to naturally occurring radioactive contaminants such as radium and uranium, and also from surface water that contains harmful microorganisms and pollutants, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

The AVC will deliver as much as 7,500 acre-feet of water from Pueblo Reservoir annually. Water will flow by gravity, with the exception of one pumping station in Eads.

Organizers also hope it will help with fighting future wildfires.

"So we're not just fighting fires on the back end to the tune of $50,000 an acre, but were working with Chaffee County and other folks around the state to make sure we're doing things on the front end," Sen. Michael Bennet said at a news conference on Thursday.

This new funding will expedite the construction timeline for the AVC and allow for federal drinking water standards to be met more quickly by local water providers.