Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today highlighted a new $300,000 grant for the City of Goodyear, Ariz., to help recharge the West Salt River Aquifer. The grant is one of 44 projects in 11 states that will receive a total of $20.8 million in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants from the Bureau of Reclamation.

The grants will aid in conserving water for more than 400,000 people, according to federal estimates.

Goodyearwill install five new injection wells so that available reclaimed water can be used to recharge the West Salt River Aquifer. The project is expected to result in water savings of 2,800 acre-feet annually by allowing for the storage of a locally available supply that can be used to meet future demands.

“Drought and our ever-growing population are recipes for serious trouble in the near future, and local governments need these grants to plan ahead,”Grijalva said. “This is timely federal assistance, and I congratulate Goodyear on pursuing and getting these funds to help the community prepare.”

Any entity receiving these funds must provide at least a 50percent match. Eligible entities include states, Native American tribes, irrigation districts, water districts or other organizations with water or power delivery authority in the 17 Western states, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands.

The complete list of projects is available at http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/weeg.To learn more about WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants, please visit www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/weeg.