Bob Johnson, Regional Director for the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region, will be in Yuma on Tuesday, December 20, to participate in an event recognizing the award of $300,000 Water 2025 Challenge Grants to the Imperial Irrigation District, Yuma County Water Users' Association, and Bard Water District.

A brief ceremony recognizing the awards will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, Cocopah Room, 201 N. 4th Avenue, in Yuma.

Joining Johnson for the event will be Ron Derma, Bard Water District Manager; Charles Hosken, Imperial Irrigation District General Manager; and Don Pope, Manager of the Yuma County Water Users' Association.

Each district received a $300,000 grant.

" The Imperial Irrigation District will use the funds as part of an $857,548 project to install remotely operated automatic gates at the heads of 10 lateral canals. The project will also link the automatic gates into an existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system. This project is estimated to save 115 acre-feet of water annually.

" The Yuma County Water Users' Association will use its grant money as part of a $2 million project to line 5.8 miles of canals. The project will reduce seepage losses and increase water delivery efficiency, saving approximately 7,600 acre-feet of water annually.

" The Bard Water District's grant will partially pay for replacing one half mile of unlined canal that services Quechan Tribal lands with pipe. Bard will also replace two check gates on the main canal and install four high water alarms. This project is anticipated to save 195 acre feet of water annually. The total cost of this project is $909,840.

Water 2025 Challenge Grants - administered by the Bureau of Reclamation - provide water management agencies throughout the West with matching funds to support a variety of projects to make more efficient use of existing water supplies through water conservation, efficiency improvement, and water marketing projects.