From the La Junta Tribune Democrat:
The Conduit was originally authorized in 1962 as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas project. It got its initial $5 million from the federal government last year and that money will be spent during the next two and a half years on the Environmental Impact Statement.
“This project has been on the back burner for over four decades,” said [U.S. Representative John Salazar]. “I have been working hard to push it to the front burner and I’m glad that President Obama has recognized that generations of Southeastern Coloradoans have waited too long for a reliable water delivery system. With this funding, we will put hard-working Americans to work repairing our aging infrastructure and we will provide clean and safe drinking water for generations to come.”
“Water sustains our farms, our families and our communities in Southeast Colorado,” said U.S. Representative Betsy Markey]. “This project has been a long time coming, and I’m happy to see this funding in the budget. Construction of the conduit will not only help ensure clean, reliable water in the future, but it will put Coloradans to work today.”