The Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act unanimously passed the U.S. Senate this week and is now headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law, marking a major milestone for water infrastructure in southern Colorado.
The bipartisan legislation was sponsored by Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and is designed to help complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a long-planned water delivery system approved in 1962 as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The conduit is considered critical for managing and delivering clean, reliable water supplies to communities in the Upper Arkansas Basin, including Chaffee, Lake, and Fremont counties.
In the House of Representatives, Colorado lawmakers Lauren Boebert and Jeff Hurd played a key role in advancing the effort, securing passage of identical legislation in July. The coordinated support across party lines helped clear the path for the bill’s final approval by Congress.
Supporters of the measure say completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit will improve water quality, enhance long-term water security, and support economic stability for communities that have waited decades for the project to be fully realized.
With congressional approval now complete, the bill awaits the President’s signature to officially become law.
