The City of Las Cruces has been awarded a $75,000 WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The grant will be used to install SMART irrigation technology for the efficient use of water to irrigate parks and ball fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Las Cruces is among 82 water improvement projects in 16 western U.S. states that will share $5.5 million in Bureau of Reclamation grant funds.
The grant will used to install a smart irrigation system at four City parks and two recreation complexes. The system will include evapotranspiration technologies, flow management, cycle and soak capabilities, and will be controlled centrally. The total acreage of parks and fields to be serviced by the project is 58.25 acres. These include Burn Lake Park, High Noon Soccer Complex, Sunrise Terrace Park, Valley View Park, and Young Park.
The project will reduce irrigation water waste and reduce labor requirements. Efficient use of water resources is a primary goal of the City’s Water Conservation Plan. This funding will extend a project that began with a Bureau of Reclamation grant awarded in 2019 in which the smart irrigation technology was piloted at the fields at Hadley Sports Complex and Apodaca Park.
The Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency grants will help local communities make water efficiency improvements.
This program is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior's WaterSMARTProgram, which focuses on improving water conservation and reliability while helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use. The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits.
To find out more information about the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART program, visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.