Trump veto puts Arkansas Valley Conduit water funding in doubt

President Trump used the first veto of his second term in late December to kill legislation that would have aided the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a long‑planned pipeline meant to bring clean drinking water to about 50,000 people in Colorado’s southeastern plains. Congress had unanimously passed the bill, sponsored by Representative Lauren Boebert, to provide preferential loan terms, lower interest rates and possible loan forgiveness for the project.

The federal government already covers about 65 percent of the pipeline’s cost; its estimated price has doubled to $1.3 billion since 2019. In his veto message Mr. Trump called the project a waste of taxpayer money, saying, "Enough is enough." The water agency building the conduit says it has put 12 miles of pipe in the ground and will continue work, but officials acknowledge it is unclear how construction will proceed without the bill’s loan relief.

Residents and local leaders in towns such as Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Swink and Wiley — where groundwater can contain unsafe levels of uranium and radium — said they were bewildered and angry. "I can’t believe he would do that to us," said Shirley Adams, the Republican mayor of Manzanola.

Brandi Rivera said her family "won’t even use the water to brush our teeth or wash our face" and buys bottled water 25 miles away. Some conservative residents endorsed the veto, calling the decades‑long project a waste; others blamed national politics and vowed to vote in protest.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Arkansas Valley Conduit, Lauren Boebert, Tina Peters, Colorado