The Biden administration is allocating $51 million from its bipartisan infrastructure law to water and ecosystem projects in 11 states, including a $1.2 million investment in the Altar Valley watershed southwest of Tucson.

The 30 projects will be managed through the Bureau of Reclamation and will entail water conservation, management and restoration.

The Altar Valley Conservation Alliance and the Pima County Regional Flood Control District will use natural features to slow flows, improve groundwater infiltration and create surface water habitat for wildlife.

They hope to make the watershed more resilient to climate change, more sustainable for farming and less prone to causing downstream floods.