Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland was in the Valley last week to talk about a variety of water-related topics, and she dropped in for a visit to the Rio Salado Audubon Center.

During her trip to the Valley, Haaland talked about funding for Indian water settlements and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

But the government is working on a long-term project to rejuvenate the Salt and Gila Rivers, and the secretary was able to see some of the progress that’s been made near downtown Phoenix.

“Secretary Haaland was here to talk about the bipartisan infrastructure law," said Haley Paul of Arizona Audubon, "as well as the Rio Reimagined project and all the different ways that the federal government programs connect to restoring the Gila and Salt River.”

The goal of the project, called Rio Reimagined, is to renovate the river from Granite Reef Dam to the Gila.