An unprecedented $8.5 billion worth of investments has been advanced to conserve, store, and deliver more water to California communities. Recent state investments have also focused on protecting Californians from historic flooding. Recently, California announced over a quarter of a billion dollars for projects throughout the state to continue accomplishing these goals.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR), through the Urban Community Drought Relief Grant program, has awarded over $217 million to 44 projects that will help communities strengthen drought resilience and better prepare for future dry conditions – helping advance efforts outlined in Governor Gavin Newsom’s strategy to adapt California’s water supply for a hotter and drier future.
Here are some of the projects due for funding.
Flood Risk Management/Groundwater Recharge
In San Joaquin County, Stockton East Water District will receive $12.2 million to divert water from the New Hogan Reservoir for groundwater recharge and drinking water purposes. In Fresno County, the City of Fresno will receive $5.2 million to make improvements to the existing Leaky Acres Basin to maximize the capture of surface water during flood events.
Water Conservation/Yard Transformation
In Stanislaus County, the City of Modesto will receive $2.3 million to replace 17.79 acres of non-functional turf grass with drought tolerant landscaping at 21 parks for an estimated water savings of over 54 acre-feet annually.
Improved Water Supply Reliability
In Santa Clara County, the City of Morgan Hill will receive $4 million to construct a new 850,000-gallon aboveground steel water supply reservoir.
In Santa Cruz County, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District will receive $4.5 million to replace nine leaking water storage tanks with six fire-resistant steel tanks, to significantly increase the district’s current storage capacity from 160,000 to 720,000 gallons. This funding will help to rebuild the district’s infrastructure, much of which was destroyed during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
Additionally, in May the Administration dedicated $71 million to address drinking water shortages, species protection, and populations particularly impacted by drought. These efforts include $10 million to provide immediate and near-term financial and technical support to help small communities whose water supplies have been impacted by drought; $55 million to address dry wells by providing hauled water and well repair and replacement; and $5 million to provide direct relief grants for small-scale and historically underserved farmers, as well as other smaller projects.
