California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced yesterday the awarding of $25.4 million in grants to help local agencies implement projects to meet the long-term water needs of their communities.
More than half the funding will support projects that help disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, including Tribal Governments and will be for things like groundwater recharge and stormwater management.
“State, local and Tribal partnerships are essential for all Californians to secure a reliable, high quality water supply, particularly in the face of a changing climate,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We are proud to support these projects–they help make good on California’s commitment to the human right to water.”
Among the grantees is the city of Huron, which will receive $650,000 to construct new groundwater supply and monitoring wells. Groundwater will be blended with surface water run-off from the Sierra Nevada and treated at the city’s water treatment facility. The project will improve the quality and reliability of this disadvantaged community’s drinking water supply, and replenish regional groundwater basins during years when rainfall and snowpack are plentiful.
The Tribal Government of Blue Lake Rancheria in Humboldt County will receive more than $375,000 to add more storage to its water distribution system. The additional storage will help ensure an uninterrupted water supply during dry conditions or other potential natural disasters.
The grant program is funded by Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water bond approved by California voters in 2014.
