Four projects to receive Proposition 1 Central Valley Project Improvement Act Grants

More than $89 million in Proposition 1 Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) grants will be used to fund four projects as announced by the California Natural Resources Agency this week. The projects will measurably increase or improve the reliability of water deliveries to wildlife refuges in the Central Valley, thereby helping meet the mandates of Section 3406(d) of the CVPIA. Section 3406(d) requires delivery of firm water supplies of suitable quality to maintain and improve wetlands on 19 federal, state, and privately-owned wildlife habitat areas.

The Central Valley Project (CVP) is made up of federal reservoirs, such as Shasta Lake, and federal conveyance infrastructure, including the Delta Mendota Canal or the Jones Pumping Plant. The CVP is a federal water project which manages water supplies and conveys irrigation and municipal water to California’s Central Valley.

The CVPIA was enacted in 1992 to revise the CVP’s scope to include the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and associated habitats. The projects selected under the CVPIA Grant Program will assist in meeting this statutory delivery commitment by developing new or improving existing water conveyance facilities, completing current conveyance construction projects, and securing long-term water supplies.

California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said that, “These projects build on existing strong partnerships between federal, state, and private entities. They will increase the reliability of water delivery to wildlife refuges in California, thereby improving critical habitat for migratory and resident wildlife species.”

The funded grant awardees include:

Biggs-West Gridley Water District: Up to $52,458,449

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area Water Supply Project – The project is a collaborative effort between the Biggs-West Gridley Water District and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation to increase water for the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The wildlife refuge is located on the north side of the Sutter Buttes in the mid-Sacramento Valley. The project consists of improving or replacing individual structures along the Biggs-West Gridley Water District canal system. Improvements of the water conveyance facilities will be accomplished by retro-fitting or replacing various structures throughout the canal system.

Ducks Unlimited, Inc.: Up to $5,972,167

Sutter National Wildlife Refuge Lift Station Project – The Sutter National Wildlife (NW) is part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, located about 50 miles north of the metropolitan area of Sacramento and about 12 miles southwest of Yuba City in Sutter County.  The refuge consists of about 2,591 acres consisting primarily of wetlands, with some grasslands and riparian habitats. The SNW Refuge Lift Station Project will provide a large lift pump to access water in an existing canal when refuge levels are very low.

Grassland Water District: Up to $4,008,615

North Grasslands Water Conservation and Water Quality Control Project – Prosition1 CVPIA funds will be used to construct and operate water conveyance facilities and associated pumps and structures, to intercept and recirculate high-quality maintenance flows and operational spill from existing district conveyance during the fall and early winter. The project would recover approximately 5,200 to 16,500 acre-feet annually to meet demands within the managed wetlands of the Grassland Resource Conservation District. As a result of these efficiency improvements more water will be available for optimum habitat management.

Grassland Water District: Up to $26,695,480

North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program Refuge Water Acquisition – The project will take tertiary-treated sewage from the cities of Modesto, Turlock and Ceres and route it through new pipelines — owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — into the Delta Mendota Canal. Area wildlife will also benefit in that Reclamation has the option of purchasing as much as 20 percent of the water for wildlife refuges in the San Joaquin Valley to satisfy requirements of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act.

The four Central Valley projects selected for the CVPIA Grant Program will assist in meeting the Section 3406(d) requirements by developing new or improving existing water conveyance facilities, securing long-term water supplies and completing current conveyance construction projects.