Public Meeting and Comment Period on Draft Funding Recommendation Water Desalination Grant Program - Prop 1 Grants Continuous Application

Since the March 30, 2018 start date of the continuous application period, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has received 11 applications in response to the Water Desalination Grant Program Continuous Application. The Continuous Application Process is conducted with the same submittal and review process described in the June 16, 2017 Round 4 Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) and the January 24, 2018 Continuous Application Process Guidance.  To date, DWR has awarded grants totaling $45.7 million from Proposition 1 funds for 13 projects ranging from $111,326 to $10,000,000 to support the development and construction of potable desalination projects in California. 

In the Continuous Application Process (CAP), funds are awarded on a first ready, first served basis to eligible applications that pass the review process until all grant funds are exhausted. Pursuant to the PSP, Research Pilot projects are not eligible to submit applications during the Continuous Application Process.

Of the 11 CAP applications received, five applications were reviewed in the first group of projects under CAP (referred to as CAP1) and 4 were awarded funding in March 2019; one project was determined to be ineligible. Four applications were reviewed in the second group under CAP2 and three are recommended for funding; one application is deferred to the next group of applications. Two construction projects and one design pilot project are recommended to receive CAP2 funding totaling approximately $14 million (see Table 1 for details). The remaining applications will be considered in the next group of applications, to be referred to as CAP3.

The recommended funding awards are consistent with the funding caps presented in the PSP. Some of the recommended awards are subject to some minor conditions as shown in Table 1.

Prospective grantees should be aware that receiving grant funds and execution of a grant agreement will be contingent upon compliance with applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the PSP.

DWR staff will conduct an online public meeting and accept public comments:

 

-   Date and Time:         May 13, 2019 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

-  Agenda:                   Present the draft funding recommendation, provide information of next steps, and accept public comments.

-   Skype Meeting Link: https://meet.lync.com/cawater-water/andria.avila/C2L8V683

-   Conference Line:      916-573-2034

-   Conference ID:         84318019

 

Comments will be accepted during the online public meeting. Grant applicants and the general public can also submit written comments on this draft funding recommendation.  Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 16, 2019. Please submit written comments:

 

• By e-mail  to: DesalPSP@water.ca.gov.

   

• Or by mail to:

Sean Sou

Statewide Infrastructure Investigations Branch

Department of Water Resources

P. O. Box 942836

Sacramento, California 94236-0001

 

This information is also posted on DWR’s website at:

https://water.ca.gov/Work-With-Us/Grants-And-Loans/Desalination-Grant-Program

 

Continuous Application Process Suspended

 

DWR anticipates that the Proposition 1 Water Desalination Grant Program funds under the Continuous Application Process may be exhausted if all the completed applications that have already been submitted to DWR are recommended for grant award. Therefore, DWR has suspended the Continuous Application Process effective April 23, 2019, and no new applications will be accepted.  If after the review of applications submitted as of April 23, 2019, funds remain available, DWR will reopen the Continuous Application Process through the online Grants Review and Tracking System (GRanTS) for application submittal. 

 

For more information, please contact Sean Sou at (916) 651-9269 or by e-mail at sean.sou@water.ca.gov 

 

Proposal Number	Type	Applicant	Project Title	Total Project Cost	Requested Funding	Recommended Grant Award	Remaining Issues[1]
C-2018-02	Construction	Southern California Edison Company	Southern California Edison Catalina (Avalon) Desalination Plant 2	$3,610,575	$3,610,575	$3,610,575[2]	Prior to entering into a funding agreement applicant shall provide a procedure to calculate actual incremental increases of water supply to the service area attributable to the funded project during the five-year performance reporting period
C-2018-05	Construction	California American Water Company	Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project	$66,419,385	$10,000,000	$10,000,000	Before disbursement of funds, grantee must comply with CEQA
DP-2018-09	Design Pilot	City of Thousand Oaks	Los Robles Golf Course Groundwater Utilization Pilot Project	$854,749	$426,830	$426,830	Include in Task 4 of the funding agreement: 1) water quality sampling of potable system near the proposed connection and 2) quantification of wastewater salinity increase and impacts to downstream users.
Total Applications Recommended for Funding				$70,884,709	$14,037,405	$14,037,405

[1] The questions shown in Table 1 may not include everything to be resolved during contracting.  The Review Summary to be provided to each applicant will provide a comprehensive list.

 

[2] Cost share waiver granted for project serving a disadvantaged community.