Proposition 68 Implementation – Round 1 Draft Funding Recommendations for Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program Released for Public Comment
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has released the draft funding recommendations for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program’s Proposition 68 Implementation Round 1 grant solicitation. A total of $26 million in financial assistance has been recommended for projects that address drought and groundwater challenges to achieve regional sustainability with investments in groundwater recharge in critically overdrafted (COD) basins.
DWR received 15 applications requesting over $70 million in grant funding. Of the $26 million available from Proposition 68, $5 million will be used towards projects that are within and solely benefit underrepresented communities.
The six recommended awards are comprised of 16 individual construction projects within COD basins that will construct seven new and expand three existing recharge basins covering over 130 acres, several serving communities with limited access to safe, affordable drinking water. An additional three projects will cover over 45,000 acres of agricultural land (e.g., row crops, vineyards, orchards) in an innovated approach referred to as Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR). All of these projects will improve groundwater conditions, increase water supply reliability, increase drought resiliency, reduce flood risk, improve groundwater quality, and reduce surface subsidence.
All of the recommended awards will benefit underrepresented communities, defined broadly in this grant program to more equitably include Tribes and other at-risk communities who may not meet the narrow definitions used in previous programs. The projects recommended for award will result in improved conditions to make wells more reliable and less likely to dewater, reduced risk of subsidence, increased drought resiliency, reduced flood risks, more reliable dry year water supplies for future droughts, and enhanced groundwater quality.
These funding recommendations are subject to public review for 15 calendar days, beginning on March 5, 2021 and ending on March 22, 2021. If you are an applicant and would like to set up a meeting with a SGM Grant Program representative to discuss the draft awards during that time, please email SGWP@water.ca.gov and provide the application number and applicant name within the Subject line of the email.
Following the review and consideration of public comments, DWR will release the final list of awards.
Please submit comments on the draft funding awards during this period using the following method:
- Electronic Mail
Transmitted comments should be sent to SGWP@water.ca.gov. Electronic files should be Microsoft Word compatible or PDF. PDF is preferred. Please use the Subject: Prop 68 SGM Implementation Round 1 Draft Award Comment Letter.
For more information on document releases, new solicitations, upcoming workshops, and other grant-related announces, subscribe to the SGM Grant Program mailing list.
If you have any questions, please submit to: SGWP@water.ca.gov.