Guidelines Will Drive Funding Process; Comments Due Oct. 5

With the passage of the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1), California voters authorized the issuance of $7.1 billion in general obligation bonds for water quality, supply and infrastructure improvements in California. Included in Proposition 1 is the Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant Program, which will allocate $100 million in competitive grants for the development of sustainable groundwater plans and projects.

The Grant Program moved a step forward this week as the Department of Water Resources released draft guidelines for the program, as well as a draft Proposal Solicitation Package for Counties with Stressed Basins. The release of these draft documents on Tuesday opened the public comment period, which will close on Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. DWR will hold three public meetings to present the contents of the documents and solicit comments:

• 10 a.m. Sept. 29 in Fresno
• 1 p.m. Sept. 30 in Riverside (this meeting will be webcast)
• 1:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in Santa Rosa

The draft guidelines propose the process and general procedures DWR will use to administer solicitations, submittal and review of grant applications, and to award funding for the Grant Program. Eligible grant applicants include public agencies, nonprofit organizations, public utilities, federally recognized Indian tribes, California Native American Tribes, and mutual water companies.

Under the proposed guidelines, priority for grant funding would be given to projects that leverage private, federal or local funding to produce the greatest public benefit. New and innovative practices would be given special consideration. Prioritization would be based on criteria that include, among other things, the threat of groundwater contamination and the potential of the project to enhance local water supply reliability and to maximize recharge opportunities of vulnerable, high-use groundwater basins. Under the proposed guidelines, DWR would make at least 10 percent ($10 million) of the funds available for projects that serve severely disadvantaged communities.

The proposed Proposal Solicitation Packages would contain detailed information on how counties with nonadjudicated “stressed” basins may apply for each grant solicitation. The Solicitation Packages would work in conjunction with the grant guidelines to disburse Proposition 1 Grant Program funds to counties seeking to address stressed groundwater basins by updating  ordinances or plans. Eligible groundwater basins must be identified by DWR as being in critical overdraft and/or have declining or fluctuating groundwater levels causing impacts, including reduced groundwater storage, seawater intrusion, threatening or degrading water quality, land subsidence, and/or surface water depletion.

Further information about the planned public meetings can be found here.