DWR issues $85.8M in grants for groundwater project funding, area agencies may qualify

With the threat of another drought looming over the horizon, California farmers may have to look underground to irrigate their fields. That can be touchy for water tables, but local water districts may qualify for state funding of groundwater sustainability projects.

The Department of Water Resources is issuing $85.8 million in grants and area agencies are included. Grants are funded through government bonds issued under Proposition 1, which was passed in 2014 to ensure funding for state water projects.

DWR received 78 grant applications from communities across the state, and plans to grant them all if possible. A 15-day public comment period must pass in order for DWR to disperse the funds; the waiting period started Feb. 6. If there are no objections, funding will be awarded in late February.

Among those applications are four local projects by Colusa Groundwater Authority, Linda County Water District, Sutter County Developmental Services and Yuba County Water Agency. DWR said it would disperse grants to disadvantaged communities and developing groundwater sustainability plans.

With this year’s relatively dry winter, DWR officials said it’s imperative to take measures to protect the state’s underground water supplies.

“Groundwater is an important water supply, particularly during times of drought when as much as 60 percent of the state’s water needs may be supplied by groundwater,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Many basins have suffered from over-drafting for decades and it will take decades to bring them back into balance. It’s critical that communities have plans to replenish their groundwater when conditions are wet and ensure supplies stay clean.”

Groundwater is naturally replenished by rain as it seeps into soil. Farmers supplement this natural process by irrigating their fields with water from rivers and streams; the excess trickles into the soil and increases the underground water supply the same way as rain. DWR grants will help local agencies maintain that agriculture practice, and provide new access to groundwater sources.