Headlines
DWR Grant Guidelines Workshop
Monday, March 15, 2010
After months of anticipation, the California Department of Water Resources released draft versions of the Guidelines for the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program funded by Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E. These guidelines, as well as the draft versions of the Project Solicitation Packages (PSP) for Proposition 84 and the Stormwater Flood Management Grants under Proposition 1E, will eventually fund some critical, integrated projects within the Santa Ana River Watershed through SAWPA’s OWOW process.
As the result of SAWPA’s recent success in securing a guarantee of funding for the watershed through the California Department of Water Resources’ Region Acceptance Process, SAWPA will be hosting a workshop with all interested agencies and stakeholders in the Santa Ana Region on Monday, March 22, from 10:00 am – 11:30 am at SAWPA, 11615 Sterling Avenue, Riverside, to prepare for funding opportunities. This workshop will be a review of those guidelines, and we will all have a chance to discuss the PSPs under the SAWPA Santa Ana River Watershed regional grant submission. For the One Water One Watershed Plan (OWOW) stakeholders, this begins the first step in preparing grant funding applications for the initial round of funding under Proposition 84. These projects are particularly important now in a time of scarce resources in helping the Santa Ana River Watershed address the continuing impacts from recent droughts and water import cutbacks. Successful projects will integrate water supply, quality improvement, water recycling, water use efficiency, flood control and stormwater management, environmental justice, and habitat enhancement. Emphasis for funding projects will be placed on those projects that are multi-jurisdictional and multi-benefit in nature, so that public dollars can be fully leveraged for the maximum benefit of the region. This leveraging of financial resources also ensures that our environmental resources are adequately protected and that agencies managing water do not cause unintended impacts for other water managers.
Through the OWOW process, we’ve developed a comprehensive and integrated regional view. As we continue to develop new ways to develop and implement projects, it becomes ever more important that we meet, as a watershed, to discuss these issues and opportunities. Please mark your calendar and RSVP to Lee at sawpaguest@sawpa.org or 951.354.4220.
The draft guidelines and solicitation packages are now available for the general public for review and comment by April 23, 2010, and can be downloaded from http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/integregio_new10.cfm.