Posts By: Gail Delihant
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2020 Annual Water Use Reporting Deadline Soon Approaching
The deadline to submit Supplemental Statements of Water Diversion and Use (statements) or Reports of Groundwater Extraction is three weeks away. The State Water Resources Control Board urges all water right holders to submit their statement or groundwater extraction water use information by the deadline of July 1, 2021. Water rights holders are required to ...
Notice of Intent for Central Valley Salt Control Program due July 15
Earlier this year, the Central Valley Water Board issued Notices to Comply for the Salinity Control Program to all permitted dischargers within its jurisdiction, encompassing three hydrologic regions (watersheds): the Sacramento River, the San Joaquin River, and the Tulare Lake Basin. The deadline to file Notice of Intent for the Salt Control Program is July ...
Applications for NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program Due July 14
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has launched an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to offer farmers and ranchers financial and technical assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices and activities on working agricultural landscapes. Through EQIP, farmers can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices…
New Funding Opportunity for Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Projects
The Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are making federal funding available to improve efficiency of agricultural water use in California. Up to $1.5 million will be awarded by Reclamation in fiscal year 2022 via grants or cooperative agreements to entities with water or power delivery authority, including water districts and ...
CDFA Accepting Proposals for 2021 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is accepting proposals for the 2021 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP), a federal grant opportunity offered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The SCMP will competitively award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projections that address regional or…
CDFA Seeks Members for Specialty Crop Block Grant Technical Review Committee
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking reviewers for the 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Technical Review Committee (TRC). Reviewers must have knowledge and expertise regarding California’s specialty crop industry. The TRC reviews, evaluates and makes recommendations to CDFA on proposals submitted for funding to California’s Specialty Crop Block Grant…
Bureau of Reclamation Offers $2 Million in Ag Water Use Efficiency Funding
The Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are making federal funding available to improve agricultural water use efficiency throughout California. The $2 million in funding for fiscal year 2022 will go towards grants or cooperative agreements to water or power delivery authority entities, including water and irrigation districts, to help modernize water ...
Water Grab Legislation AB 2639 Defeated in California
AB 2639, a bill that would have accelerated the adoption of the Bay-Delta Plan, was defeated in the California Assembly last week due to a coordinated effort of ag and water stakeholders working with key legislators. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) additionally would have prohibited the State Water Board from issuing any ...
CDFA to Host Upcoming Listening Sessions for the Public in Advance of the Farm Bill
The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced four upcoming listening sessions where the public can outline their concerns in advance of negotiation for the 2023 federal Farm Bill. The listening sessions will be held: Aug. 10, 2022 Virtual via Zoom, with Spanish interpretation provided. 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Register here:…
Supreme Court to Review Delta Smelt Appeals Cases
On Friday, U.S. Supreme Court justices will meet to consider several pending appeals, including two that focus on the California water dispute; one from a coalition of water agencies and the second from Central Valley growers. According to the LA Times, lawyers for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, who cite issues raised by ...
California State Water Board — Curtailments May Be Same or Worse in 2015
As the California drought emergency continues, the State Water Resources Control Board (The Board) issued a notice late last week advising all water rights holders that if hydrologic conditions do not significantly improve in the next several months, curtailments in 2015 can be expected to be the same as or exceed those seen in 2014. ...
CA Officials Release Drafts of Spending Schedule and Grant Guidelines for Water Bond Projects
Today, the California Natural Resources Agency released a draft spending schedule and grant guidelines for future water bond projects. The schedule and guidelines were created as a result of Proposition 1, a ten-year water bond that was overwhelmingly passed by voters in November of 2014. The draft schedule details the benchmarks for the first bond ...
Legislature Adopts Water Bills
The California Legislature, approved a $1 billion financing plan this week to speed up spending on water projects and allocated about $75 million in immediate aid for drought-stricken regions. The legislation, which consists of two bills, reportedly accelerates water infrastructure spending, and establishes a grant system for funding water-recycling projects and provides funds for safe ...
SWRCB Orders Immediate Curtailment of Water Diversions; Certification Forms Due May 7
On April 30, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) ordered the immediate curtailment of water diversions for junior water rights holders in the San Joaquin-Sacramento Watershed and Delta. The curtailment notices were effective immediately and were issued to holders of 88 permits and licenses with Term 91 as a condition. Though expected, the ...
Groundwater Management Services Available
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced a local assistance program to support local public agencies seeking to meet requirements of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). DWR is offering in-kind facilitation support services to local public agencies to support SGMA efforts, including forming groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) and developing…
APPLY NOW — $10 Million in Grants Available for CA Ag
Are you one of the many Western Growers members who took advantage last year of drought assistance funding through the State Water Efficiency Program (SWEEP)? Maybe you meant to but never got around to it? Either way, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has opened a new round of funding and is now ...
Groundwater Regulations are Coming: Be Prepared
If your operations are located in one of the regions listed below, it’s time to get the information you will need to protect your interests and get a seat at the table. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is holding a series of Hydrologic Region Groundwater Updates webinars beginning June 4. The updates, prepared ...
“Anti-Degradation Policy” Reviewed by State Water Regulators
California’s long-standing “anti-degradation policy” governing water discharges is being expanded beyond its historical application to individual facilities making discharges to surface water. Recently, the state has moved to apply this policy to water quality programs that regulate discharges to groundwater from agricultural activities (e.g., irrigated agriculture and dairies). Some…
Farmers Could be Flooded with State Water Board Regulations
By Gail Delihant Director, Western Growers California Government Affairs Regulating farmers in California could morph to new heights if the current draft (Draft Order) of the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Water Board) revisions to the Eastern San Joaquin Waste Discharge Requirements is adopted. The State Water Board itself recognizes the breadth of this ...
California Needs Clean and Affordable Drinking Water
By Gail Delihant The concept of having safe and affordable drinking water may seem simple, considering all the advanced technology we have available today. However, nothing is simple when it comes to water in California. For more than four years, Western Growers staff has been cultivating relationships with environmental justice organizations to forge pathways that ...