The California Water Commission recently heard proposals for 11 different projects at the agency’s December meeting. Proponents of the various projects all made presentations to the commissioners, with time available for public comment on the proposals.
The proposals are each competing for a portion of the funding made available as part of the Proposition 1 water bond. All combined, the applications for the Water Storage Investment Program are requesting approximately $5.7 billion in funding, twice the amount that is available in the $2.7 billion-dollar Prop 1 account. The Commission’s staff will likely adjust the public benefit calculations during the review process and reduce the funding amount the projects would be eligible to receive.
Funding will only be granted for eligible water storage projects that stand to improve the operation of California’s water system. Projects must be cost-effective and provide a net improvement to ecosystems along with water quality conditions. The Commission can only provide funding for the public benefits derived from the projects, such as flood control, recreation, and emergency response.
The nine members of the California Water Commission have indicated they would make their decision by June. Information on all the projects that were presented is available through the Commission’s website.