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SoCal Water Recycling Program Gets $80M From State

/in , , /by /KFI Am 640by City News Service

State officials Wednesday presented an $80 million check to advance Pure Water Southern California, a large-scale, regional water recycling program intended to create a new source of water to benefit 19 million people amid changing climate and weather whiplash.

Assemblywoman Lisa Calderon, D-Whittier, Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, and Carson Mayor Pro Tem Jawane Hilton joined water district officials during Wednesday’s event at the Pure Water demonstration facility.

“The climate crisis has strained our region’s water supply,” Calderon said in a statement. “It’s imperative we continue investing in our projects focused on addressing our water needs.”

Pure Water will take cleaned wastewater that is currently sent to the ocean and purify it to produce high-quality drinking water, officials said.

Project partners Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Los Angeles County Sanitation District received funding from the state’s 2022-23 budget to accelerate the project’s design and construction, with the potential to begin construction as early as 2025 and have water deliveries start in 2032.

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Helix Water District Logo Square officers for 2021

Helix Water District Awarded $10.3 Million Grant

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June 8, 2023 – California’s Department of Water Resources announced that it has awarded Helix Water District $10.3 million in grant funds for the district’s drought resilience and drinking water supply reliability project. Helix was one of 26 California agencies, and the only San Diego County agency, to receive a portion of the $217 million in grants awarded in this round of funding.

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Water Authority Awarded $3M from State’s Urban Drought Relief Grant Program

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority was awarded $3.3 million Thursday by the state’s Department of Water Resources for installation of high-efficiency toilets and smart irrigation controllers.

The funding is part of $46 million in grants the department awarded nine projects in six counties. The Urban Community Drought Relief Grant program is intended to “address drought impacts in California’s communities while furthering water conservation,” a statement from the agency reads.

According to the state, the San Diego County projects are expected to provide 1,323 acre-feet in water savings per year and transform up to 333,420 acres to more water-efficient landscapes.

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Pure Water Oceanside Project to Receive $1.7 Million Federal Grant

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by City News Service Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The Secretary of the Interior will be recommending a $1.7 million grant award for construction of the Pure Water Oceanside project, it was announced Friday.

The funding will be awarded via the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects funding opportunity. Oceanside is one of 11 applicants named in the federal appropriations process for this funding.

“We are excited to continue working with the Bureau of Reclamation on Pure Water Oceanside,” said Cari Dale, Oceanside’s water utilities director. “Their continued support along with multiple grant, loan and incentive programs through the EPA, the Department of Water Resources as well as Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority continue to make local water supply development affordable for the city of Oceanside customers.”

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San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Gets $10,000 Grant From REI

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Linda Mcintosh

The nonprofit San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy received a $10,000 grant for its Next to Nature program (N2N) from the REI Co-op. The program shows residents how to create sustainable landscapes that are beneficial for the environment. To show people how to develop eco-beneficial areas around their homes or businesses, the conservancy is working with locally based production company Condor Visual Media to put out six free webinars focusing on Landscape Site Design, Sustainable Gardening, Urban Green Infrastructure, Wildfire Risk Reduction, Water Management and Conservation and Landscape Material and Energy Management.

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Oceanside Gets $1M Federal Grant to Protect, Restore Wetlands

/in , , /by /FOX 5 San Diegoby City News Service

A wetland enhancement project in south Oceanside has been selected as the recipient of a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, it was announced Thursday.

The award was issued through the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grant program, which funds projects that protect, restore and enhance coastal wetland ecosystems.

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California Childcare Centers Get $6,137,000 to Test for Lead in Drinking Water

/in , , /by /Water World

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued $6,137,000 in grants to assist the California Department of Social Services with identifying sources of lead in drinking water in childcare centers.

“Testing for lead in drinking water is critical for the protection of our children,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “EPA is pleased to support California in its efforts to detect and reduce lead in drinking water, thereby protecting children’s health at childcare centers and elsewhere.”

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Santa Barbara Council Accepts $10 Million Matching Grant to Operate Desalination Plant

/in , /by /Noozhawkby Joshua Molina

The Santa Barbara City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday to accept a $10 million grant — with the understanding that it will run the plant at full capacity for at least 36 out of the next 40 years. Some environmentalists objected to the council’s decision, citing environmental concerns.

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Orange County Awarded Grant to Increase Drinking Water Supply

/in , , /by /Water Finance & Management

The Orange County Water District has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant program for use toward the construction of its Groundwater Replenishment System Final Expansion project. Operational since 2008, the GWRS is undergoing its second and final expansion.

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New Grant Helps Assess Benefits of Satellites for Determining Water Quality

/in , , /by /UC Mercedby Leigh Bernacchi

Summertime means fun in the water, but as temperatures increase, algal blooms can grow in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Some algae are natural and life-giving, while others are the result of life out of balance and can have harmful effects. Consisting of bacteria and tiny plankton, they arise quickly and alter the ecosystem by consuming available oxygen, killing fish.

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