Historic State Surpluses & Federal Aid Bring Billions for Cal Water Infrastructure
$43b includes H20 improvements; $3.7b/climate resilience; Also $571m/Prop 1; $240m/Prop 68; $50m/SD Pure Water; Environmental justice $130m
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act , the biggest stimulus package in American history, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, both passed last year, and record state budget surpluses, as well as bond measures passed by voters in 2014 (Prop 1) and 2018 (Prop 68), California should be well set and then some to start addressing its water infrastructure needs without “streamlining” environmental protection laws.
A Jan. 26 webinar sponsored by the Southern California Water Dialogue has a panel of experts explaining with numbers what the unprecedented funding surge will mean for California water projects and programs. The panel includes:
Abby Schneider, Federal Executive Legislative Representative for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Rachel Ehlers, Principal Fiscal & Policy Analyst, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife, Legislative Analyst’s Office
Jose Solorio, Member, California Water Commission
Alesandra Najera, Program Officer, Healthy Communities, Water Foundation.
Some of the spending categories mentioned in the following reports are self explanatory, but some, like “Resources and Environment,” “resilience projects,” and “Climate Resilience Package,” not so much. However, for the latter, Ms. Ehlers breaks the $3.7 billion package into three subcategories over three years for the state:
$768 million for multi-benefit and nature-based solutions
$500 million for coastal protection and adaptation projects
$403 million to protect fish and wildlife from changing conditions
State funding from ARPA has already been disbursed, but county, city, and “other” funds will be disbursed by this spring. Each level of government will decide specifically what projects to fund within the legal guidelines. As that process unfolds, I intend to follow some specific project examples.
Mr. Solorio’s report was a brief update on Prop 1 (2014) funded projects—seven are now lined up ($572 million worth of $2.7 billion total) and can be seen as part of the whole presentation linked to at the end of this story.
The first segment is by Ms. Schneider with details from the federal funding and a summary of California’s share of that.
To view her recorded presentation, click below.
Rachel Ehlers’ presentation with details of state funding for water projects
State funding details (video)
Alesandra Najera on State and Federal policies re: environmental justice issues
Alesandra Najera, environmental justice (video presentation)
Links:
CSD’s low income household water assistance and arrearage program: https://www.csd.ca.gov/waterbill
Press release with summaries of WSIP projects and milestones met: https://cwc.ca.gov/-/media/CWC-website/files/documents/press/wsip_eligibility_pressrelease_121521.pdf
Entire webinar