Westside Sacramento IRWM Projects

Since its inception in 2010, the Westside Sacramento IRWM Coordinating Committee (CC) has successfully obtained over $16,000,000 from state and federal sources to implement regional projects that improve water supply and water quality. Most of the projects have been implemented in economically disadvantaged communities and collectively, they improve the quality of life and climate resiliency for the residents of the Westside Sac region. The projects are described below.

Department of Water Resources Multi-benefit Drought Relief; Dunnigan Area Groundwater Recharge Program

The Dunnigan Area Recharge Program (Program), led by the Dunnigan Water District (DWD), was selected by the CC for the California Department of Water Resource’s 2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Funding in Spring 2022. It was awarded $797,000 as a pilot project to divert water into ephemeral streams and onto fallowed fields to facilitate groundwater recharge.

The Program addresses declining groundwater levels that threaten agricultural and residential water supply and land subsidence. Recharge areas include Buckeye, Dunnigan, and Bird Creeks, Azevedo Drain, and 500 acres of fallowed farmland to provide habitat for migratory shorebirds.

Since the Westside Sacramento CC approved DWD for the initial funding, the pilot project has grown and received funding from multiple other sources. Read more about this exciting project here.

Disadvantaged Community Involvement (DACI) Program for the Sacramento River Funding Area

The State Department of Water Resources designated $3.7 million of DACI grant funding to increase the involvement of Disadvantaged Communities in IRWM activities and projects. That funding was distributed to the Sacramento River Funding Area (SRFA) which is comprised of six IRWM regions (see map).

The DACI Program for the SRFA coordinated outreach with Disadvantaged Communities and Tribes, identified their water-related needs, provided technical support and training to address those needs, and assisted with project development and leveraged funding for those projects. For more information, visit the SRFA DACIP website.

In the final year of the grant (June 2022 – July 2023), the program conducted SRFA-wide outreach to identify communities/ water systems to participate in the creation of a Capital Improvement Plan/CIP. Outreach was conducted across the region, with three Westside Sacramento IRWM region entities participating: Grimes (Colusa County), El Rio Villa (Yolo County), and the City of Lakeport (Lake County). The initial intent was to prepare a standard Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for each jurisdiction. However, after considerable outreach and coordination, it became clear that each jurisdiction has different needs and priorities, as well as markedly different circumstances. The process for each jurisdiction follows:

Grimes: This community has roughly 100 hook-ups, a volunteer Board and no employees. It received a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board to address its arsenic contamination by completely replacing its water treatment facilities. In the meantime, the community needs to manage its existing system, as well as raise its rates to build capital reserves and support system maintenance and repairs between 2023 and the installation of the arsenic treatment facilities in or after 2025. The CIP, therefore, focused on this near-term situation and needs. The final work product is available here.

Lakeport: The City of Lakeport has a strong staff and approached the CIP process from two perspectives – confirming its water/wastewater infrastructure needs and supporting a city-wide bond initiative to ensure full funding. In this case, the CIP confirmed the existing system needs and condition and then generated a “funding memo” to identify funding sources beyond the City-initiated bond. The final Funding Opportunities Summary was completed in October 2022.

El Rio Villa: The El Rio Villa community is managed by the Yolo County Housing Authority. Because of the Management/Administrative structure of the organization, the work effort took an alternative strategy for CIP preparation: focusing on the asset inventory and condition assessment as a tool to help prioritize future infrastructure improvements for the community. The funding for these future improvements is within a much more extensive, multi-community planning process. The CIP process provided an up-to-date assessment of community needs, a vital component of any future funding strategy within the Housing Authority. The final report was completed in July 2023.

DWR IRWM Prop 1 Round 1 Disadvantaged Community Implementation Project

In 2015, the Westside Sac IRWM CC was awarded funding for a suite of projects managed by Lake County Special Districts (LCSD) totaling $4.7M. The six Lake County projects provided critical water line upgrades, new water tanks, emergency water supplies, and water contamination prevention to mostly disadvantaged communities.

The projects are:

1. Spring Valley Lake Reservoir Recovery Project

2. Lake County Sanitation Districts Infiltration & Inflow Reduction Plan

3. Quail Trail Water Line Replacement

4. Live Oak Water Line Replacement

5. Hidden Valley Lake Infiltration & Inflow Mitigation Plan

6. Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District, Water Tank Replacement

Collectively, these projects address the highest priority water infrastructure concerns and contribute to enhanced climate and drought resiliency for communities in Lake County.

US EPA Brownfields; Westside Brownfields Coalition Assessment Project

In 2015, the Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Coordinating Committee received funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency for $467,000 to complete a Brownfields Coalition Assessment Project. The project engaged communities in the Cache Creek and Putah Creek watersheds about abandoned mercury mine sites and other contaminated sites. Brownfields are lands contaminated by former industrial operations that pose significant public health risks to our community and environmental threats to our ecosystems—yet have no identified responsible party to clean them up.

Department of Water Resources IRWM Proposition 84 Implementation Grant

In 2015, the Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Coordinating Committee received $2.2M to implement three projects.

Lake Berryessa RID Water Supply Protection and Enhancement Project, Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
Lower Putah Creek Watershed Infiltration and Invasive Species Removal for Integrated Regional Water Management, Solano County Water Agency (SCWA)
SCWA/Napa Urban/Agricultural Drought Management Project, SCWA and County of Napa

Department of Water Resources Prop 84 Drought Grant

In 2014, the Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Coordinating Committee was awarded $7M to implement five projects.

Paradise Valley Water System Intertie and Consolidation, Lake County Special Districts (LCSD)
Regional Drought Preparedness Canal Modernization Project, Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
Woodland Recycled Water Project, City of Woodland
Hannah Pipeline Water Loss Minimization Project, LCSD
Spring Valley Pipeline Water Loss Minimization Project, LCSD

Stay up to date on meetings & events with our Westside eNews.

info@westsideirwm.com