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Costa Announces $5.3 Million to Improve Valley Water Systems

May 4, 2012

Fresno, CA. – Rep. Jim Costa announced that $5.3 million has been awarded to 5 Central Valley water districts to improve efficiency in water delivery, storage, and management. The funds were part of a cooperative program between the Agencies of the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation) and Agriculture (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

"Everyday our farmers work to make sure that they make good use of available water," said Costa. "These funds will help our water districts get that water to users more reliably and efficiently. The grants announced today are one more step towards meeting our Valley's short- and long-term water needs."

The following water districts will receive funding:

Tulare Irrigation District

Canal Modernization Project, Phase II

Reclamation Funding: $467,200, Total Project Cost: $934,400

The district will install flow measurement and automated delivery devices at the headworks of Packwood Creek, Evans Canal and regulating basins within the district. The project will improve water management capabilities within the district's canal system and facilitate flexibility to meet grower irrigation demands. The project will reduce system spills and is expected to save 1,355 acre-feet of water annually.

Rancho California Water District

Enhanced Agricultural Efficiency Program

Reclamation Funding: $174,355, Total Project Cost: $350,382

The district will implement remote sensing technologies that include weather stations for localized evapotranspiration data and probes for generating soil moisture data. The project will provide more accurate data for estimating crop water requirements, improve irrigation scheduling and efficiency, optimize crop yields, and reduce soil erosion and deposition of fertilizer-borne pollutants into local surface and ground waters. The project is expected to conserve 276 acre-feet of water annually.

Firebaugh Canal Water District

Second Lift Canal Lining Project, Phase III

Reclamation Funding: $500,000, Total Project Cost: $2,150,000

The project will allow concrete lining of 2.2 miles of earthen canal to prevent seepage, as well as eliminate high sediment loads in delivered water. By decreasing suspended silts, growers can reduce the back flushing and filtering needed for efficient farm irrigation systems such as drip, or sub-surface, drip irrigation. Through reductions in seepage, the project is expected to conserve 485 acre-feet of water annually.

Central California Irrigation District

East Ditch Reservoir and Santa Rita Canal Reservoir Project

Reclamation Funding: $1,000,000, Total Project Cost: $3,700,000

The proposed project will construct two regulating reservoirs to capture operational spills and drain water from canals. The reservoirs will provide mid-stream storage to hold the captured water and release it back into the irrigation system as needed, improving delivery flexibility and providing more precise control of irrigation flows. The project is expected to conserve 12,000 acre-feet of water annually.

Henry Miller Reclamation District

Lower Arroyo Canal Modernization Project

Reclamation Funding: $117,532, Total Project Cost: $239,350

The project will install five long crested weirs on the Lower Arroyo Canal. The weirs precisely control canal water levels and help prevent system spills. Installing the weirs will reduce water level fluctuations, providing more constant deliveries to improve reliability and flexibility of deliveries to growers. It will also promote accurate measuring and water accounting. The project is expected to conserve 4,750 acre-feet of water annually.