August 5, 20021 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, applauded the inclusion of California water priorities in the Energy and Water funding bill for fiscal year 2022, which was advanced out of committee on Wednesday.

“The energy and water funding bill advanced by the Appropriations Committee today will help improve and modernize the infrastructure needs of California and the nation, and I was pleased to work with Ranking Member Kennedy to finalize this bipartisan legislation,” Feinstein said.

“The bill makes significant investments in our water infrastructure that will allow the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation to complete water storage, dam safety, water recycling and desalination projects across the country.

“The bill also makes notable investments in our fight against climate change, significantly increasing funding for the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Science and Office of Electricity.”

California-specific drought and environmental resilience funding

The bill provides more than $1 billion for Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure and drought resilience programs in California. Specifically it includes:

• An additional $258 million to fund California projects under the WIIN Act, including:
  • $80 million for Sites Reservoir, which could provide both substantial additional water supply and substantial cold water for salmon during drought years like this one.
  • $60 million for raising BF Sisk Dam, which also received seismic retrofit funding discussed below.
  • $50 million for Los Vaqueros Expansion, which would provide substantial additional water for wildlife refuges.
  • $15 million for Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir.
  • $21 million for nine water recycling projects in San Diego, Sacramento, Big Bear Lake, Soquel, San Buenaventura, Oceanside, Pismo Beach, Santee, and Rancho Santa Margarita
  • $12 million for four desalination projects in Los Angeles, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Oceanside.
  • $20 million for habitat restoration and other environmental projects.
• $130.5 million for seismic retrofit of BF Sisk Dam, a hub of California’s water system storing water south of the Delta for irrigation and municipal use.
• $20.5 million for the San Joaquin River Restoration project.
• $55 million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund.
• $33 million for the California Bay-Delta Restoration Program.

Drought resilience programs benefiting the West

• $450 million in emergency drought funding.
• $48 million for WaterSMART grants and $12 million for the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse program in addition to the water recycling funding mentioned above.
• $40 million for the Drought Contingency Plan in the Lower Colorado River Basin to conserve water in Lake Mead.
• $9.5 million for desalination research and development in addition to the desalination funding above. 
• $10 million to fund repairs to critical Reclamation canals to help recharge aquifers and comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. 
• $10 million for the Klamath Basin drought water bank.

Additional water infrastructure-related investments

• $219.5 million for the Whittier Narrows dam safety project in Los Angeles County.
• $14 million for the Corps’ new program to leverage up to $570 million in low-interest loans for non-Federal dam safety projects throughout the country, potentially including several projects in California.
• $50 million for donor and energy transfer ports, such as the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
• $12.5 million for a cutting-edge program to design nature-based resiliency projects and natural infrastructure options in drought, flood, and post-fire recovery areas in the west.

Congressionally designated spending 

Bureau of Reclamation: 

• $10 million for the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund to clean up perchlorate and other contaminants.
• $5 million for Sacramento River Basin Floodplain Reactivation to improve habitat for endangered salmon.
• $3.9 million for the Sacramento River Fish Screen Program.
• $500,000 for the Los Banos Creek Appraisal Study.

Army Corps of Engineers:

• $250,000 to help capture/collect storm water for the purposes of groundwater infiltration and recharge in Norwalk.
• $250,000 to help Desert Hot Springs transition septic tanks to wastewater treatment systems.
• $1 million for Hamilton Airfield Wetland Restoration.
• $3.79 million for the Mills Memorial Park Recycled Water project in the Los Angeles area.
• $650,000 for projects to help address pollution in the New River that originates from Mexico.
• $75,000 for Roseville-PCWA Cooperative Water Reliability.
• $3.6 million to help further protect the San Francisco Bay shoreline, restore the aquatic ecosystem, and increase efficiencies in dredge material use.
• $200,000 for the Imperial Streams, Salton, Sea and Tributaries project.
• $2 million for Lower Cache Creek flood risk management project.
• $200,000 for Lower San Joaquin River flood control project.
• $750,000 for San Diego Shoreline, Oceanside, Special Shoreline Study.
• $200,000 for Santa Paula Creek flood risks project.
• $1.6 million for South San Francisco Bay Shoreline project.
• $8.6 million for Channel Islands Harbor dredging.
• $525,000 for Santa Cruz Harbor dredging.
• $2.146 million for Ventura Harbor dredging.
  Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein