Page 5 - Yucaipa Valley Water District

WATER STORAGE INVESTMENT PGM:
New water storage projects showcased
at the California Water Commission

December 19, 2017

Proponents of water storage projects competing for Prop 1 funds present their
projects to the California Water Commission

The nine members of the California Water Commission have been tasked with deciding how to
award the $2.7 billion in Prop 1 funds slated to pay for the public benefits of water storage projects,

and competition is pretty fierce. Eleven storage projects have filed applications for the Water
Storage Investment Program, requesting roughly $5.7 billion in funding, or more than twice what
is available. However, it is likely that as Commission staff review the applications, they will be

adjusting the public benefit calculations, thereby reducing the amount of funding the projects
would be eligible to receive.

The method by which eligible projects will be awarded funding is a bit complex as a result of
specific language legislators wrote into the proposition that set certain conditions for the funding

of eligible projects. Funding can only be granted for water storage projects that improve the
operation of the state water system, are cost effective, and provide a net improvement in
ecosystem and water quality conditions. The statute further stipulates that the Commission can

only provide funding for the public benefits provided by the projects; those benefits are

Yucaipa Valley Water District - January 9, 2018 - Page 5 of 175