Funding announced for California water program

Nov 24, 2015

About $16 million will be available

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has announced its 2016 State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and is accepting grant applications.

Made available by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, nearly $16 million in funding is available to help implement different irrigation systems that help reduce greenhouse gases and conserve water at California’s agricultural properties and operations.

Applicants can request up to $200,000 per project and must submit their application by Friday, January 8, 2016 at 5:00pm PST.

To assist with the application and requirement process, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will host four workshops and an online webinar.

The workshops are scheduled for:

KERN COUNTY
December 1, 2015 (Tuesday) from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
University of California Cooperative Extension Kern County, 1031 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93307

ORANGE COUNTY
December 4, 2015 (Friday) from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Orange County Fair and Event Center, OC Room of the Administration Building, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

SACRAMENTO COUNTY
December 8, 2015 (Tuesday) from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street, Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814

MERCED COUNTY
December 9, 2015 (Wednesday) from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
University of California Cooperative Extension Merced County, 2145 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced, CA 95341

CDFA staff will be on hand to help with the application process, answer questions and provide application examples. The workshops are free and anyone interested in attending should email their contact information, number of seats they require and which workshop they will be attending.

The webinar is scheduled for December 10, 2015 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Water conservation is especially important in California as a drought ravaged the state for most of the summer of 2015 with an estimated economic impact of more than $1 billion.

According to the current U.S. Drought Monitor, 44% of California is experiencing “exceptional drought”.

Join the conversation and tell us if you’ll consider applying for funding to help with irrigation projects. As a farmer in California, what initiatives have you taken to manage the drought?

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