Legislation introduced to the House by Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) aims to secure more federal funding for vital groundwater recharge projects, including significant investments for the Westside.
The Groundwater Recharge Technical Assistance Act and the Every Drop Counts Act propose modifications to existing water infrastructure laws, expanding eligibility and support for regional projects like the Del Puerto Water District’s Orestimba Creek Recharge and Recovery Project, which enhances local agricultural water supply resilience.
“Groundwater recharge is one of the most effective ways to build resilience against drought,” said Congressman Costa. “These bipartisan bills build on the success of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by leveraging federal resources for groundwater recharge projects that provide long-term solutions to safeguard the San Joaquin Valley from the impacts of extreme drought.”
Since 2019, California has added 8.7 million acre-feet to its groundwater storage, including 4.1 million acre-feet of managed recharge in 2023 alone. This increase is equivalent to the annual water usage of 26.1 million households. This progress was fueled by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested over $65 million in groundwater projects throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
The Every Drop Counts Act would expand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Small Storage Program by making it easier for groundwater projects to qualify for funding, increase the amount of water they can store, and stabilize underground aquifers. This would benefit projects like the Kern Fan Groundwater Recharge Project and the Upper Kings River Water Resiliency Program, helping the San Joaquin Valley better prepare for drought and have a more reliable and flexible water supply. This legislation is cosponsored by David Valadao (CA-22), Adam Gray (CA-13), Josh Harder (CA-09), and Russ Fulcher (ID-01).
The Groundwater Recharge Technical Assistance Act provides $3 million annually to support groundwater recharge projects. This would empower the Secretary of the Interior (DOI) to use unobligated funds under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Western Water funding for aquifer storage, clean drinking water, and flood protection efforts. This legislation aims to strengthen drought resilience and help the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation address extreme weather challenges in California and the West. This legislation is cosponsored by David Valadao (CA-22), Adam Gray (CA-13), Josh Harder (CA-09), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), and Mike Thompson (CA-04).
“The San Joaquin Valley produces crops that feed families across our nation, but for too long has struggled to maintain sufficient access to water for farmers,” said Congressman Gray. “It’s time to cut the red tape holding our agricultural communities back from expanding their capacity. I’m proud to join a bipartisan group of my colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Every Drop Counts Act and the Groundwater Recharge Technical Assistance Act to protect and strengthen water access for farmers in my San Joaquin Valley district and across the country.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021, provided $65 million in investments in San Joaquin Valley water infrastructure. Some of the regional projects funded through the investments have been:
· Del Puerto Water District’s Orestimba Creek Recharge and Recovery Project, a small groundwater storage project in which water will be stored in a local aquifer in wet years and then used in dry years to provide agricultural water supply. The projected average annual yield is 1,485 acre-feet.
· San Luis Water District - Relift Canal and Third Lift Canal Monitoring project in Los Banos which provided a WaterSMART grant to help invest in the Relift Canal and Third Lift Canal Monitoring project, which will install water level monitoring instrumentation and programmable logic controllers, at two canal locations in their irrigation system.
The upgrades in canal operational data will allow the district staff to closely monitor canal levels and adjust gate setting to eliminate spills at the end of the canal and respond to unexpected operational issues quickly.
· San Luis Unit – Gianelli Pump-Generating Plan Unit 8 Motor Generator which refurbished the San Luis Unit 8 motor generator, turbine, and butterfly valve as part of the Gianelli Power Plant a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that is at the base of B.F. Sisk Dam.
