Four large agricultural water districts have kicked in an initial $580,000 to pay for water projects in several communities dotting the vast farming areas of western Fresno County. The funding amount will remain the same until the districts revisit the program in three years.

Jesse Vad

SJV Water

The four districts – Central California Irrigation District, Firebaugh Canal Water District and the Columbia and San Luis canal companies – are members of the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, which covers 240,000 acres from about Newman down to Firebaugh mostly in Fresno County.

Together they have funded the new Community Infrastructure Program, which will focus primarily on projects benefiting the disadvantaged communities of Mendota, Firebaugh, Gustine, Dos Palos, Los Banos and Newman. However, nonprofits, community organizations and local governments may apply for funding as well.

“We just found this to be a good opportunity for us to begin to support and empower our local communities to these types of financial investments,” said Chris White, executive director of the Exchange Contractors Authority.

The program is not an obligation under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA,) which requires overpumped subbasins to bring groundwater levels to sustainability by 2040. The authority has its own domestic well mitigation program as part of its SGMA plan.

The authority can only fund projects under this program that it is authorized by law to spend money on. That means projects must involve water resources development, management and conservation, renewable energy and electric power infrastructure, recreational facility development, sewage treatment infrastructure and flood protection works.

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“If you have projects in those areas, we’re looking to be able to help fund some of these projects,” said White.

Some of the nearby communities have expressed interest in projects, according to White. He said authority staff have been working closely with the local communities and that a notice was sent to cities in the area about the opportunity.

Representatives from the local cities did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Those interested in applying may do so here.

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