Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, has announced that more than $131 million in federal funding is coming for major San Joaquin Valley water infrastructure improvements.

The targeted projects include two key cogs in the federal water delivery system, the Friant-Kern Canal and the O’Neill Pumping Plant.

“The Central Valley depends on a reliable water supply to support our farms, local economy, and growing communities,” Costa said in a statement. “These investments will help strengthen water delivery systems that families, farmers, and communities across the Valley rely on every day.”

The canal stretches 152 miles from Millerton Lake in Fresno County to its terminus in Kern County, delivering water to more than 15,000 farms on the eastside of the San Joaquin Valley and cities such as Fresno and Lindsay.

Groundwater over-pumping had caused a 33-mile section of the canal in Tulare County to sink, crimping its carrying capacity by 60%. The Friant Water Authority, which oversees the canal, has spent more than $300 million to build an entirely new 10-mile section of canal but more repairs are needed.

The O’Neill Pumping Plant, which is 12 miles west of Los Banos, lifts water from the Delta-Mendota Canal into the O’Neill Forebay. The water then travels to federal Central Valley Project contractors.

Projects receiving funding include:

• $65.8 million for the Friant-Kern Canal Capacity Correction Project
• $53 million for the O’Neill Pumping Plant Main Transformer Replacement Project
• $11 million for the O’Neill Pumping Plant Unit Upgrades Project
• $2 million for Fresno Irrigation District flow metering improvements, expected to conserve approximately 840 acre-feet of water annually.

SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley, www.sjvwater.org. Email us at sjvwater@sjvwater.org