Gabriel Edwards of the California Department of Water Resources walked attendees through the agency’s grants-and-loans web page and the CFCC handbook and described current DWR funding and pending Prop 4 allocations.

Edwards said DWR’s only active program at the presentation was the Riverine Stewardship program, which he described as a narrowly focused fund supporting fish passage, habitat restoration, and certain green-infrastructure projects. Eligibility for that program includes tribes, local public agencies and certified nonprofits in counties within the Association of Bay Area Governments, counties in the Delta export service area and areas outside the Delta that receive water from the State Water Project or Central Valley Project by means of diversions from the Delta. Edwards said about $6,000,000 was available and that applications are accepted until funds are expended. He cited Water Code sections 79205.2 through 79205.16 as governing consistency requirements.

Edwards also cautioned that Proposition 4 funding (recently authorized) will be delivered through an emergency-regulation process and that DWR is still developing timelines and updates; he advised applicants to monitor DWR public notices and the grants-and-loans page for Prop 4 posting and updated program guidance.