Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor has announced the Contra Costa Water District has been awarded a $150,000 grant through the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program to complete a system optimization review of the district's water delivery and treatment system. Commissioner Connor made today's announcement one week after joining Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and state and local officials in dedicating one of the district's major water infrastructure projects - funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - that advances the Interim Federal Action plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
"WaterSMART provides numerous tools to assist water providers in making their delivery systems more efficient," said Commissioner Connor. "This system optimization review will provide the necessary information for the Contra Costa Water District to complete a plan of action to improve its water delivery and treatment system in the future."
Contra Costa Water District will study ways to improve the efficiency of its water treatment and delivery system for the district's municipal customers and will evaluate opportunities for water treatment improvements. The district will identify and prioritize water management issues and will complete computer modeling to quantify benefits of potential improvements to the water supply and water quality throughout the district's service area as well as the greater Bay Area. The system optimization review will be cost-shared between Reclamation and Contra Costa Water District at a total cost of $535,000.
A system optimization review is an assessment focused on improving efficiency and operations of a water delivery system. A plan of action is developed identifying efficiency and operations improvements, including the integration of renewable energy components and other physical or operational improvements.
The recommended improvements may be eligible in the future for Reclamation's water and energy efficiency grant funding through WaterSMART. These grants fund on-the-ground improvements that improve water management, increase energy efficiency in the delivery of water, and other activities to prevent water-related crisis and conflict.
On Sept. 19, Commissioner Connor and Secretary Salazar participated in the dedication of the Rock Slough Fish Screen, an ARRA-funded project constructed through a partnership between Reclamation and the Contra Costa Water District. The project completed the screening of the last unscreened intake for the Contra Costa Canal, a project that helps to ensure a sustainable water supply in the region while protecting the ecosystem inhabited by sensitive fish species.
Secretary Salazar established the WaterSMART program in February 2010 - the SMART in WaterSMART stands for "Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow" - in cooperation with Commissioner Connor, Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes and Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle. WaterSMART grants are given for water and energy efficiency projects, system optimization reviews, advanced water treatment pilot and demonstration projects and for the development of climate analysis tools.
To learn more about the WaterSMART Program, please visit www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
