SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation announced the selection of Semitropic Water Storage District and Bard Water District as the two recipients of the Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Grant Program for fiscal year 2020. Combined with Natural Resources Conservation Service support and local cost-share contributions, approximately $5 million in water efficiency improvement projects will be implemented during the next two years. The AWUE program works with NRCS to promote district-level improvements to increase on-farm water use efficiency and conservation projects.
Reclamation is funding the two projects with NRCS support. Semitropic Water Storage District - B369 System Extension Project ($1,000,000) This project, located in Kern County, California, will add about 3.5 miles of piping to extend the existing B369 System. The extension project will convey supplemental surface water to areas where farmers are currently dependent on groundwater. Along with other system improvements, the project will aid in groundwater recharge and increase water supply reliability during drier periods. The total project cost is $3,693,596.
Bard Water District - Mohave Canal Bard Unit F Project ($658,870) This project, located in Winterhaven, California, will line one mile of the Mohave Canal with concrete. Lining this earthen canal section will save 4,258 acre-feet of water annually. The new lining will also raise the canal sides, thereby reducing operational losses associated with spillage in this section. The total project cost is $1,317,741. Contact Thomas Hawes for more information about the AWUE grant program at 916-978-5271 or thawes@usbr.gov.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
