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FUNDING MECHANISMS AND RESOURCES FOR IRWM PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS - OVERVIEW

flowersThere are a variety of revenue sources to fund implementation of IRWM projects and programs including substantial local investments. These revenue types are listed below.  The types of revenue sources included in this table provide the basis for local, State, and Federal funding.

The primary source of grants for IRWM projects has been IRWM grants in Propositions 50, 84 and 1, though some projects have been funded by state Clean Water Revolving Loans (low-interest loans), fisheries grants, other chapters of water bond legislation (i.e. Stormwater Flood Management, Groundwater Sustainability and Water Use Efficiency), and Federal grants through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, EPA, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

For current information about available grants and loans please see the following:

California grant portalwww.grants.ca.gov – This portal is a comprehensive source of information about funding availability – state and federal – for a variety of needs and purposes, including water and climate resilience.  Users of the site can subscribe to receive regular updates on current funding opportunities.

Federal grant portal – www.grants.gov – This is a federal grant poral similar to the one operated by the State of California.

Additional information regarding funding for water infrastructure projects can be found at California Financing Coordinating Committee.  The CFCC conducts annual Funding Fairs and publishes a resource handbook to provide information about state and federal financial and technical resources.

Proposition 1 - overview

On November 4, 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1 (Assembly Bill 1471, Rendon) the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. Prop 1 authorized $7.545 billion in general obligation bonds for water projects including surface and groundwater storage, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration, and drinking water protection. Please see list below for more information regarding each of the funding categories.

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is responsible for administering Proposition 1 funds for five programs (small community wastewater, water recycling, drinking water, stormwater and groundwater sustainability). For more information visit:

Proposition 1 also authorized the appropriation of $510 million in Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) funding for Implementation and Planning efforts, which is being administered by the Department of Water Resources. For the IRWM Grant Program, funding has been allocated to areas of the state referred to as “funding areas” instead of hydrologic regions. Of this $510 million, a portion is devoted to assisting disadvantaged communities.

The Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County is in the Los Angeles-Ventura Funding Area.  A total of $ 215 million was made available for IRWM grant funding in Proposition 1 for our funding area is $215 million – across two rounds of funding.  Of that a total of $20 million was set aside for IRWM implementation projects and DAC involvement.

For more information visit:

The remaining funds in Proposition 1 are being administered by several state conservancies, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For more information about Proposition 1 bond accountability and the schedule for release of funding please see:

Proposition 1, Round 2 - IRWM Implementation Grant

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the Proposition 1 Round 2 Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) and Guidelines on May 17, 2022. The Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program is seeking eligible projects for inclusion in its proposal to DWR.

Please review the Implementation Grant Proposal Solicitation Package here
Please review the 2019 Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Program Guidelines here

Application Eligibility and Process

You will find information about application eligibility requirements in the PSP in Table 1. The Self Certification Form provides eligibility requirements that must be met by a project applicant/sponsor to be considered for funding by DWR. The Self Certification Form is found here in and is part of Attachment 1.

Eligible applicants seeking to present an eligible project for consideration need to complete the project submittal form found in the WCVC GIS portal: https://maps.ventura.org/WCVC/. If you have any technical issues with the form, please contact Krista Winger in the County’s GIS Program at krista.winger@ventura.org or (805) 654-2341.

You can also print out the PDF version of the form for reference as you gather your information. Please note that the fields with dropdown selections are not visible. You will need to go to the online form to see the options. We do not accept PDF form submissions. You must fill out and complete the online form.

IRWM Plan

Please review relevant sections of the WCVC 2019 IRWM Plan Amendment (particularly Sections 5, 7, 8 and 13) to better understand how your project(s) align or comply with the Plan. This will help as you complete sections of the online form.

Important Dates

Prop 1, Round 2 Briefing – for all potential applicants/projects: Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. at United Water Conservation District, 1701 North Lombard Street, Suite 200 on Oxnard.

Prop 1, Round 2 Project Submission Deadline: August 1, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Project submittals will be reviewed by the watershed committees and the WCVC Steering Committee in late August and early September.

The deadline for projects not seeking funding in Round 2 is September 15th. Those projects will be reviewed and considered for inclusion in the IRWM Plan Addendum, as well as the WCVC project database, for possible funding in future state and federal water grants. If you have general questions, please contact Lynn Rodriguez at lynn.rodriguez@ventura.org or Lara Shellenbarger at lara.shellenbarger@ventura.org. Please note: Lynn will be out of the office 7/4 – 7/19.