What you need to know: The State Water Board distributed $880 million during the 2023-2024 fiscal year to projects that will benefit around 12 million Californians through improved drinking water, increased water supplies, and climate resilience efforts. 

SACRAMENTO - Leveraging historic state and federal infrastructure investments to build climate resilience and boost water supplies, the State Water Resources Control Board distributed approximately $880 million to water systems and communities during the past fiscal year for projects that will benefit around 12 million Californians.

395 projects across the state have received funding to capture and recycle more water, recharge and protect groundwater, improve stormwater management, expand access to safe drinking water and improve sanitation. 

Since 2019, nearly 900,000 more Californians now have access to clean drinking water through state efforts including these investments and the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resiliency (SAFER) program, which is largely funded by cap-and-trade dollars.

“California is taking action to build a climate-resilient water system that meets the needs of our communities for the long haul. These projects breaking ground across the state will help hundreds of communities expand access to safe drinking water, improve stormwater management, and secure water supplies now and into the future.” - Governor Gavin Newsom

These projects advance the Newsom Administration’s all-of-the-above approach to building water resilience through storage, recycling, desalination, conservation and more, and they further the state’s efforts to build more, faster through upgrades to critical infrastructure across the state.  

This past year, nearly two-thirds of the State Water Board’s total financial assistance, or about $570 million, was given as grants for drinking water and wastewater projects in disadvantaged communities, as well as groundwater recharge and remediation and stormwater projects. A total of $62.8 million went towards new projects that will recycle, capture and store more water, adding over 8,300 acre-feet per year to the state’s supplies.

Over the last three years, the State Water Board has distributed more than $5.2 billion to infrastructure projects and drinking water systems, drawing from multiple sources including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - unprecedented federal support that will reach $2.8 billion cumulatively for California by the end of 2026.

With estimates that hotter, drier conditions could reduce California’s water supply by up to 10% by the year 2040, the state is implementing multi-faceted solutions to safeguard and boost water supplies as outlined in the California Water Plan, Water Supply Strategy and Water Resilience Portfolio.