NEWS RELEASE
Bill Stretch, General Manager
(559) 233-7161
lrowe@fresnoirrigation.com
www.fresnoirrigation.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2021
Proposition 68 Funding Award to Add an Additional 900 acre-feet of Annual Groundwater Recharge for Resilient Groundwater Supply
Fresno, CA (May 5, 2021) - Fresno Irrigation District’s (FID) Savory Basin Project (Project) was awarded $1.2 million included in a total award of $4.8 million to the Kings Subbasin by the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) Implementation Grant Program. The Project,located within the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s (North Kings GSA) boundaries, will help FID achieve its sustainability goals by recharging the groundwater aquifer with FID surface water as mandated by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This Project provides a direct benefit to adjacent disadvantaged community, Shady Lakes Mobile Home Park, and several private well owners.
“The receipt of these grant funds allows FID to continue its long-standing commitment to groundwater recharge projects, enabling FID to capture additional surface water during wet years,” stated Bill Stretch, FID’s General Manager. “We have to increase our capacity to store surface water in wet years to develop a secure water supply during dry years for irrigation and drinking water. This grant enables us to do just that and FID appreciates DWR’s financial commitment to enable completion of the project.”
The Savory Basin Project will result in a 30-acre basin to recharge, on average, an additional 900 acre-feet of groundwater annually. The multi benefit project received support from residents in the nearby Shady Lakes Mobile Home Park for its capacity to improve groundwater levels and increase supply reliability. The Project results will also benefit other groundwater users including growers and nearby domestic well owners.
CLICK HERE to watch a short video highlighting the Savory Pond Project.
FID is a member agency of the North Kings GSA and the Project will move the North Kings GSA closer to achieving sustainability by SGMA’s 2040 sustainability deadline while securing water supply for growers and community residents relying on wells. This is especially important entering a critically dry year. Developing infrastructure, now, helps prepare for future wet years when there is extra rain and snowmelt to capture and sink into the aquifer. This groundwater recharge project creates a buffer water supply for use during drier years without sacrificing progress made on achieving a sustainable supply.
The Kings Subbasin grant application, submitted by FID on behalf of the GSAs, included three additional projects as part of the total $4.8 million award: the City of Kerman’s Lyon’s Park Basin Project, and one project each in the Kings River East and South Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency boundaries. The SGM Implementation Grant is funded by Proposition 68 and administered by DWR. This first round awarded $26 million to 6 subbasins to cover project costs associated with implementing the SGMA in critically overdrafted subbasins. Another $77 million will be available in a second round for medium and high-priority basins. The North Kings GSA is considered critically overdrafted.
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Since 1920, the Fresno Irrigation District has proudly delivered water to agricultural and urban communities within Fresno County. Today, the District encompasses over 250,000 acres of prime farmland and municipal areas, including the cities of Fresno and Clovis. As the premier irrigation district in the Central Valley, the District is extensively involved in a host of local, state, and federal water issues.