On January 17, 2014, Governor Edmund G. Brown proclaimed a Drought State of Emergency and on March 1, 2014, Governor Brown signed legislation to assist drought-affected communities and provide funding to better use local water supplies. The Governor and Legislature have directed DWR to expedite the solicitation and award of $200 million (of the $472.5 million) in IRWM funding to support projects and programs that provide immediate regional drought preparedness, increase local water supply reliability and the delivery of safe drinking water, assist water suppliers and regions to implement conservation programs and measures that are not locally cost-effective, and/or reduce water quality conflicts or ecosystem conflicts created by the drought.
To expedite the funding, DWR will be using a streamlined grant application process. The Draft 2014 Drought Proposal Solicitation Package is now released and open for public comment
More information is available at http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/grants/implementation.cfm