Proposition 4, authorizing $10 billion in bonds for safe drinking water, wildlife prevention, and protecting communities and natural lands from climate risks, was passed with 60% approval in the general election on November 5, 2024. Of the total, $3.8 billion was designated for “safe drinking water, drought, flood and water resilience.”
The San Joaquin Valley needs at least another 10,000 cubic feet per second of recharge capacity. That additional capacity provides the cheapest source of additional water – capturing high-flow local water that currently makes its way to the ocean – and is essential to keeping more irrigated land in production and reducing the impacts of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. It also serves to reduce flood impacts by recharging water that would otherwise flood farms and communities.
Historically, much of the new local infrastructure was paid for by water districts, who passed their costs onto the landowners. Current low prices for most commodities produced in the Valley have made that option impractical. Proposition 4 funding provides much-needed help — $386 million for groundwater storage and banking, $200 million for multi-benefit land repurposing, $75 million for regional conveyance projects, $550 million for flood management projects, $100 million for Integrated Regional Water Management Projects, and $20 million for education. While those amounts seem large, there are many projects that will be competing for the same funds. Water managers in the Valley need to be organized early to access funds for projects that have already been identified. Projects with completed designs and permits are likely to be funded first…