WASHINGTON, DC – US Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) recently announced that San Benito County will receive $6,700,000 from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to increase the water supply in the region and better store water.
“As our country faces the effects of extreme heat and prolonged droughts, it is vital to make investments that expand and improve our water supply. The reliable movement and storage of treated water can be easily overlooked by working families day in and day out, but it matters greatly to our lives and livelihood. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Democrats passed in the last Congress, federal funding is flowing in that makes our local communities more efficient and resilient,” said Lofgren.
According to BOR, the project – called the San Benito County Water District’s Accelerated Drought Response Project – will provide injection and storage of up to 2,700 acre-feet per year of treated water. In wet years, this is estimated to save an average of 1,035 acre-feet per year of stored water. The project will support up to five aquifer storage and recovery wells, expand the West Hills Water Treatment Plant, and construct pipelines to move water between the wells, water treatment plant, the Sunnyslope County Water District, and the Hollister and San Juan Bautista distribution systems. This funding is part of the BOR’s Small Storage Program, which supports water storage projects to increase water supply reliability, improve operational flexibility, and enhance climate resiliency of water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Rep. Lofgren voted in favor of, provided the federal investment for the program.