Merced County joins water project coalition

Merced County has agreed to join the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority, a coalition representing five counties that aims to secure and distribute grant funding for water projects that benefit the area.

The county Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to join the authority at its Nov. 17 meeting and commit to contributing $50,000 to the authority as part of an initial funding requirement.

The authority, which includes representatives of county, city and tribal governments, water agencies and a member of the public, will pursue funding for water projects affecting Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties. Projects could include work to store surface water and recharge groundwater, as well as build the Temperance Flat Dam.

The authority will have a governing board that includes 11 directors. The Board of Supervisors appointed District 5 Supervisor Jerry O’Banion to represent Merced County. District 1 Supervisor John Pedrozo will serve as the alternate.

“I’m optimistic that this coalition will provide opportunities for our region to not only be more competitive when it comes to securing water infrastructure funding, but also find greater success by working together,” O’Banion said in a statement. “The ongoing drought has proven the critical need for such efforts.”

The authority could try to secure funding from Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond for state water projects approved by voters in 2014.

The purpose for joining the authority, in part, is to begin conversations about what kind of water projects could be done that would benefit Valley counties, said Mike North, a spokesman for Merced County. The money for Merced County’s contribution will come from funds set aside for water issues. The board will determine whether to make additional contributions in the future if the situation arises.

So far, the only specific project the authority has identified is the $2.6 billion Temperance Flat Dam project. The dam could add 1 million acre-feet of storage above Millerton Lake, which feeds into the San Joaquin River. Farmers on the county’s west side could possibly benefit from surface water supply resulting from that project, North said.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Merced County joins water project coalition."