Pajaro River Watershed Wins $7.6M Grant

Contributed by the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency

The California Department of Water Resources announced a $7.6 million preliminary award to the Pajaro River Watershed to fund critically needed local water resource projects.

The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency's partnership with San Benito County Water District and Santa Clara Valley Water District on integrated regional water management  planning resulted in the only grant awarded in the Central Coast region.

Of the $7.6 million grant, $1.03 million will be used by the PVWMA and City of Watsonville to construct additional storage for recycled water at the City's treatment plant. Other projects and agencies receiving funding include the San Benito County Water District for a recycled program, a new storage tank for the community of Pajaro, and water quality and aquifer enhancement projects for the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District.

Mary Bannister, General Manager of PVWMA said "This funding will help Pajaro Sunny Mesa CSD fix a critical drinking water supply crisis in north Monterey County and allow us to maximize usage of recycled water protecting our over-drafted groundwater aquifer - this is fantastic!"