Grant Soil and Water Conservation gets over $290K in grant funding
By Logan Bagett on Wednesday, June 16th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
GRANT COUNTY – The Oregon Water Resources Commission awarded $293,895 in grant funding to the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District. The money go toward the Upper John Day Aquifer Storage and Recovery Feasibility Study to create a 3D hydrogeologic framework and identify preferred options for groundwater recharge and recovery projects. Find the agency’s press release below:
(Press Release from the Oregon Water Resources Commission)
At the June Commission meeting, the Oregon Water Resources Commission awarded $908,127 in grants to fund eight project studies for the 2021 cycle of Feasibility Study Grants.
Funding awards included:
• $27,760 to the Deschutes River Conservancy and the Central Oregon Irrigation District for the Dry River Canyon Conservation Study to assess irrigation water runoff points and determine the feasibility of reducing water waste.
• $185,000 to the Wasco County Soil Water Conservation District for Phase II of the Fifteenmile Watershed Managed Underground Storage Study to investigate the feasibility of a subsurface storage project in the Fifteenmile watershed.
• $15,000 to the City of Silverton to conduct a high-level analysis of possible locations for a regional aquifer recharge and/or aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) site near the City of Silverton and City of Mt. Angel.
• $171,072 to the Deschutes River Conservancy and the Central Oregon Irrigation District for the Smith Rock – King Way Water Conservation Feasibility Study to identify potential conservation opportunities and create a toolbox to assist with prioritization and implementation of on-farm water conservation projects.
• $114,000 to Union County to explore storage locations and assess site suitability by examining a variety of social, legal, environmental, economic, and technical factors, while simultaneously conducting a large-scale study to determine instream flow needs for fisheries.
• $293,895 to Grant Soil and Water Conservation District for the Upper John Day Aquifer Storage and Recovery Feasibility Study to create a 3D hydrogeologic framework and identify preferred options for groundwater recharge and recovery projects.
• $26,400 to the Modoc Irrigation District to evaluate the feasibility of building one or more above- ground reservoirs to store off-season run-off from the Upper Klamath Lake Basin.
• $75,000 to the Farmers Conservation Alliance to produce a comprehensive System Improvement Plan for the Walla Walla Irrigation District. The study would identify and evaluate opportunities to modernize the District’s infrastructure in a manner that benefits agriculture, the environment, and the community.
The Oregon Water Resources Department’s Feasibility Study Grants funding opportunity reimburses up to 50 percent of the costs of studies to evaluate the feasibility of developing water conservation, reuse, and storage projects. This competitive funding opportunity helps individuals and communities investigate whether a project is worth pursuing. Grants are typically offered on an annual basis, with applications due each fall.
The Oregon Water Resources Department is the state agency charged with studying, allocating, and distributing water in Oregon. The Department’s Water Resources Development Program builds partnerships and incentivizes Oregonians to pursue integrated and innovative solutions for complex water challenges and an uncertain water future. These efforts include financial and technical support for communities to engage in place-based planning to understand water needs and identify potential solutions, grants for feasibility studies to assess the viability of a project idea, and grants to implement projects.
The Oregon Water Resources Commission is a seven-member citizen body that sets state water policy and oversees activities of the Water Resources Department, including the award of grants.
For more information, please visit www.oregon.gov/owrd.
