Districts will bring $5 million dollars in block grant funding to local farmers
Stockton East Water District, North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, and South San Joaquin Irrigation District have been awarded $5 million by the California Department of Food and Agriculture through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). The program is being administered as a block grant which will be dispersed directly to agricultural customers by the districts. Qualifying projects must improve on-farm irrigation efficiency by reducing the amount of water applied to crops and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation and the UC Cooperative Extension are also partnering with the districts by providing technical assistance directly to those customers seeking to receive funding for qualifying on-farm improvements.
The districts are encouraging eligible customers to use SWEEP grant funds for on-farm connections to surface water and other improvements that contribute towards groundwater sustainability. All three districts are located within the critically over-drafted Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Basin where the benefits of using surface water in-lieu of pumping groundwater can be realized immediately. South San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Peter Rietkerk shared “our customers will need all the tools in the toolbox to sustainably manage our water resources into the future. SWEEP grant funds can really make the difference for growers thinking about modernizing their irrigation systems.”
Growers located in the SEWD, NSJWCD or SSJID that are interested in participating in the program can reach out to these districts for more information. Funding will be available on a first come first serve basis through 2025.
About the Stockton East Water District (SEWD)
SEWD was formed in 1948 to secure supplemental surface water supplies and ensure the proper management of the groundwater basin. To work towards accomplishing our mission, SEWD has contracted for up to 155,000 acre-feet annually of surface water supplies from New Hogan and New Melones Reservoirs. The surface water provides supplemental supply to 63,000 acres of irrigated agriculture and treated drinking water to the greater City of Stockton. For more information about SEWD, please visit the District website at www.sewd.net.
About the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID)
South San Joaquin Irrigation District was established in 1909 and is headquartered in Manteca, CA. SSJID provides agricultural irrigation water to about 56,000 acres surrounding Escalon, Ripon and Manteca, and wholesale drinking water to over 193,000 residents in Manteca, Lathrop, Tracy, and in the future, Escalon. SSJID, along with Oakdale Irrigation District, owns and operates the Tri-Dam Project, a series of storage reservoirs and electric generation facilities that produce zero-carbon hydropower in the Stanislaus River watershed. Learn more at www.ssjid.com.
About the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District (NSJWCD)
Founded in 1948, the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District covers 150,000 acres on both sides of the Mokelumne River east of Lodi, including over 70,000 acres of productive irrigated farmland. The district’s mission is groundwater management through conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water. For more information visit https://nsjgroundwater.org/.
#FeatureNews