State Awards Water Infrastructure Grant For Lake Berryessa Improvements

Napa County’s Lake Berryessa Resort Improvement District will receive a $637,000 grant to support local water infrastructure amid the state’s ongoing drought, the state Department of Water Resources announced Thursday.

The district is expected to use the grant to install a floating intake system and improved water transportation infrastructure, according to the DWR.

The grant comes from the state’s Small Community Drought Relief program, according to the DWR, and is one of 17 grants announced this week for counties across Northern California and the Central Valley.

“Climate change has fundamentally altered our state’s water cycle – intensifying extreme weather and leading to longer, drier periods,” DWR Deputy Director of Integrated Watershed Management Kris Tjernell said. “As the world continues to warm, we must work together to manage California’s water supply.”

The 17 projects were awarded a combined total of $22 million. The round of funding is the seventh for the Small Community Drought Relief program.