The State Water Board has released $8 million in money to grant to farmers and ranchers to help improve water quality.  The money is to be used for on farm for structal improvements that will improve water quality.  The following is a press release from CURES that will be managing and implementing the grant program. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts, Parry Klassen, Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) 559-288-8125

this press release as a PDF file.

State Water Board Approves Funding
for Water Quality Improvements in Central Valley

(Dinuba, CA - February 21, 2011) CURES announced today that farmers in the Central Valley can begin applying for $8 million in funding to install management practices to prevent sediment and farm inputs from reaching regional streams and rivers. The funding comes from a grant provided by the State Water Resources Control Board through Proposition 84, a bond initiative approved by state voters in 2006.

The grant will pay farmers 75% of the cost of management practices such as holding ponds, recirculation systems and drip systems on farms in the Central Valley. Funding will be directed to farms in watersheds where water quality monitoring by Central Valley watershed coalitions have identified problems associated with releases from irrigated agriculture. The coalitions represent landowners under the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) mandated by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Growers must make changes to irrigation and farming practices to meet requirements of the ILRP and can use the Prop 84 funding for practices to prevent future problems.

CURES role, in conjunction with watershed coalitions throughout the region, is to identify landowners eligible for the funding. The non-profit organization will also manage contracting of grant funds. "This funding can be a tremendous aid to farmers of crops that have difficulty making capital improvements due to lack of profitability in recent years," says Parry Klassen, Executive Director of CURES. "Priority for the funding will be fields located in watersheds with existing management plans and have frequent irrigation or storm water drainage." Most waterways with management plans are located in the northern San Joaquin Valley, San Joaquin/Sacramento Rivers Delta and southern Sacramento Valley.

Applications for Prop 84 funding can be made by contacting the Central Valley watershed coalitions or by going to www.curesworks.org.

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CURES was founded in 1997 to support educational efforts for agricultural and urban communities focusing on the proper and judicious use of pest control products. CURES' focus is to implement educational programs, coordinate research and provide information and professional expertise to users and applicators of crop protection chemicals and pest control products to enhance and protect the environment, as well as public and worker health and safety. On the web at www.curesworks.org

Grant applications can be found and submitted on CURES website with the following link. 

http://www.curesworks.org/bmp/prop84.asp