The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Tuesday announced $2.9 million in water and energy efficiency grants for five projects in Los Angeles and Orange counties, as part of $26.5 million in total grants awarded.
“President Trump is dedicated to better water infrastructure for communities and farmers, and adequate and safe water supplies are fundamental to the health, economy and security of the country,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said. “WaterSMART water and energy efficiency grants enable Interior, states, tribes and local entities to work together to take action to increase water supply.”
All of the grants to Los Angeles County will fund projects to upgrade or replace analog utility meters with new digital technology that offers real-time consumption data and timely leak detection to save water. They include:
— $1 million for a $14.1 million advanced metering project by Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40 that will upgrade 18,000 residential and commercial meters and is expected to generate annual water savings of 2,133 acre-feet;
— $1 million for the $6 million conversion of 7,641 analog meters to smart meters by Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 29, expected to result in annual water savings of 1,102 acre-feet annually; and
— $300,000 for the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District’s Regional Smart Meter Project to upgrade 2,975 meters with real-time technology.
Orange County projects include:
— $300,000 to fund a $1.6 million digital metering project to upgrade 5,001 meters managed by the La Habra Utility Authority, expected to result in savings of 462 acre-feet annually; and
— $299,342 toward a $2.5 million project by the Municipal Water District of Orange to offer rebates to residential and commercial customers to convert from water-intensive outdoor landscaping to California native landscapes and install high-efficiency irrigation.
The city of San Diego will also receive $1 million for a $67.6 million advanced metering system that will replace 270,000 residential, commercial and industrial meters. The project is expected to save 25,232 acre-feet of water annually.
The Department of the Interior’s water and energy efficiency grants focus on projects that conserve and use water more efficiently. Projects may also lessen the risk of future water conflicts and provide other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability.
A complete list of projects can be found at www.usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg/. Projects were selected through a competitive process and must provide at least 50-percent cost sharing.