Water & Wastewater Asia September/October 2022

NEWS
US BUREAU OF RECLAMATION DELIVERS $1.2 MILLION IN GRANTS
Coachella Valley Salt and Nutrient
Management Plan. In addition, they will
develop water management tools to model
and forecast nitrate and total dissolved
solids to sustainably manage salt and
nutrient loading in the basin to protect its
beneficial uses.
The Rancho California Water District in
Temecula, California, will receive $200,000
to create better hydrologic data for the
Murrieta-Temecula Groundwater Basin by
developing a new water management tool
for improving basin management efficiency.
In addition, they will add new remote
sensing equipment to their 26 wells within
the Pauba Valley.
The United States Bureau of Reclamation is
investing $1.2 million in eight external applied
science projects that will develop tools and
information to support water management.
The projects selected include the development
of modelling and forecasting tools,
hydrologic data platforms and new data sets
to inform decision-making.
“Having the accurate data and quality
information is essential for water managers
to make critical and timely decisions. We
must ensure that we are supply smart,”
said David Palumbo, deputy commissioner.
“Applied science grants support improving
water management tools so water managers
can make informed decisions and improve
their management of water, especially in
times of prolonged drought and climate
change.”
In Arizona, the Nature Conservancy with the
Yavapai-Apache Nation will receive $64,273
to collaborate with watershed stakeholders
in the Verde River Basin Integrated
Hydrologic Modeling Project. They will seek
to refine and improve an existing hydrologic
modeling tool for the Upper and Middle
Verde River Basins in Yavapai County,
Arizona.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
in Riverside County, California, will receive
$55,000 in conjunction with the Agua
Caliente Water Authority to develop an
online Geospatial Data Platform.
The city of Long Beach will receive $200,000
to develop and utilise tools and technology
to maximise groundwater withdrawal
sustainably and reliably.
The Coachella Valley Water District in Palm
Desert, California, will partner with seven
other agencies in Southern California’s
Mission Creek Subbasin to update the
The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority
in Riverside, California and in collaboration
with the Desert Research Institute, will
receive $100,000 to develop a standard
protocol for evaluating cloud seeding
benefits to complement a planned pilotscale
programme for weather modification.
In addition, the project will provide standard
guidelines and procedures to effectively
quantify the benefits of increased
precipitation from weather modification
programmes.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority in
Las Vegas, Nevada, will receive $193,085
to expand forecasting functionality in an
existing water quality model for Lakes
Mead and Mohave.
The Post Oak Savannah Groundwater
Conservation District in Central Texas,
and in collaboration with the Meadows
Centre for Water and Environment at Texas
State University, will receive $200,000 to
develop an operations and management
model to be used by the district to help
establish a comprehensive set of rules,
policies and strategies to address water
resource management challenges in
Central Texas.
10 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022