San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program - Proposition 84

San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program Background

The SJRWQ Grant Program provides funding for implementation projects that will improve water quality in the San Joaquin River and the Delta. The program targets subsurface agricultural drainage from the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, an area of primary concern for protecting water quality of the San Joaquin River.

 

The issues associated with subsurface agricultural drainage in the San Joaquin Valley are not new to the region and have been persistent in parts of the valley for more than a century. The presence or mismanagement of subsurface agricultural drainage can negatively impact agriculture, the environment, drinking water quality, and public health. Because the San Joaquin River is the natural drainage pathway for the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, it is imperative that production of subsurface agricultural drainage be reduced or eliminated to help protect that water supply and the Delta.

 

The funding disbursed through the SJRWQ Grant Program is intended to support projects that will result in direct, measureable water quality improvements to the San Joaquin River by reducing or eliminating discharges of subsurface agricultural drainage.