Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Program

The Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Grant Program will fund projects in coastal areas that focus on multi-benefit flood risk reduction. These projects will: 

• Address flood risk and public safety
• Enhance coastal ecosystems, including fish and wildlife habitat enhancement
• Promote natural resources stewardship and public access corridors

Eligible projects must be in areas that intersect the California Coast or San Francisco Bay. Projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are excluded. Priority will be given to projects in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Coastal VE, AE and A zones and FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs). Coastal VE and A zones are defined as the area modeled to be inundated by sea water during a 100-year storm.

Other project features may:

• Improve flow and water quality in coastal watersheds
• Restore natural fluvial and related biological processes, including protecting riparian habitats
• Relocate or flood-proof structures
• Divert floodwater for conjunctive use
• Provide transitory storage

The program was established in 2017 by the State Legislature and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. through Assembly Bill 97, which also authorized the use of funds from Proposition 1: The Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. $27 million in funding is available for the program until 2024.

$23.9 Million Awarded in Grant Funding in July 2021   

DWR is pleased to announce the awards for the Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Grant Program. DWR is awarding $23.9 million of Proposition 1 funding for the five grants described below.

• Santa Cruz County: $7,000,000. This award will provide partial funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project. The project cost is estimated at $67.3 million.
• Ventura County Watershed Protection District: $3,125,000. This award will provide partial funding for the SCR-3 Levee Rehab and Habitat Enhancement Project.  The project cost is estimated at $11.8 million. 
• Monterey County Resource Management Agency: $5,147,149. This award will provide partial funding for the Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement Project. The project cost is estimated at $40.3 million.
• City of San Luis Obispo for $6,078,707. This award will provide partial funding for the Mid-Higuera Bypass Flood Risk Reduction Project. The project cost is estimated at $9.5 million.
• City of Eureka: $2,541,735. This award will provide partial funding for the Westside Flood Reduction and Climate Adaptation Project. The project cost is estimated at $5.4 million.  

For any questions or additional information, please contact:

• Ke Zhong at Ke.Zhong@water.ca.gov
• Sami Nall, Program Manager, at Sami.Nall@water.ca.gov