Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program
The Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program (DSCR) provides state funding for repairs, rehabilitation, enhancements, and other dam safety projects at existing state-jurisdictional dams and associated facilities that were in service prior to January 1, 2023. Established in June 2023 through Senate Bill 122, the program released its first solicitation in 2024, with a budget of $47.5 million from the General Fund. Due to recent budgetary changes, the $47.5 million in General Fund support has been shifted to Proposition 4 (Prop 4) funding. Prop 4 allocates $480 million for the DSCR program. As a result of this funding shift, new guidelines and a revised solicitation process are required. The 2024 DSCR solicitation has been cancelled, and a new solicitation is expected in 2026 once final details regarding Prop 4 funding are confirmed.
Program Details
DSCR projects should provide some or all of the following public benefits. They are listed below in order of priority:
- Protection of public safety.
- Restoration of water storage.
- Flood risk reduction.
- Enhancement of water supply reliability.
- Enhancement, protection, or restoration of habitat for fish and wildlife.
- Protection of water quality.
DSCR projects eligible to receive funding under the program include the following:
- Dam repairs to allow water storage to full capacity.
- New spillway and spillway repair projects at existing dams.
- Dam and reservoir seismic retrofit projects.
- Enhancement of water supply and downstream flood risk reduction such as implementation of Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations.
- One-time projects to remove sediment resulting from wildfires or extraordinary storm events.
- Improvements to appurtenances to address dam safety-related deficiencies identified by the department.
No funds shall be awarded for raising dams, increasing reservoir space, or otherwise increasing water impoundment.
Program Documents
- Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program Guidelines (PDF)
- Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program Proposal Solicitation Package (PDF)
- Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program 45-day Public Comment Response to Comments
If you have any questions, please contact us at DSCR@water.ca.gov.
Contact Us
Email us at DSCR@water.ca.gov if you have any questions or need additional information.