DWR provides grants to local agencies for the planning, design, and construction of projects to desalinate naturally-occurring brackish and ocean water for potable water supply. It also provides grants for pilot, demonstration, and research projects. Grant funding is from Proposition 50 (2004) and Proposition 1 (2014). As of May 2024, over $123 million in grants ranging from $45,000 to $10,000,000 have been awarded to 65 projects.
Between 2005 and March 2018, DWR conducted four rounds of grant funding. After the fourth round, the program was modified to a Continuous Application Process (CAP), which enables applicants to submit projects at any time when grant funds are available. DWR then reviews applications and awards grants in batches.
The rules and procedures for funding vary depending on funding source, availability of funds, and DWR priorities at the time of funding. Each round of funding generally starts with the drafting of a Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP), which contains detailed grant funding program rules and procedures for that round of funding.
The PSP has a description of types of agencies that can apply, types of projects that can be funded, instructions for application, the proposal review process, and the criteria for proposal selection for funding. The draft PSP is issued for public comment. After adoption of a final PSP, the application period begins. Applications received by the deadline are reviewed according to the selection criteria, and a draft list of proposals recommended for grant funding is released for public comment. Subsequently, approved projects are awarded funding.
DWR uses an online application tool called GRanTS. An applicant must register to establish an account in GRanTS. Detailed procedures are described in the PSP applicable to the current round of funding.
Applicants of awarded projects must enter into a Funding Agreement (contract). Grant disbursements generally occur after costs are incurred and are provided after review of expense documentation provided by the grantee with invoices. After project completion, there may be annual reporting for up to five years to describe briefly the results of the project.
The first three funding rounds used funds authorized by Proposition 50. The fourth round and subsequent Continuous Application Process used funds from Proposition 1 and 50. The Continuous Application Process has been suspended. DWR is not accepting applications at this time. Additional information can be found below:
At this time the Continuous Application Process has been suspended. DWR is not accepting applications at this time.
DWR implemented the Continuous Application Process, referred to as CAP, in March 2018. CAP uses the same submittal and review process described in the Round 4 Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) and is supplemented with the Continuous Application Process Guidance. Applications are reviewed and qualified projects awarded on a first-ready, first-served basis until all available funds are awarded.
To date, DWR has awarded over $123 million in grants funded by Proposition 50 and Proposition 1. Projects funded by the Water Desalination Grant Program have included feasibility studies, research, design pilots, and construction projects to support the evaluation, development, and implementation of potable groundwater and surface water desalination projects in California. CAP projects are listed below.
CAP 1 – Total of $1.3 million awarded on March 28, 2019
| Grantee |
Project Title |
Project Type |
Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Basin Municipal Water District - Decline Grant |
C. Marvin Brewer Desalter Facility Improvements Project |
Construction | $547,295 Project was canceled. Grant returned to Program. |
| West Basin Municipal Water District | Full-Scale Ocean Water Desalination Facility Environmental Documentation | Environmental Documentation | $500,000 |
| City of Thousand Oaks | Los Robles Golf Course Groundwater Utilization (Phase 1-Feasibility Study) | Feasibility Study | $111,326 |
| City of Simi Valley Water Department | Feasibility Study to Develop the Simi Valley Groundwater Basin as a Potable Resource | Feasibility Study | $144,685 |
CAP 2 - Total of $14 million awarded on June 11, 2019
| Grantee | Project Title | Project Type | Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California Edison Company | Southern California Edison Catalina (Avalon) Desalination Plant 2 | Construction | $3,610,575 |
| California American Water Company | Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project | Construction | $10,000,000 |
| City of Thousand Oaks | Robles Golf Course Groundwater Utilization Pilot Project | Design Pilot | $426,830 |
CAP 3 -Total of $24.1 million awarded on November 26, 2019
| Grantee | Project Title | Project Type | Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Basin Municipal Water District - Decline Grant |
C. Marvin Brewer Desalter Facility Improvements Project | Construction | $4,185,681 Project was canceled. Grant returned to Program. |
| Southern California Edison Company | Southern California (Avalon) Salt-Water Well, Desalination Facility, Storage & Distribution System | Construction | $10,000,000 |
| City of Santa Monica | Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO) Project | Construction | $10,000,000 |
CAP 4 – Total of $562,500 awarded on May 26, 2021
| Grantee |
Project Title | Project Type | Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County Water Authority | Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant Wedge-wire Screen Demonstration Project | Design Pilot | $562,500 |
CAP 5 – Total of $5.04 million awarded on March 1, 2023
| Grantee |
Project Title | Project Type | Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Replenishment District of Southern California | Brewer Well Optimization Project at Goldsworthy Desalter | Construction | $2,058,307 |
| City of Fort Bragg | Oneka Seawater Desalination Buoy Design Pilot Study | Design Pilot | $1,490,000 |
| Westlands Water District | Desalination and On-Farm Recycling Project | Design Pilot | $1,500,000 |
CAP 6 - Total of $1 million awarded on May 12, 2025
| Grantee |
Project Title | Project Type | Approved Grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Oceanside | Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility Well Expansion and Brine Minimization | Construction | $1,000,000 |
The Water Desalination Grant Program reopened the CAP for Construction and Design Pilot applications in September 2024. Grants awarded from these funds are referred to as CAP6.
Construction project generally consists of the design and construction of a full-scale permanent desalination facility and related infrastructure to result in an operable municipal water supply project. A construction project can include funding for design, but design will not be funded as a stand-alone project. Construction projects that depend upon future phases for an operable facility are not eligible.
Design Pilot project is a small-scale prototype for a full-scale project or a full-scale component of a project and is intended to refine design criteria, aid site selection, or study particular technologies or methodologies (conventional or innovative) for the purpose of implementing an already proposed full-scale municipal desalination facility.
| Date |
Activity/Milestone |
|---|---|
|
July 2, 2024 |
Public webinar on Continuous Application Process (CAP 6) |
| September 18, 2024 | GRanTS open to begin accepting applications through the Continuous Application Process CAP6 |
| September 19, 2024 | Applications Due at 5:00pm |
| December 2024 | Release of CAP6 Draft Funding Recommendations |
| February 21, 2025 11AM - Noon |
Public webinar on the Draft Funding Recommendation for Public Review for the Continuous Application Process (CAP 6) |
| June 2025 | Release of CAP6 Grant Awards |
Send email to DesalPSP@water.ca.gov to request these files. The on-line Grant Review and Tracking System (GRanTS) has two general parts:
Links to the attachments with templates will be provided upon request. For attachments with a provided template, the template is required to be used. The other attachments require the applicant to provide the requested information in files they create or as existing documents. Guidance is also provided below for Attachment 20, Economic Analysis. See more information in the following table
|
Att. |
Title |
Required for Construction Application |
Required for Design Pilot Application |
Template* |
Additional Guidance* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Signature Page |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
2 |
Proposal Authorization |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
3 |
Water Legislation Compliance |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
4 |
Cost Share Funding Contributions |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
5 |
Funding Match Agreement |
X |
X |
|
|
|
6 |
Project Background |
X |
X |
|
|
|
7 |
Technical/Scientific Merit |
X |
X |
|
|
|
8 |
Scope of Work |
X |
X |
|
|
|
9 |
Work Plan |
X |
X |
|
|
|
10 |
Project Budget |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
11 |
Project Schedule |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
12 |
Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimations |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
13 |
Outreach and Community Involvement |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
14 |
Project Benefits |
X |
X |
|
|
|
15 |
Environmental Documentation |
X |
X |
|
|
|
16 |
Feasibility Study |
X |
X |
|
|
|
17 |
Project Plans and Specifications |
X |
|
|
|
|
18 |
Project Team Qualifications |
X |
X |
|
|
|
19 |
Plan of Study for Feasibility Study |
|
|
|
|
|
20 |
Economic Analysis |
X |
|
X |
X |
|
21 |
Other Information |
|
|
X |
|
|
22 |
Reduction or Waiver of Cost Share for Disadvantaged Communities |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
* Send email to DesalPSP@water.ca.gov to request these files. |
|||||
If an applicant is resubmitting an application that was previously submitted to DWR, please include the form entitled Status of Attachments Resubmitted under the Continuous Application Process as part of the application when resubmitting an amended proposal previously reviewed under and not yet funded within this Water Desalination Grant Program. See the Application Resubmittal Section of the Continuous Application Process Guidance for additional information on resubmittals.
On Sept. 1, 2017, DWR received 30 proposals for the Water Desalination Grant Program, Round 4, funded by Proposition 1. The total request for funding was approximately $139 million for the 30 projects, with estimated total project costs of $622.5 million. DWR is awarding funds to nine proposals, for a total of $44.4 million. These projects are in the following table.
| Funding Category | Application | Project Title | Total Project Cost | Grant Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | City of Santa Barbara | Reactivation of the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant | $72,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| Construction | City of Camarillo | North Pleasant Valley Groundwater Desalter Project | $59,828,808 | $10,000,000 |
| Construction | South Coast Water District | Doheny Ocean Desalination Phase 1 Project | $107,108,400 | $10,000,000 |
| Construction | City of Antioch | City of Antioch Brackish Water Desalination Project | $62,217,732 | $10,000,000 |
| Design Pilot | Eastern Municipal Water District | Enhanced Brine Concentration Design Pilot Project | $5,965,078 | $1,500,000 |
| Design Pilot | Olivenhain Municipal Water District | San Dieguito Valley Brackish Groundwater Desalination | $1,340,856 | $650,000 |
| Feasibility Study | Indian Wells Valley Water District | Indian Wells Valley (IWV) Brackish Groundwater Feasibility Study | $1,518,389 | $1,083,984 |
| Feasibility Study | Water Replenishment District of Southern California | Feasibility Study for the West Coast Basin Brackish Water Reclamation Project | $1,400,000 | $700,000 |
| Research Pilot | University of Southern California | System Configurations and Cooling Technologies for Waste-Heat-Driven Membrane Distillation in Desalination Applications with High Water Recovery | $1,007,852 | $503,490 |
Total Funding: $44,437,474
A public meeting to receive comments on the draft funding recommendations was held on February 5, 2018 at Metropolitan Water District’s headquarters (presentation). Information on this meeting and the Notice of Public Meeting and Comment Period on Draft Funding Recommendation Water Desalination Grant Program Round 4 - Proposition 1 Grants, January 24, 2018, can be requested by sending an email to desalpsp@water.ca.gov.
This fourth round of grant funding includes funding for 5 types of projects as follows (see the PSP for full descriptions of project types):
Construction projects generally consist of the design and construction of a full-scale permanent desalination facility and related infrastructure to result in an operable municipal water supply project. A Construction project can include funding for design, but design will not be funded as a stand-alone project. Construction projects that depend upon future phases for an operable facility are not eligible.
Feasibility Study projects are used to determine the need for a water supply project, to analyze the alternatives to meet the project objective, to determine whether a desalination project is the “preferred alternative”, and if it is, to identify the implementation steps for the project.
Environmental Documentation projects are stand-alone projects for compliance with CEQA or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) where the basic feasibility study has already been completed and there is a likelihood for initiation of a construction project. As a requirement for funding, the completed portions of the feasibility study must be submitted with the application.
Design Pilot project is a small-scale prototype for a full-scale project or a full-scale component of a project and is intended to refine design criteria, aid site selection, or study particular technologies or methodologies (conventional or innovative) for the purpose of implementing an already proposed full-scale municipal desalination facility.
Research Pilot projects are typically small-scale prototypes for a full-scale device, equipment, process, or other technology and are intended to advance the knowledge base of new desalination technology, related infrastructure, and by-products treatment and disposal.
The completed application consisted of both an online submittal and one hard copy to DWR. The on-line Grant Review and Tracking System (GRanTS) had forms and questions that needed to be completed. In addition, up to 22 additional electronic files were provided to DWR as part of the grant application package. Attachments with templates and guidance can be requested by sending an email to desalpsp@water.ca.gov.
Additional information on various topics and issues in the form of questions & answers. FAQs may be requested by sending an email to desalpsp@water.ca.gov.
A sample funding agreement has been provided for review here (PDF). The actual agreement for Round 4 or subsequent funding may differ.
The draft guidelines for conducting the Round 4 grant solicitation were contained in the Public Review Draft of the Round 4 Proposal Solicitation Package. The PSP contains detailed grant funding program information, including eligibility, application submittal process, review and award process, and program guidelines and requirements.
Final PSP. The final Round 4 PSP was adopted on June 16, 2017.
Final PSP, click (PDF)
End of 2017 Grant Funding (Round 4)
In November 2002, California voters passed Proposition 50, the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002 (incorporated into Division 26.5 of the California Water Code, beginning with section 79500). Section 79545(a) in Chapter 6 provided $50 million for grants for desalination of ocean or brackish water. Sections 79547 and 79547.2 in Chapter 6 have other conditions that apply to this funding. Subsequent to passage of Proposition 50, the California State Legislature passed “trailer bills” that contain additional requirements for implementation of Proposition 50.
Proposition 50, as passed by voters
Division 26.5 of the California Water Code, including trailer bill sections.
In November 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1, a part of which is the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (California Water Code, Division 26.7, Section 79700 et seq.). Chapter 9 of Proposition 1 (the proper legal reference is Chapter 9 of Division 26.7 of the Water Code, Sections 79765-79768) provides $725 million for grants/loans for water recycling and advanced treatment, including desalination projects. DWR’s Water Desalination Grant Program will incorporate the Proposition 1 desalination elements in Section 79765(b), (d), and (f). The portion of funds allocated to desalination is $100 million, 7 percent of which is reserved for bonds and program administration. Proposition 1 funding of desalination shall be administered consistent with Proposition 50 desalination programs administered pursuant to sections 79545 and 79547.2 of the Water Code. These funds will be appropriated over several years. The current plan for budgeting these funds is shown in the following table.
| ITEM | FUNDING ($) | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Bond | 100,000,000 | Voter approved General Obligation Bond |
| Bond Expense (2%) | 2,000,000 | State Agency Bond Financing Costs |
| Program Allocation | 98,000,000 | Programmatic Implementation Funding |
| Program Administration (5%) | 4,900,000 | Programmatic Administrative Costs |
| Available for Grants | 93,100,000 | Available for Grant Recipients |
| Program Round 4 | 93,100,000 | Fiscal Year (FY) 15/16 and FY 18/19 appropriation |
Proposition 1 as passed by voters
Division 26.7 of the Water Code, including any additions by later legislation.
Receive news and updates on the Water Desalination Grant Program.
If you need any additional information, please contact DWR’s Water Recycling and Desalination Section.
Sean Sou, Program Lead,
Sean.Sou@water.ca.gov | (916) 902-7722
Jennifer Pulido
Jennifer.Pulido@water.ca.gov | (916) 902-7185
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will soon have new grant funding available to help advance California’s climate resilience goals, made possible by Proposition 4 - the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024.
The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Water Desalination Grant Program has completed reviewing the grant applications submitted through the Continuous Application Process (CAP).
Notice is hereby given that the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will host three public workshops to obtain public comments on the following draft amended guidelines.