Watershed Resilience Program
Graphic showing the many partners involved in watershed networks for equitable multi-sector collaboration and the climate resilience challenges they face.
Announcements
Proposition 4 information will be provided as it becomes available. Check this website frequently for updates.
Participate in this Survey (Open until March 6, 2026) to help DWR develop the Proposition 4 Watershed Resilience Solicitation.
Program Information
The California Water Plan Update 2023 emphasizes the need for watershed-based solutions, climate resilience, and equity through collaboration with local partners to address climate extremes.
Key aspects of this approach are:
- Managing water from headwaters to outflow at a watershed scale.
- Prioritizing equity and inclusiveness.
- Analyzing climate risks and adaptations at the watershed level.
- Collaborating across water, flood, groundwater, quality, forest/fire, ecosystem, and land use sectors.
- Developing metrics to track outcomes regionally and statewide.
This approach aligns with the Newsom Administration’s policies, including the California’s Water Supply Strategy (2022) and Water Resilience Portfolio (2020), which focus on climate urgency, regional resilience, and equity.
The Watershed Resilience Program is an evolution of the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program that builds on local relationships, trust, and collaborative regional planning while placing a stronger emphasis on climate vulnerability assessment, adaptation planning, watershed-scale collaboration, and equity and inclusiveness. Increased collaboration across water-related sectors- water supply, flood, groundwater, water quality, forest/fire, ecosystem, and land use sectors-is also a priority.
Watershed Resilience Implementation Grant Program
The Watershed Resilience Implementation Grant Program, funded by Proposition 4, will support projects that improve water resilience and adaptation across California. A tentative schedule plans for outreach efforts to begin in late 2025. This program aims to help communities build stronger, more sustainable watersheds to better handle climate challenges.
Current Solicitation – Proposition 4
Proposition 4 information will be provided as it becomes available. The Watershed Resilience Program will offer approximately $152 million for grants. Check this website frequently for updates.
Watershed Resilience Pilot Program
The Watershed Resilience Pilot Program was funded by the 2021 and 2022 Budget Acts, DWR launched the pilot program in 2024, awarding funds to five diverse regional planning projects. Each project focuses on local challenges. For example, the Regional Water Authority studies reduced snowpack effects on rivers, while Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency addresses sea level rise and saltwater intrusion. Several pilots are also partnering with Tribes for their expertise.
The pilot projects serve as the foundation for the Watershed Resilience Program.
2024 Watershed Resilience Pilot Program Funding Recipients:
- Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency
- Regional Water Authority
- Sonoma County Water Agency
- Stockton East Water District
- The Ventura County Resource Conservation
Solicitation Documents:
- Watershed Resilience Program - Pilot Overview
- 2024 Watershed Resilience Program Guidelines were released on January 25, 2024. The document provides general information and establishes the procedures that DWR used to implement the Watershed Resilience Pilot Program.
- Awards for the five pilots can be viewed here.
- California Watershed Resilience Assessment — This technical report presents the approach and findings of a statewide assessment of both climate risk and resilience preparedness at the watershed scale throughout California.
- Watershed Resilience Framework and Toolkit — The Watershed Resilience Framework serves as a roadmap for the State and regions to carry out climate resilience planning. The framework is paired with an online, interactive toolkit that offers planning guidance, best practices, case studies, resources and tools to conduct each step of the framework.
- Watershed Hub Resilience Indicators and Metrics — This technical memorandum describes the approach used to identify and recommend a preliminary set of water-related indicators and metrics to measure, track, and report on changing conditions throughout California’s watersheds.
- Addressing Complex Problems Together: A Network Study — A reflection on forming a network to implement integrated water management using Flood-MAR. This study provides an overview of how forming a network can address complex issues by identifying a shared purpose and bringing together organizations and individuals to work towards a shared outcome.
Contact Us
For questions about the 2024 Guidelines or other issues, please contact DWR’s Financial Assistance Branch at (916) 651-9613 or by e-mail at dwr_irwm@water.ca.gov.