LandFlex

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) developed the LandFlex Grant Program (LandFlex) to provide immediate drought relief to drinking water wells in drought-stricken communities and limit unsustainable groundwater pumping in critically overdrafted (COD) basins. Limiting overdraft groundwater pumping means more water left in the ground and available for drinking water wells in California’s most vulnerable communities.

LandFlex is a program that will provide $25 million ($23.3 available for grants after DWR administrative costs) in block grants to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to grant to growers who limit agricultural water use. GSAs will work directly with growers to identify land that would reduce pumping impacts to nearby drinking water wells. LandFlex will provide financial incentives to growers for each enrolled acre. To ensure small and mid-sized farms have access to the program, eligibility is limited to growers with a 3-year average Adjusted Gross Income of $2.5 million or less. No individual grant award to a grower will be greater than $2.5 million. In order to reach vulnerable communities in need and provide growers the necessary resources, DWR is partnering with Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Self-Help Enterprises, Western United Dairies Foundation, and the Almond Alliance to assist GSAs with providing outreach and engagement to growers.

LandFlex was authorized by the Legislature pursuant to the Budget Act of 2021 (Stats. 2022, ch. 44, § 25) and its Trailer Bill, (Wat. Code, § 13198 et seq.).

Solicitation and Funding

The LandFlex grant solicitation was open to eligible GSAs for a period of 14-business days, January 17 through February 3, 2023. There were three key eligibility requirements for the program; the GSA must be located within a critically overdrafted basin, the GSA adopted and is actively implementing an allocation plan that identifies a quantified volume of overdraft as of Water Year (WY) 2022, and the GSA must have a measurable accounting method (i.e., evapotranspiration or well metering) for WY 2022 and 2023.

DWR reviewed seven eligible GSA applications and selected the top three highest ranking GSAs, per LandFlex Guidelines. Commensurate with the scoring criteria, these GSAs demonstrated the greatest need and readiness to meet the goals and objectives of the LandFlex Program. The selected GSAs and recommended funding amounts are as follows:

• Madera County GSA - $9.3 million
• Greater Kaweah GSA - $7.0 million
• Eastern Tule GSA - $7.0 million

Growers interested in LandFlex within these three GSAs can reach out to them directly or one of DWR’s partners for questions.