GWP eyes money for drought projects

As state lawmakers expect to release roughly $687 million of funding for shovel-ready projects to reduce the impacts of California’s current drought, Glendale Water & Power officials are looking to grab some of that cash.

There are four projects that could meet the requirements for the funding — including permits in place and planning mostly complete — officials said at a Glendale Water & Power Commission meeting this week.

“If they say you get it in June, they don’t want projects to wait,” said Kyra Emanuels Ross, a consultant hired to lobby for Glendale Water & Power in Sacramento. “We’re really looking at types of projects that can make an immediate impact.”

The projects utility officials are eyeing to present to state administrators include three recycled water projects that would extend recycled water piping to sites within the city by about four miles, reaching three schools and two neighborhoods north of the Ventura (134) Freeway.

The fourth project includes pumping water from the Rockhaven Well. City officials discovered groundwater at the historic sanitarium years ago, but improvements to pump groundwater from there have exceeded budgeting to date. In general, if Glendale is able to pump its own groundwater, it can import less water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which tends to be expensive. Metropolitan currently provides about 70% of Glendale’s water supply.

Officials estimate the four projects may cost $9 million.

The round of funding, coming from two pieces of legislation signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last week, may not be the only shot in the arm for drought funding. Officials expect that there will be a second package of bills green-lighting funding for projects to help stem the drought impact, Emanuels Ross said.

--

Follow Brittany Levine on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine.

ALSO:

Glendale prepares to sell vintage arcade machines