Jeff Wetzel of the Division of Financial Assistance presented the State Water Resources Control Board’s fund expenditure plan and a fiscal-year funding overview at the SAFER Advisory Group meeting on Dec. 11 in Salinas.

Wetzel said the combined funding available to address drinking-water solutions this fiscal year totals roughly $1.32 billion, including about $320 million from the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund and additional amounts from state bond funds and greenhouse-gas-linked programs. He listed pending commitments of about $130 million and said round 5 of the expedited drinking-water grant program includes roughly 30 projects estimated to result in approximately $330 million in funding commitments.

On domestic-well support, Wetzel summarized multi-year allocations and noted the board has identified roughly $82 million as a domestic-well target for the fiscal year, with about $24 million in amendments pending in the current quarter. He said recent first-quarter activity included technical-assistance work-plan approvals and amendments, planning grants, and construction grants; the domestic-well tally for the first three months included 135 households receiving bottled or hauled water, 120 domestic wells tested and 51 new wells drilled or repaired.

Wetzel stressed that funding targets for construction can be adjusted because other funding sources and programs can address those needs and that technical assistance and direct O&M supports were increased in the final FEP in response to comments.

Ending: DFA staff will continue to track commitments and report back; advisory members used the funding outline to press for clearer eligibility and outreach to make assistance more accessible.