The Kings River Conservation District was awarded $300,000 by the California Department of Conservation (DOC) to fund two part-time watershed coordinator positions. The funding will allow important work to be carried out related to long-term drinking water solutions and groundwater quality in the Kings River region covering portions of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.
KRCD’s Watershed Coordinators will work to provide safe drinking water to residents, reduce nitrate contamination into groundwater, and identify ways to restore groundwater quality where reasonable and feasible.
The California Department of Conservation (DOC) received 26 competitive grant applications totaling $7.5 million with only $1.5 million of available funding. KRCD was one five watershed coordinator grants awarded by the DOC to organizations around the state to support regional sustainable groundwater management goals.
A watershed coordinator is a position the state funds for a local government or non-profit to work with local stakeholders and downstream beneficiaries. Their work is centered around the ability to leverage local relationships and understandings, to build broad and trusting coalitions across a watershed and to cultivate a shared vision of progress.
KRCD is honored to continue building collaborative bridges between government, stakeholders, and communities to serve our landowners and residents and improve watershed health.