Twenty-six California projects, including four in Riverside County, will share about $132 million in federal economic stimulus funds for water recycling projects, it was announced Wednesday afternoon.

The funding was provided through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Water

Reclamation and Reuse Program.

The Rancho California Water District, which blankets much of the Temecula and Murrieta areas, netted $6.25 million for its Vail Lake water storage pipeline and pump station. That project is seen as a key component of Rancho’s underground storage supplies.

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District in Lake Elsinore netted $3.1 million for the construction of its Tuscany Recycled Water System and $2.1 million for its Wildomar Recycled Water System.

The Perris-based Eastern Municipal Water District, which provides wholesale supplies to several regional agencies, will receive $9.46 million to improve its recycled water delivery capacity.

California water agencies received funding for all but one of the 27 projects announced by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Officials from the sprawling Metropolitan Water District of Southern California praised President Barack Obama and California’s congressional delegation Advertisement
for the latest round of economic stimulus funding.

"Today’s federal investments will help pave the way for water reclamation and reuse projects and programs that will expand the reliability of statewide resources and bring long-term sustainable water supplies within reach for all of California,’’ said MWD board Chairman Timothy Brick.

"This level of federal funding for California projects, particularly in the state’s south coastal plain, will not only bring drought relief and jobs, but also the promise of balancing local resources with imported supplies,’’ he said.

"This balance is part of the ongoing effort to address the needs of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s fragile ecosystem and to secure a more reliable water system serving 25 million Californians."

The funding announced today is part of $1 billion in federal economic

stimulus funds slated for water projects across the West. California’s water supplies have been severely impacted by years of drought and a court decision that limits the amount of water that can be pumped from Northern California to protect an endangered fish.

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