Sutter Creek – One of 9 members of the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, the Amador Water Agency learned earlier this month that the regional Joint Power Authority could qualify for some regional project funding. Funding is coming from a revision to the “Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act,” which took effect in March. If the state approves the Upper Moke Authority’s application to be an approved regional organization to run projects, it could qualify for some of the $5.83 billion in Proposition 84 funding. Upper Moke Authority Executive Officer Rob Alcott told the AWA board August 13th that the state water board is not looking at non-regional projects, and “they’ve put big dollars here to incentivize regional projects.” He said they are using “state money to get regions to work together on solutions.” Alcott said the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority has a list of about 30 projects that he expects the Authority would get reimbursed by the state. That included the probable best project: a leak detection program that Amador and Calaveras county organizations could benefit from. Besides a possible fast-tracking of the Amador-Calaveras leak detection program, Alcott said another early candidate for Prop 84 funding would be a planning grant. The funds in the program total $1.5 billion for water quality and regional water management projects. There is also $928 million for river and lake protection; $580 million for sustainable communities; $450 million for forest and wildlife conservation; and $65 million for water planning and design. AWA Board Chairman Terence Moore asked staff if the agency’s 50 or so projects had been targeted with timelines. Engineering and Planning Manager Gene Mancebo said as money comes available, the agency sees how they fit into those projects. Agency Attorney Steve Kronick said the “pots of money are only going to be provided to regional agencies, not individual agencies.” AWA Director Don Cooper said they hear about resource planning, but he thought they should channel more conservation through the Upper Moke JPA. He said they should also work together toward implementing the “best management practices” for water companies, as required in Assembly Bill 1420. He said regionally, the JPA should realize the power they have as a group. AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie agreed, saying the portion of the cost they pay would get smaller, for the same benefits to each agency. Alcott said the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority should hear by September whether it is chosen as an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan select organization, to qualify for funding. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.