Grants & Funding
FEDERAL STATE AND FUNDING EFFORTS
(1.) Initial Funding from the Federal Government.
GRANTS PROGRAM -
Federal and state grant programs award funding on a competitive basis for a wide range of worthy fish habitat projects, ranging from sediment reduction to watershed education.
Funding is determined on the merits of the projects that are submitted by local water agencies. There are more applications for funding than there is money available for them, so not all projects are funded.
- Federal and State Funding Efforts
- DFG
- NMFS
- Coastal Conservancy
- FWS
- List of Grants Received
- Renewal Fund / Trust Fund
- Santa Barbara County Cachuma Betterment Fund
(2.) Funding of the local program
The Cachuma Project Member Units, acting through CCRB and the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, ID No. 1, fully fund the cost of the fisheries program. The annual budget ranges between 1.5 million and 2.5 million depending on the scope of the fisheries activities for the year. To offset these costs, grant money is actively sought, and used toward implementing the fish passage projects identified in the Fish Management Plan and Biological Opinion. Other revenue has been available from the Cachuma Project Master Contract Renewal Fund (Renewal Fund) and Cachuma Project Trust Fund (Trust Fund), and the Santa Barbara County Cachuma Betterment Fund.
The Renewal Fund and Trust Fund are two separate environmental funds that have been established through contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). Summarizing the purposes of the two funds, money is available for three general categories:
- Environmental studies and projects related to the Santa Ynez River. (This includes water rights-related studies).
- Water conservation and wastewater reclamation by Cachuma Project members.
- Cachuma Project betterment.
The annual revenue from these funds is approximately $250,000 to $300,000 per year. An additional $100,000 per year is also available from the Santa Barbara County Cachuma Betterment Fund. There has been general consensus since 1996 that the combined funds should be used for Lower Santa Ynez River Fisheries program.
An extensive grant program is also in place.