This spring, more communities across California gained access to safe drinking water as the State Water Resources Control Board’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program ramped up infrastructure efforts. With over $70 million in construction funding, recent projects in Fresno, Monterey, Placer, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Tulare counties are now underway or completed, benefitting more than 22,000 residents—primarily in small, disadvantaged communities.
“More and more projects are reaching milestones throughout California as the state hits its stride in expanding access to safe drinking water,” said State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel. “Collaboration in the early years of the SAFER program helped us build a strong project pipeline that’s now delivering results at a faster pace and larger scale.”
Currently, over 140 drinking water projects funded by SAFER are under construction. Recent highlights include:
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Tombstone Territory, Fresno County: In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the groundbreaking of a $5 million consolidation project with the City of Sanger. The effort, fully funded by state grants, will connect 150 residents reliant on private wells to a safe water supply by December 2024.
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Avenue 66 Transmission Main Project, Riverside County: The Coachella Valley Water District completed a key pipeline project that connects around 370 residents from three disadvantaged communities to clean water. The project is part of a broader initiative to serve thousands in the Eastern Coachella Valley, supported by $32 million in state funding, including $23.4 million from SAFER.
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City of Colfax, Placer County: Construction began on a new $40 million drinking water treatment plant that will serve 3,000 residents and consolidate systems along the I-80 corridor. The SAFER program provided $2.5 million in grants, a $10 million interest-free loan, and an additional $4.5 million grant for early consolidation efforts.
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West Goshen, Tulare County: This severely disadvantaged community broke ground on a $3.4 million project that will connect 175 residents to Cal Water Visalia, providing clean drinking water by 2026. The SAFER program contributed $540,000 in technical assistance.
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Moss Landing, Monterey County: In May, Pajaro Sunny Mesa Community Services District began a $15 million consolidation project to expand the Springfield water system, bringing clean water to nearly 400 residents, including 20 homes currently using domestic wells. The project is funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and supported by SAFER.
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City of Needles, San Bernardino County: In April, Needles completed a $14 million water system upgrade, replacing aging infrastructure to deliver compliant, reliable water to 5,000 residents. The entire project was funded by the SAFER program.
While 98% of Californians already receive safe drinking water, the SAFER program targets the remaining 2% served by failing or inadequate systems. Since its launch in 2019, SAFER has awarded over $1 billion in drinking water grants, completed over 140 consolidations, and helped more than 300 systems return to compliance, improving water access for more than 2 million Californians.