California Receives $3.6 Million to Aid Fire-Damaged Communities

DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) in California will receive an initial allotment of
$3.6 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) funds. NRCS will use the
money to move forward in helping communities that have suffered from wildfires
during the past year to make needed natural resource repairs to watersheds.
The money comes from a recently-released federal supplemental spending
bill aimed at helping Midwest states ravaged by recent flooding. However, it
also provides funding to cover about $140 million in EWP projects nationwide,
including California wildfires.
"California has been working with fire-damaged communities to survey
damages to the watersheds and certify eligible projects and all of these
projects are deserving and qualify for help. We have been anticipating these
funds and they are greatly needed," says NRCS State Conservationist Ed Burton.
"It is important to help our Sponsors complete these projects now before next
winter's storms have a chance to do significant damage to the properties at
risk."
The following California projects will be funded with this initial
allotment:
-- Angora Fire South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County-Estimated Cost $80,000
-- Catalina Island Wildfire, Catalina Island, Los Angeles County-Estimated
Cost $1.6 million
-- Santiago Fire, Harding Canyon, Orange County-Estimated Cost $200,000
-- Santa Anita Fire, Sierra Madre, Los Angeles County-Estimated Cost $2.15
million
California NRCS is continuing to work on damage survey reports associated
with more recent wildfires to determine anew the emergency funding needs
across the state that could be addressed by the EWP program.
The EWP program provides technical and financial assistance to address
public safety and restoration efforts on private, public and tribal lands.
Through sponsored partnerships NRCS can pay up to 75 percent of the cost of
removing debris from stream channels, road culverts and bridges; protecting
eroded streambanks; correcting damaged drainways; and reseeding damaged areas.
Local sponsors may include city, county or state governments, Indian
tribes, resource conservation districts, U.S. Forest Service or watershed
authorities. Sponsors must secure 25 percent of the costs in cash or approved
in-kind contributions. Additional information about EWP is available
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp .
SOURCE NRCS

Anita Brown, +1-530-792-5644, or Bill Ward, +1-530-792-5616, both of NRCS