News Details

Walnut Valley Receives $300,000 Cal OES Grant to Fund Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness Efforts

March 17, 2021

Walnut Valley Water District (WVWD) has been awarded a $300,000 from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Public Safety Power Shutoff grant program. Funding from this program will support District resiliency and emergency preparedness efforts to ensure quality and reliable drinking water to over 100,000 Southern California residents.

“One of our main objectives is system resilience, a goal that is completed by achieving system readiness under any circumstance,” said General Manager, Erik Hitchman. “The District established this goal as a component of its Strategic Vision Plan in 2019.”

The grant funds provide the necessary financial aid to WVWD as it works towards District-wide resiliency during a time with increased power outage possibilities, wildfire and severe heat warnings, and other disaster events throughout WVWD’s service area. The emergency generators will enhance the reliability of water distribution to WVWD customers in the event of a prolonged power outage. The grant funds received for the five portable emergency power generators will ensure that WVWD has the infrastructure it needs to respond to disaster and emergency events that are likely to occur. Emergency preparedness efforts such as emergency generators ensure WVWD has the resources it needs to continue operations of its water supply to all of its 100,000 customers now and in the future.