SWC Partners with DWR to Award $4 Million in Funding for Bay-Delta Research by ACWA Staff Aug 2, 2023 Water News SACRAMENTO – The State Water Contractors (SWC) recently awarded funding for six projects that will be conducted by leading researchers from some of the top institutions and firms in California and across the nation. These projects will investigate information gaps related to Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Steelhead – helping reduce uncertainties in the effects of non-flow mechanisms that affect species growth, migration and survival. The SWC’s initial investment is supplemented with funding from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), which brings the total scientific research investment above $4 million. “These awards are an exciting milestone for the SWC and the SWC’s Science Program. The projects we are funding will explore new lines of research and help fill in critical knowledge gaps to improve management of both water supply and ecosystem health. We are thankful to have a funding partner in DWR, as we share the goal of funding high-quality, management relevant science,” stated SWC Science Manager Darcy Austin in a news release, which also provides project overviews. The SWC Science Program collaboratively funds and facilitates objective, relevant, rigorous science that advances the understanding of factors affecting water supply reliability and habitat restoration for improved decision-making and management in the San Francisco Bay, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and watershed. The SWC’s first-ever science proposal solicitation requested proposals for solution-based studies that would inform critical uncertainties related to State Water Project (SWP) water operations, including habitat and ecology, Delta outflow and non-operational stressors. The SWC selected the final projects through a three-phase review process, including screening, an independent peer review of scientific merits, and a panel review of the study design and management relevance by scientists with experience in management relevant science in estuaries and watersheds. The SWC developed its review process based on similar processes followed by several other science organizations that have proven successful in selecting research with the greatest potential to make meaningful contributions to the field. “We followed a transparent and rigorous process of requesting, reviewing, and ranking proposals and we are happy with the outcome of our first-ever science proposal solicitation,” Austin stated. “This level of rigor is important, as California must use the best available science to inform the way we meet the challenge of protecting fish species while ensuring a reliable water supply for millions of Californians.”
