Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Funding Restored by ACWA Staff Jul 1, 2025 Water News SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 27 signed a budget bill that restores more than $351 million in funding for the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) Program. The bill replaces an earlier budget proposal from the Legislature that would have eliminated the funding that was appropriated in the 2022-’23 and 2023-’24 budgets for the HRL program. The restoration of this funding represents progress toward restoring the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta (Bay-Delta). ACWA is a long-standing supporter of the HRL Program, previously referred to as Voluntary Agreements, as the best approach to protecting, restoring and enhancing the Bay-Delta. ACWA staff, in coordination with other associations and individual ACWA members, urged legislators to preserve the funding. ACWA also issued an Outreach Alert encouraging members to contact their legislators, which had a significant impact toward restoring this funding. The HRL Program is supported by federal, state, and local water leaders to create a comprehensive program of habitat enhancement projects coupled with more water for fish and wildlife, managed in a collaborative, science-based manner. Learn more about the HRL program’s approach to protecting, restoring, and enhancing California’s Bay-Delta on ACWA’s website or the California Natural Resources Agency’s website.
