California Granted Millions in Federal Funding to Stretch Water Supplies

Water pumped up from an underground well flows into a cistern on a farm in Fresno, Calif., on July 24, 2021. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Millions of federal dollars are headed to California to help battle water shortages around the state, federal officials announced Aug. 18.

Twenty-five projects will split $310 million in federal cash to increase water capacity by 213,000 acre-feet and support more than 850,000 people. Of the total, 20 projects are in California; the remaining five are in Hawaii, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Washington.