Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER Funding Program)
Forecasted
Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) supports small California drinking water systems with standards violations, funding immediate needs and lasting solutions to provide safe, affordable water.
Funder: California State Water Resources Control Board
Due Dates: No application deadline stated
Funding Amounts: $130 million per year for the fund as a whole
Summary: SAFER supports sustainable solutions that bring safe, affordable drinking water to Californians who lack it.
Key Information: Funding focuses on small drinking water systems with violations of drinking water standards.
Description
The Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) Program brings together funding sources, tools, and regulatory authorities to help Californians obtain safe, affordable drinking water as quickly as possible. Established through the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in 2019, it is administered through the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Financial Assistance. Its longer-term goal is sustainable operation of the state’s drinking water systems.
SAFER supports interim drinking water supplies, emergency repairs, technical assistance, planning, operations and maintenance, and construction. It can also fund consolidation with a larger system, replacement water, and administrators to run small systems. The program’s funding is guided by the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund policy and an annual Fund Expenditure Plan.
