The Tahoe Water for Fire Partnership leads advocacy efforts to secure state and federal funding and critical support for forest fuels management and water infrastructure for fire suppression improvements in the Lake Tahoe basin and beyond.
Our recent legislative efforts and program proposals would extend funding support across the state of California and benefit rural communities located within the Wildland Urban Interface in designated high fire hazard severity zones or very high fire hazard severity zones.
Federal
Recently Approved Funding
The Partnership has worked closely with our California and Nevada Congressional Delegation to secure support for water infrastructure projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Fiscal Year 2026 –
- S. 4812, the FIRE SMART Act –
- S.4949, the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA 2026)– secures a provision expanding eligibility for water agencies at high risk from wildfire to access the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).
The provision makes eligible for DWSRF financing projects that both improve drinking water service and provide wildfire suppression benefits, a critical tool for water agencies in fire-prone areas, including those across the Lake Tahoe Basin, that are working to upgrade infrastructure so it can deliver the water pressure and flow firefighters need to protect homes and communities.
Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations – Community Project Requests
- H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior & Environment Appropriations Act, 2026
- $2.125 million, to support Water Infrastructure/State Fire Capacity Grants in Lake Tahoe
Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (H.R. 8812)
- Reps. Kiley and Amodei worked to secure $20M for water and wastewater infrastructure, including water supply, in the communities within the Lake Tahoe Basin in Nevada and California.
Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations – Community Project Requests
Congressman Kevin Kiley
- $1.0M - South Tahoe PUD – Critical Water Infrastructure
- $1.25M - North Tahoe PUD – Water Infrastructure Improvements
Congressman Mark Amodei – with support of entire Lake Tahoe Congressional delegation
- $2.1M – Tahoe Water for Fire Suppression – Priority projects identified by water/fire agencies
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (S. 612/H.R. 1583)
- Authorizes funding for upgrades to the region’s aging and undersized water infrastructure to help fire crews defend communities against catastrophic wildfires. Provides reimbursement for water line relocation resulting from environmental improvement projects.
California
California Legislature
The Partnership works closely with our state legislators to advance support for state-wide funding programs that would provide resources for projects that advance water infrastructure improvements to meet modern fire fighting standards.
2026 Regular Session
- Assembly Bill 372 – Office of Emergency Services: state matching funds: water system infrastructure improvements.
- This bill, contingent on funding being appropriated pursuant to a specified bond act, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the Rural Water Infrastructure for Wildfire Resilience Program within the OES for the distribution of state matching funds to urban wildland interface communities, as defined, in designated high fire hazard severity zones or very high fire hazard severity zones to improve water system infrastructure, as prescribed. The bill would require the OES to work in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and other state entities as the OES determines to be appropriate, to achieve the purposes of the program. The bill would require the OES to develop criteria and a scoring methodology to prioritize the distribution of state matching funds provided under the program to rural communities based upon specified criteria.
California Legislature
The Partnership works closely with our state legislators to advance support for state-wide funding programs that would provide resources for projects that advance water infrastructure improvements to meet modern fire fighting standards.
2024 Regular Session
- Senate Bill 1088 – (Held is Suspense File) – Office of Emergency Services: state matching funds: water system infrastructure improvements.
- SB 1088 would have established the Rural and Small Community Fire Resilience Program within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services (OES), under the direction of the Director of Emergency Services, to work in coordination with the Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, and other appropriate state entities to develop a program for the distribution of state matching funds to communities within the Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI, to improve water system infrastructure, as prescribed.
2023 Regular Session
- Senate Bill 470 – (Vetoed by Governor Newsom on October 8, 2023) – Urban Water Community Drought Relief program: Small Community Drought Relief program: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones
- SB 470 would have updated the program funding within the department the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program and the Small Community Drought Relief program to provide grants for similar interim or immediate drought relief. These programs, upon a specified appropriation, would authorize funding for benefits in addition to drought relief, including, among other projects, projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone communities or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal or by a local agency.
Advocacy Materials
