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RCAC assists Davenport receive one of first ARRA funding grants

WATER AND WASTEWATER NEWS

By Jean Thompson-Ibbeson, RCAC rural development specialist – environmental

Patience and perseverance paid off for one rural California community. After eight years of trying to secure funding to upgrade and expand its water source, the town of Davenport received $1.6 million in American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant funds.

Davenport is an unincorporated coastal community of 250 residents in Santa Cruz County, California. During winter storms, the treatment plant is often unable to produce an adequate amount of potable water and is out of compliance with state and federal standards.

In 2001, the county’s sanitation district, which services Davenport, applied for $1.2 million in grants and loans from the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) for upgrades to the water treatment plant. However, the California Department of Public Health informed the community that, according to the 2000 census, it was not disadvantaged—a requirement to obtain the loan—and would not have adequate revenue to repay it. During the following year, Davenport educated its residents, preparing them for a large rate increase to enable the community to qualify for the SRF loan while researching additional grant funding.

Several years later, the sanitation district began issuing notices to Davenport residents to boil their water because additional filtration requirements took effect. The district completed SRF loan applications to satisfy the updated requirements. The district also included the project to upgrade Davenport’s water system in the Proposition 50 Integrated Water Resource Management grant application for Santa Cruz County. Under the proposition, Davenport received a $600,000 grant for its project.   

In 2007, the California Department of Public Health asked RCAC, to perform a median household income (MHI) survey of the service area. RCAC’s survey determined that Davenport was, in fact, a disadvantaged community, making it eligible for an SRF loan.

In 2008, it seemed that everything was finally coming together to get the project underway. Nearly all of the plans were completed, and Davenport was awaiting approval for the remaining funds it needed - $204,000 in low-interest loans and $816,000 in grants. The total cost of the project was estimated at $1.62 million, and construction was expected to begin in 2009.

However, in June 2009, the community’s officials received a phone call from the state Department of Public Health informing them that their SRF loan/grant agreement was not completed in time. But, they were told, if they could get their paperwork completed within two weeks, they could be one of the first to receive ARRA funds in the form of a grant to cover the entire cost of the “shovel-ready” project.

There was pressure to take advantage of this rare opportunity, and RCAC assisted the community again. RCAC updated the community’s reports from its earlier income survey to complete Davenport’s application for the stimulus funds.

The project’s engineer and county staff scrambled to obtain an ARRA funding commitment from the U.S. Department of Public Health in early July 2009, and the construction contract was awarded the following month. In November 2009, Davenport was notified that it also was awarded a $520,000 Community Development Block Grant.

With enough funds to finish the project, construction is underway. The project includes an expanded water treatment plant with a new membrane filtration system and new storage facility. It is expected to be completed by June.

“I am thrilled that we are on the way to high-quality water for the community of Davenport,” said Neal Coonerty, supervisor of the county’s district where Davenport is located.

A sixth-grade student at Pacific Elementary School in Davenport said he “was looking forward to drinking out of the water faucet again.”

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