Central Valley Project Habitat & Facility Improvements

Background
The Central Valley of California supports populations of Fall Run Chinook, Spring Run Chinook, and Winter Run Chinook salmon and Steelhead Trout. Water resources development and anthropogenic actions have reduced and modified historical salmonid habitats. The Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) aims to protect, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and associated habitats in the Central Valley and Trinity River basins of California. It also aims to address impacts of the Central Valley Project (CVP) on fish, wildlife and associated habitats, improve the operational flexibility of the CVP, and achieve a reasonable balance among competing demands for use of CVP water.

Grant Details
The objective is to execute collaborative planning efforts for salmon that rely on the CVPIA and the Science Integration Team supporting implementation of the Fish Resource Area of the CVPIA. The SIT Fundamental Objectives for the CVPIA Fish Resource Area are to increase the total salmonid juvenile biomass at Chipps Island, increase natural adult production of salmonids, and increase spatial diversity of target salmonid species.

Eligible projects include:
- Creating new side channels
- Modifying existing side channels to create and/or improve rearing habitats for juvenile life stages of anadromous salmonids in Central Valley rivers and tributaries
- Placing woody material, boulders, and other structures to provide habitat for salmonids
- Creating/enhancing incrementally inundating floodplain habitat
- Providing spawning habitat/coarse substrate
- Providing passage to and from disconnected habitats
- Improving facilities by reducing their impact on fish survival and growth rates
- Conducting pre-and post-project site surveys per the CVPIA SIT Tier 1 Monitoring guidance
- Coordinating activities with local watershed restoration groups or interagency restoration groups.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include the State of California or an agency or subdivision thereof, an Indian tribe, or a non-profit entity concerned with restoration, protection, or enhancement of fish, wildlife, habitat, or environmental values. A 50% or greater non-Federal cost share is required for small pumps/screening applications or projects utilizing Infrastructure Improvement authority. No cost-share is required for projects using other CVPIA authorities.

Period of Performance
Projects funded under this NOFO should be completed within five years of award.

Grant Value
Up to $120 million is available for award at a maximum of $40 million in each of the three fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. No single application estimated to cost more than $10 million in Federal funds will be funded in any fiscal year.

Place of Performance
Projects should focus on restoring and maintaining the production of anadromous salmonids and their habitats in the Central Valley of California.