For many water agencies, the resources needed for implementing critical infrastructure projects far exceed the capabilities of local revenue alone. Grants and external funding are vital because they provide the extra resources needed to ensure that the infrastructure remains resilient, stays reliable, meets environmental regulations and is capable of meeting future demands — all while reducing the financial burden on local ratepayers.

Moreover, external funding can help water districts address unforeseen challenges such as natural disasters or rapid population growth. 

Over the past 20 years, Eastern Municipal Water District has demonstrated how a leading water municipality can successfully leverage strategic partnerships to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and loans. These funds directly benefit nearly 1 million customers in our inland Southern California territory.

These achievements sometimes take years to manifest. They result from strategic, long-term efforts that involve understanding your organizational needs, anticipating community growth and fostering strong relationships with legislators and funding agencies. To say results do not happen overnight is an understatement, and patience and persistence is half the battle.

For agencies looking to replicate EMWD’s success in securing grants and loans, it starts with leadership and commitment across your organization. For our agency, this meant adopting the need for grant funding within our board-adopted strategic priorities, which hold us accountable for goals we set in place. By actively working to reinvest our customers’ tax dollars into our growing service area, we demonstrate strong financial stewardship under our governance strategic priority — reducing capital costs for infrastructure development while enhancing public and environmental health and trust across our region’s water supplies. 

These goals must be pursued with a commitment to transparency and accountability. This approach ultimately delivers significant benefits to ratepayers, ensuring responsible financial management and long-term infrastructure development. It’s why we invest so much time into developing and maintaining partnerships that we may not benefit from for years to come.

In 2022 alone, EMWD secured over $115 million in state and federal grants and loans to support a wide range of water, wastewater and recycled water projects. Over the past three decades, we have received more than $800 million in external funding. We continue to advocate for additional funding to support vital programs in the rapidly growing Riverside County region — which is California’s fastest-growing area in the most recent census.

A consistent approach

The foundation of these successes was laid more than a generation ago and has since become ingrained in our organizational culture. Decades ago, EMWD proactively sought strategic partnerships with critical agencies to help shape a vision for delivering services while effectively managing resources. It was the first time an effort to develop relationships of this magnitude was a focus for our organization.

One notable example is EMWD’s collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the 1990s. It was one of our first strategic partnerships and it began with the development of the San Jacinto Wetlands, where we worked together to establish a pilot facility for treating secondary wastewater through a natural wetlands system. Over time, the bureau expanded its support for EMWD, providing critical funding for infrastructure that now serves as the backbone of our extensive recycled water system.

More recently, the bureau and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, have contributed $27.5 million toward EMWD’s planned Purified Water Replenishment program. In August 2023, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited EMWD to tour the future Purified Water facility, which received $10 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

EMWD has also achieved significant funding success for its groundwater desalination program. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has provided in-kind support for facility construction, while the State Water Resources Control Board awarded $22.5 million for the development of the Perris II Desalter. To date, EMWD has secured $100 million in funding authorization for the program through the Water Resources Development Act.  

The power of relationships

EMWD operates both a grants and loans team and a legislative advocacy team, working collaboratively to align long-term capital planning with funding opportunities. These teams not only track infrastructure needs, but also engage regularly with funding agencies and legislators at all levels. Their discussions extend beyond funding requests to include broader partnerships that drive innovation and industry-wide improvements.

For example, one of these discussions led to our participation in pilot testing to reduce brine discharge in recycled water treatment. With funding from the Bureau, we advanced this initiative and shared our findings to help the industry optimize resources through technological advancements.

Consistent engagement with legislators at the local, state and federal levels is a key part of EMWD’s approach. Each year, we conduct numerous briefings and facility tours with elected officials to build trust and reinforce our shared commitment to a more sustainable future. During these meetings, EMWD provides project funding fact sheets and booklets detailing capital improvement plan projects within each legislative district. This ensures legislators have a clear understanding of their constituents’ infrastructure needs and can effectively speak to our projects to gain support. We are consistently building a community of ambassadors who can advocate on our behalf.

Thanks to decades of relationship building, EMWD is securing more and more grant funding through legislative earmarks. These funds, including federal tax dollars allocated for specific projects and county-driven appropriations from the American Rescue Plan Act, have helped advance critical local initiatives in the western Riverside County, California region. 

One example is the expansion of a modernized sewer system in Temecula Valley Wine Country. This project will not only support economic development, it will also protect groundwater and surface water by replacing outdated septic systems. It’s an important issue that is now being addressed with the help of external funding support. 

A cyclical model

EMWD’s success in securing grants and loans is the result of deliberate, long-term commitment, and earned relationships can take years to develop. However, other agencies shouldn’t see this process as an insurmountable challenge, but rather as an opportunity through achievable “baby steps.”

A great starting point is identifying smaller grant opportunities through funding agencies and making intentional, strategic small steps forward. Doing so helps establish credibility, demonstrating that your organization can effectively manage funds for larger projects. As these relationships with funding partners and legislators grow, so will the opportunities and the tangible benefits your organization can deliver to your ratepayers. 

At EMWD, we are committed to reinvesting our customers’ tax dollars into our communities, easing the financial burden of infrastructure development and expansion. Strengthening relationships with regulatory agencies, funding partners and elected officials remains central to that mission.

This approach has become our blueprint — one that can be adapted and scaled to help other organizations achieve similar success for the benefit of their customers and communities.

One final note: It’s important to emphasize that while external funding can support a variety of projects, our primary focus is supporting current and future sustainability initiatives. Being environmentally forward protects our future and safeguards our 682-square-mile service area for future generations, which requires strategic investments in sustainable infrastructure. These projects are not just necessary — they are essential investments in long-term resilience and resource management.

Joe Mouawad has more than three decades of experience in the water industry and is the general manager at Eastern Municipal Water District, serving nearly 1 million people in western Riverside County and northern San Diego County, California.