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Show SECTION 8 STATE WATER PLAN - JORDAN RIVER BASIN WATER FUNDING PROGRAMS Water development includes direct and indirect benefits, not only; to the project owners and developers, but also to the surrounding communities and society as a whole. 8.1 Introduction This section briefly describes many of the state, federal and local funding programs available to plan and implement water resources projects in the Jordan River Basin. Additional information can be found in the State Water Plan ( 1990), Section 3, Introduction, and Section 8, State and Federal Water Resource Funding Programs. More specific information can also be found in other sections of the State Water Plan regarding specific agency programs. 8.2 Background Over the years, citizens of Utah have spent millions of their own dollars to develop water resources. During early colonization, individuals, private irrigation companies and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints ( Mormons) worked together to develop water facilities. Today, private citizens still play an important role in funding water development projects. The federal and state governments have developed numerous programs which make grants and low interest loan money available to water developers. Many of these funding programs require up- front cost sharing from individuals, groups or entities receiving benefits from the projects as well as complete repayment of revolving funds made available. Water- related projects are a continuing need. In the past, significant funding assistance was made available through federal programs. In today's political climate, limited federal funding is still available, but it is becoming more scarce and carries with it restrictive federal regulations and guidelines. The issue of federal funding is discussed in more detail in the State Water Plan. Increasingly, more local and state funding is needed to offset the loss of federal assistance. Since the turn of the century, some state funds have been available to construct water development projects. These were relatively minor amounts until 1947 when the legislature created the Utah Water and Power Board and established the Revolving Construction Fund. Since then, state funding programs have been established under various boards, commissions, and committees. Population expansion and cost increases have required project sponsors to seek additional funds from other sources. These state and federal programs have been used to fund projects in the Jordan River Basin in the past. Funding in recent years is shown in Tables 8- 1 and 8- 2. 8.3 State Water Funding Programs Eight state entities have funding programs ( See Table 8- 1) to assist local communities for various community development projects. These funding programs include loan and grant monies. Although not all of these funding programs were created specifically for water development, each can be applied to water- related development projects. Though these programs are generally targeted for different purposes, there are cases where more than one program can assist with a particular project. State funding programs are briefly described in Table 8- 3 8.4 Federal Water Funding Programs Federal water- related grant and loan programs exist in various agencies in the Agriculture, Army, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, and Interior departments, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Funding for these programs has fluctuated, but it has declined generally in recent years. General funding programs are still a viable source of financial assistance. However, they are aimed more to protecting the environment rather than water development. These programs are briefly described in Table 8- 4. • 8- 1 |