Water Infrastructure for Wildfire Resilience
From local coalition to federal authorizations and appropriations, ENS built the advocacy strategy that resulted in the funding of a federal partnership to address wildfire threats in the Lake Tahoe region.
The Problem
The Lake Tahoe Basin relies on a patchwork of small, aging, geographically isolated water systems, many originally sized for seasonal cabins rather than year-round communities facing catastrophic wildfire risk. Undersized waterlines, gaps in hydrant coverage, and limited storage left firefighters without the water flows needed to defend neighborhoods.
What ENS Did
- ✓ Identified funding opportunities through congressionally directed spending and line-item appropriations
- ✓ Developed and submitted a programmatic funding request for a dedicated Water Infrastructure/State Fire Capacity Grants line item
- ✓ Built relationships with Tahoe's bi-state congressional delegation and Appropriations subcommittee staff
- ✓ Worked closely with a member of the House Appropriations Committee to advance the line-item request
- ✓ Coordinated member water agencies across California and Nevada to present a unified, bi-state funding priority
The Result
ENS helped the Partnership obtain more than $36 million in federal funding plus over $20 million in local capital funding, a $2.125 million dedicated line-item appropriation, and introduction of the FIRE SMART Act to expand Drinking Water State Revolving Fund eligibility for wildfire-related water infrastructure.