Agenda Item Wording:
title
Authorization to apply for Kaweah Subbasin Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program - Authorize the City to apply to the Kaweah Subbasin Multibenefit Repurposing Program for up to $100,000 for a planning grant to assist the transition of irrigated agricultural land at the Visalia Municipal Airport to less water-intensive use(s).
body
Agenda Date: 06/15/2026
Prepared by: John Lollis, Assistant City Manager, John.Lollis@visalia.gov, 713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the application to the Kaweah Subbasin Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program for up to $100,000 for a planning grant to assist the transition of irrigated agricultural land at the Visalia Municipal Airport to less water-intensive use(s).
Summary:
Staff is seeking grant opportunities to fund the necessary planning to transition the approximate 233-acres of irrigated agricultural land currently under lease at the Visalia Municipal Airport for the development of a solar microgrid for energy generation and storage to support infrastructure and economic development activities at the Airport.
Background Discussion:
Many Central Valley communities are navigating groundwater changes driven by droughts and imbalanced water supplies. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) establishes a deadline to transition to sustainable groundwater use by 2040 in critically overdraft subbasins in California, such as the Kaweah Subbasin. It is estimated that up to 1,000,000-acres of irrigated agricultural land in the Central Valley may need to be fallowed, retired or repurposed to balance groundwater supplies.
To support beneficial alternatives, the California Department of Conservation (DoC) established the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) to incentivize multibenefit land repurposing that takes a strategic regional approach and provides benefits to both the environment and surrounding communities.
Multibenefit land...
Click here for full text