DWR confirms Koker payment, outlines payment lead times and grant extension limits

A California Department of Water Resources (DWR) representative confirmed the payment for the Koker property was received and the transaction is complete. Nahideh Madankar, Principal Engineer at DWR, advised the county to submit future payment requests at least eight weeks in advance to meet processing workloads and review requirements.

Madankar said DWR is reconciling contingency reallocation requests and recommended submitting a separate funding request letter rather than waiting for contingency reconciliation; director approval will be required for additional funding and processing could take roughly two to three months. She noted the project faces an estimated $82d10 million funding gap and, after the recent payment, the existing grant would have about $2 million remaining. "A grant extension is likely possible if it is requested with at least three months27 notice," Madankar said, adding that Proposition 1E funds must be expended by June 30, 2028.

DWR staff suggested combining multiple funding sources and advancing clear, non-duplicative cost separations in funding requests; they offered to review draft funding letters to improve chances for support and suggested exploring flood-related and multi-benefit grant programs.