Watershed Protection District to Prepare Ventura River Watershed Plan
We are pleased to announce that after a successful application process, the Watershed Protection District entered into a Grant Agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on September 8, 2025, to prepare a Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment (WP-EA) for the Ventura River Watershed Plan Project.
The NRCS is a United States government agency under the Department of Agriculture that provides funding through various programs including the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program under Public Law (PL) 83-566. The funding is to help communities protect their watersheds through locally led solutions. This program provides 100 percent funding for feasibility, planning, and design costs for flood control facilities and agricultural water projects, 100 percent construction costs for flood control facilities and 75 percent of construction costs for agricultural water projects once NRCS approves a watershed plan.
The Ventura River Watershed Plan Project includes four components consisting of flood protection along the communities of Meiners Oaks, Live Oak Acres and Casitas Springs, and improvements to the Casitas Municipal Water District’s Robles Diversion and fish passage facility. These projects provide flood protection and water supply reliability. They are also needed as predecessors to the removal of the Matilija Dam and will also be evaluated pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as components of the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project.
The WP-EA will involve public participation pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the NRCS. This will provide all interested stakeholders with opportunities for engagement in this process. Additional public participation opportunities will be associated with the CEQA process for the four project components.
