EMWD joins regional push for FEMA wildfire mitigation funds to harden booster stations

EMWD joins regional push for FEMA wildfire mitigation funds to harden booster stationsThe California utility is seeking $7 million in federal grants to install permanent backup power and physical barriers at vulnerable facilities, aiming to mitigate the operational risks of Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

The Board ratified a Memorandum of Understanding with Riverside County to apply for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding.

The $9.4 million project involves installing permanent generators and block walls at five water booster stations.

EMWD secured a record $10.3 million in federal earmarks for fiscal year 2026, including $5 million for the Quail Valley septic-to-sewer conversion.

The initiative follows a similar $2.3 million federal grant received in 2024 for booster plant improvements.

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) is advancing a $9.4 million initiative to harden its distribution infrastructure against wildfires and electrical grid instability, joining a regional coalition led by Riverside County to secure federal backing. At its February 18, 2026 meeting, the Board ratified a Memorandum of Understanding with the county’s Emergency Management Department to submit a sub-application for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The application targets the installation of permanent backup generators and block walls at five critical water booster facilities identified as vulnerable to environmental hazards. According to staff member Matthew Bates, the project is driven by the increasing frequency of wildfires—specifically citing the recent Palisades and Eaton fires—and Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) initiated by electric utilities during high-wind events. Bates noted that EMWD currently incurs "significant effort" to deploy portable generators and station personnel on standby during these outages to maintain system pressure. If successful, the grant will cover approximately 75 percent of the project costs, totaling roughly $7 million, with EMWD funding the remaining $2.4 million local match. The county is serving as the lead applicant for a regional effort involving five water agencies. This initiative builds on a track record of federally supported infrastructure hardening. In 2024, EMWD secured $2.3 million specifically for booster plant improvements to address similar wildfire and power risks. These physical defenses complement the district’s broader energy resilience strategy, which includes investments in solar, fuel cells, and microturbines to reduce dependence on the commercial power grid. The push for hazard mitigation funding coincides with a successful federal lobbying cycle for the Perris-based utility. General Manager Joe Mouawad reported that EMWD secured a record $10.3 million in Community Project Funding (earmarks) for the fiscal year 2026 appropriations cycle. This includes $5 million for the Quail Valley Septic to Sewer Conversion Project, $3.2 million for the district's groundwater desalination program, and $1.1 million for well replacement. Regarding the booster station hardening, Director Jeff Armstrong questioned whether the grant application covered all identified vulnerabilities. Staff clarified that the five stations are a subset of a larger risk assessment study, with other hardening projects currently being implemented through separate funding streams or existing capital budgets.