The Delta-Mendota Canal — a crucial water supply line for Westside farms and communities — is set to receive $235 million in federal funding for major repairs and upgrades, the largest single allocation in a new $889 million Western water infrastructure package announced by the Department of the Interior.
The investment is part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in 2025, which directs $1 billion to the Bureau of Reclamation through 2034 to restore and expand water conveyance systems across the West. California will receive $540 million of the total, with the Delta-Mendota Canal topping the list of funded projects.
The canal, which runs roughly 116 miles from the C.W. “Bill” Jones Pumping Plant to the Mendota Pool, supplies irrigation water to farms along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and delivers replacement water for San Joaquin River flows stored at Friant Dam. It passes near the Westside towns — all heavily dependent on its deliveries.
Federal officials say the funding will support embankment repairs, check structure improvements and evaluation of a potential concrete-lined segment to address long-standing damage caused by land subsidence. Years of groundwater pumping have caused portions of the canal to sink, reducing its carrying capacity and limiting deliveries during peak agricultural demand.
In some stretches of the Central Valley, subsidence has cut canal capacity by more than half, straining growers who rely on consistent water supplies.
The Delta-Mendota project is one of several California improvements funded through the package. The Friant-Kern Canal will receive $200 million for subsidence correction, the San Luis Canal will receive $50 million for reliability improvements, and the Tehama-Colusa Canal pumping plant will receive $15 million. Another $40 million is earmarked for planning work related to raising Shasta Dam.
Since the funding announcement, state and federal agencies have begun early coordination on the Delta-Mendota work. Local water districts say planning discussions have focused on restoring flow capacity, reinforcing weakened structures and evaluating bypass options in the most heavily subsided areas. Construction timelines have not yet been set.
Supporters say the investment will help stabilize water deliveries on the Westside, where agriculture and local economies depend on the canal’s reliability. Critics have raised concerns about environmental impacts tied to some storage-related projects, but the bulk of the Westside funding is directed toward repairing existing infrastructure.
Water agencies and growers across the region have welcomed the federal commitment, calling it a long-awaited step toward modernizing one of the Valley’s most important water conveyance systems.
