The recently established West Marin Fund has awarded its first loan to the Tomales Bay Watershed Council Foundation, in the amount of $48,000, to help further the council’s water quality testing project through September. The move is part of the fund’s initiative to provide bridge loans to coastal Marin organizations. The council is the only organization monitoring and testing the water quality of Tomales Bay and its 255 square miles of watershed, an area that encompasses about one-third of the county and provides drinking water for 200,000 residents. The State Water Quality Control Board, which previously funded the council’s work, is holding back the final payment of funds until the project is completed, as per its policy. The West Marin Fund loan will cover that gap. Council member Carlos Porrata said that while large nonprofits could endure funding gaps, smaller outfits could not survive the interruption in cash flow. “We’re both thankful and encouraged that the fund could quickly and nimbly step in to save the day,” he said.