Website: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327729
Funding: Total funding: $2,000,000. Maximum awards: $500K-$2M, depending on project size.
Dates: Application Submission Deadline: Sep 17, 2020
Summary:
Through WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to support stakeholder efforts to stretch scarce water supplies and avoid conflicts over water. WaterSMART provides support for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Department) priorities, including creating a legacy of conservation stewardship, sustainably developing our energy and natural resources, modernizing our infrastructure through public-private partnerships, striking a regulatory balance, and restoring trust with local communities by improving relationships and communication with states, tribes, local governments, communities, landowners and water users. WaterSMART also supports Reclamation’s priorities, including increasing water supplies, leveraging science and technology to improve water supply reliability, addressing ongoing drought, and improving water supplies for tribal and rural communities.
The objective of this FOA is to invite states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of hydropower; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; enable farmers to make additional on-farm improvements in the future, including improvements that may be eligible for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability in the western United States.
Project Topic Areas:
This FOA splits eligible projects into two topic areas:
Water Conservation Projects
Water conservation projects result in quantifiable and sustained water savings or improved water management. Eligible water conservation projects include:
- Canal Lining/Piping: Projects that line or pipe canals, resulting in conserved water.
- Municipal Metering: Projects that install meters, resulting in measurable water savings.
- Irrigation Flow Measurement: Projects that improve measurement accuracy and result in reduced spills and over-deliveries to irrigators.
- Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Automation (SCADA): Projects that install SCADA and/or automation components that provide water savings when irrigation delivery system operational efficiency is improved to reduce spills, over-deliveries, and seepage.
- Irrigation Measures: Projects that provide water savings by reducing outdoor water usage. These measures include turf removal, Smart irrigation controllers (weather or soil-moisture based) and high-efficiency nozzles (sprinkler heads). These measures are typically promoted by water entities through rebates or direct-install programs.
Hydropower Projects
Projects that increase the use of hydropower in managing and delivering water. Projects include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the following subsections.
- Implementing Hydropower Projects Related to Water Management and Delivery
Cost Sharing:
Multiple applications for funding may be submitted for consideration (for example, an applicant may submit a proposal for funding under Funding Group I and a separate proposal under Funding Group II). However, no more than $2,000,000 will be awarded to any one applicant under this FOA. There are 35-40 projects anticipated to be funded from both funding groups.
The Federal share of any one proposed project shall not exceed 50 percent of the total project costs. Generally, the non-Federal share of project costs must be expended at the same or greater rate as the Federal share of project costs.
Applicants are invited to submit proposals under the following two funding groups:
Funding Group I
Up to $500,000 in Federal funds provided through this FOA will be available for smaller, on-the-ground projects that generally should be completed in two years. It is expected that more awards will be made for projects in Funding Group I than Funding Group II.
Funding Group II
Up to $2,000,000 in Federal funds provided through this FOA will be available for larger, phased on-the-ground projects that may take up to three years to complete. Projects selected under Funding Group II will be funded on an annual basis, for a period of up to 3 years, with a maximum of $2,000,000 available for the entire project. Funding for the remaining project years will be made available contingent on subsequent congressional appropriations. (Note: Recipients will not be asked to reapply to receive FY 2022 and FY 2023 funding).
Topic Area Requirements:
Environmental and Cultural Resource Compliance
All projects selected for funding under this FOA will be required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other Federal environmental and cultural resource laws and other regulations.
Eligible Applicants:
An eligible applicant is a state, Indian tribe, irrigation district, water district, or other organization with water or power delivery authority.
Applicants must also be located in the Western United States or Territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended and supplemented; specifically: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.