Website: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=323197
Funding: Total funding is still being allocated with maximum awards of $20M.
Dates: Application Submission Deadline: September 10, 2020
Summary:
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Program provides a framework for Federal leadership and assistance to stretch and secure water supplies for future generations in support of the Department’s priorities. Through WaterSMART, 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 Department’s priorities, including creating a legacy of conservation stewardship, sustainably developing our energy and natural resources, modernizing our infrastructure through public- private partnerships, 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.
Through the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program (Title XVI), authorized by Public Law (P.L.) 102-575 in 1992, Reclamation provides financial and technical assistance to local water agencies for the planning, design, and construction of water reclamation and reuse projects. Water recycling is a tool in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Title XVI projects develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse, thereby improving efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying the water supply. Through the Title XVI Program, Reclamation provides funding to facilitate investment in technology and enables broader scale use of recycled water which supports the goals of the October 19, 2018 Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West. These projects provide growing communities with new sources of clean water which increases water management flexibility and makes our water supply more reliable. Title XVI water projects are an important part of the WaterSMART Program. The objective of this FOA is to invite sponsors of congressionally authorized water reclamation and reuse projects (Projects) to request cost-shared funding for the planning, design, and/or construction of those Projects.
Project Topic Areas:
Projects must include the planning, design, and construction of water reclamation and reuse facilities that are components of a congressionally authorized Title XVI Project.
Funding Areas:
WaterSMART: Title XVI WIIN Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects – Through this FOA, funding is available for planning, design, and construction of Title XVI Projects eligible under Section 4009(c) of the WIIN Act.
WaterSMART: Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Research – Through this FOA, funding is available for research activities that seek to address water supply challenges by establishing or expanding the use of water reclamation and reuse, improving existing water reuse facilities, and/or streamlining the implementation of state-of-the-art technology for new facilities.
WaterSMART: Desalination Construction Projects Under the WIIN Act – Through this FOA, funding is available for planning, design, and construction of desalination projects eligible under Section 4009(a) of the WIIN Act.
Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development: Laboratory and Pilot Scale Projects – Through this FOA, funding is available for laboratory and pilot scale research studies to determine the viability of a novel process, new materials, or process modifications in conjunction with individuals, institutions of higher education, commercial or industrial organizations, private entities, public entities (including state and local), and Indian tribal governments.
Desalination and Water Purification Research and Development: Pitch to Pilot – Through this FOA, funding is available to develop innovative and disruptive new technologies or processes at the pilot scale with the goal to augment water supplies and address costs, energy usage, and environmental impacts of water treatment technologies.
Cost Sharing:
This FOA will be used to allocate fiscal year (FY) 2020 funding and FY 2021 appropriations. The total amount of funding available under this FOA will depend on final appropriations for FY 2021.
The Federal share (i.e., Reclamation’s share in addition to any other sources of Federal funding), of any Title XVI Project, including any funding provided as a result of this FOA, shall not exceed 25 percent of the total Project cost of planning, design, and/or construction that has either already been completed or will be conducted before September 30, 2024. Although the evaluation criteria listed in this FOA will be applied to the Project as a whole, funding requests submitted under this FOA must be based on the expenditures already incurred or planned to be incurred by September 30, 2024.
All costs incurred by Reclamation related to the development and administration of any award under this FOA are considered part of the total Project costs, and the recipient will be required to provide cost share for these costs. All Reclamation administrative costs will also be included in the Federal cost share for the Project. Awards will be made through a grant or cooperative agreement as applicable to the selected Project. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, the recipient should expect Reclamation to have substantial involvement in the Project.
Applicants must be capable of cost sharing 75 percent or more of the total Project costs. The total project cost is defined as the total allowable costs incurred under a Federal award and all required cost share and voluntary committed cost share contributions, including third-party contributions.
| Expected Awards | Minimum Award | Maximum Award | Cost Share |
| 6-10 | $1,000 | $20,000,000 | 75% of Eligible Costs |
Topic Area Requirements:
If the funding requested will be used for construction activities, the Project must have a completed Feasibility Study that has been reviewed by Reclamation and found to meet all of the requirements of Reclamation Manual Directives and Standards WTR 11-01, Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program and Desalination Construction Program Feasibility Study Review Process, by the date this FOA closes.
Eligible Applicants:
Sponsors of any one of the 53 Title XVI Projects specifically authorized by the Title XVI Act.