WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects (US)

Deadline: 28-Mar-23

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Water Resources and Planning Office is seeking applications for its Environmental Water Resources Projects to provide funding for water conservation, water management, and restoration projects that provide significant environmental benefits and have been developed as part of a collaborative process to help carry out an established strategy to increase the reliability of water resources.

The objective of this NOFO is to invite eligible applicants to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on Environmental Water Resources Projects, including water conservation and efficiency projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings and benefit ecological values or watershed health, water management or infrastructure improvements to benefit ecological values or watershed health, and restoration projects benefitting ecological values or watershed health that have a nexus to water resources or water resources management.

WaterSMART’s Environmental Water Resources Projects provide support for priorities identified in Presidential Executive Order (E.O.) 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and is aligned with other priorities such as those identified in E.O. 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

Funding Information

Up to $3,000,000 in Federal funds may be awarded over the period of performance for projects with total project costs no greater than $6,000,000.
Approximately 20–40 awards, depending on the amount requested by each applicant and the amount of Federal funding available, will be awarded under this NOFO.

Type of Award

Project awards will be made through grants or cooperative agreements as applicable to each project. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, the recipient should expect Reclamation to have substantial involvement in the project, including:
Collaboration and participation with the recipient in the management of the project and close oversight of the recipient’s activities to ensure that the program objectives are being achieved.
Oversight may include review, input, and approval at key interim stages of the project.

Eligible States

All applicants must be located in one of the following States or territories: 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, the Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico.

Eligibility Criteria

Category A Applicants
- States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, and water districts
- State, regional, or local authorities, the members of which include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority
- Other organizations with water or power delivery authority
Category B Applicants
- Category B applicants must include with their application a letter from the Category A partner stating that the Category A partner:
  - Is acting in partnership with the applicant
  - Agrees to the submittal and content of the application
  - Intends to participate in the project in some way (e.g., by providing input, feedback, or other support for the project)
Category C Applicants
- Non-profit conservation organizations submitting an application for a project to improve the condition of a natural feature, such as wetlands on Federal land, without a Category A partner must demonstrate that entities described in Category A from the applicable service area have been notified and do not object to the project.