WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) 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 DOI’s priorities. Through WaterSMART, Reclamation leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply reliability through investments in existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. This Environmental Water Resources Projects NOFO provides funding for water conservation and efficiency projects, water management and infrastructure improvements, and river and watershed restoration projects and nature-based solutions that provide significant ecological benefits, have been developed as part of a collaborative process, and help carry out an established strategy to increase the reliability of water resources.
Eligible Applicants: Category A: States; Indian tribes; irrigation districts; water districts; state, regional, or local authorities, whose members include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; and other organizations with water or power delivery authority. All Category A 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.
Category B: Non-profit conservation organizations, including watershed groups as defined in the Cooperative Watershed Management Act, Section 6001, that are acting in partnership with, and with the agreement of, an entity described in Category A. All Category B applicants must be in the United States or one of the Territories identified above. Category C: Non-profit conservation organizations submitting an application for a project to implement a nature-based solution on Federal land may submit an application without a Category A partner, if they demonstrate that entities described in Category A from the applicable service area have been notified and do not object to the project. All Category C applicants must be in the United States or one of the Territories identified above.