Water Marketing and Efficiency Grants
Through the Challenge Grant Program - Water Marketing and Efficiency Grants, Reclamation provides 50/50 cost share funding to irrigation and water districts and states for projects focused on water conservation, efficiency, and water marketing. Projects are selected through a competitive process, based on their ability to meet the goals identified in Water for America Implementation Plan (520 KB pdf file) . The focus is on projects that can be completed within 24 months that will help sustainable water supplies in the western United States.
Reclamation awarded $4.5 million dollars in August 2008 to fund 15 projects in seven states. Including the matching contributions of non-federal partners, the selected projects represent a combined investment of more than $31.8 million in water management improvements.
These grants awarded by Reclamation will fund a variety of projects that will improve the efficient use of existing water supplies through water conservation, efficiency and water market projects.
Since 2004, 137 projects have been funded. $30 million in Federal funding combined with local partnerships into almost $130 million worth of water management improvements in 16 western states. Those 137 projects will create new water banks, promote the use of advanced technology to improve water management, and increase collaboration among Federal, State, tribal, and local entities.
Forty-eight projects from the 2004 awards and six from the 2005 awards have been completed. For those projects that reported water savings, the total water savings in annual acre-ft is 75,640. These projects were successful in saving water, reducing conflict, and building partnerships.
Current Opportunities:
A funding opportunity was announced on Oct. 20, 2008. Press Release
See grants.gov (CFDA number is 15.507, Funding Announcement # 09SF811468) for information.
Click links below for:
List of All Projects Funded to Date (PDF - 91 KB)
Map of the Locations of All Projects Funded Through 2007 (PDF - 1.3 MB)
System Optimization Review Grants
Last updated: 1/12/09