BOR-CPN-21-F001_DOI_BOR_2_15.docx

Water Conservation Field Services Program: Financial Assistance for Fiscal Year 2021 Funding Opportunity Announcement No. BOR-PN-21-F001 Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region

U.S. Department of the Interior November 2020

Mission Statements The Department of the Interior (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper.

The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.

Cover photograph: Cold Springs Dam, Oregon; photograph taken 2014.

Synopsis

Application Checklist The following table contains a summary of the information that applicants are required to submit. Unless otherwise noted, these materials should be submitted with the application.

SF-424 Application for Federal Financial Assistance

SF-424A Budget Information

SF-424B/AF-424D Assurances

* Should be completed prior to the application deadline; however, please refer to the applicable section of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for extended completion date information.

Funding Opportunity Announcement 1 November 2020

BOR-PN-21-F001

Acronyms and Abbreviations

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Table of Contents

Agency Contact Organizations or individuals interested in submitting applications in response to this announcement may direct application submittal questions to the Grants Management Specialist (contact information provided below).

1150 North Curtis Road Boise, ID 83706

Funding Opportunity Description Program Information The 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 priorities. Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (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 addressing local water conflicts. WaterSMART provides support for DOI’s 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.

Reclamation established the Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) in 1996 to encourage recipients of water from Federal water projects to conserve water and to assist agricultural and urban water districts in preparing and implementing water conservation plans in accordance with the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982. Through the WCFSP, Reclamation makes cost-shared financial assistance available for developing water conservation plans, designing water management improvements, identifying water management improvements through System Optimization Reviews (SORs), and improving the understanding of water conservation techniques through demonstration activities.

For further information on the WaterSMART Program, please see www.usbr.gov/watersmart/.

Objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement The objective of this FOA is to invite eligible applicants located in the geographic area covered by Reclamation’s Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region to leverage their money and resources by cost-sharing water conservation planning with Reclamation to make more efficient use of existing water supplies.

Statutory Authority This FOA is issued under the authority of Section 9504(a) of the Secure Water Act, Subtitle F of Title IX of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, Public Law 111-11 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 10364).

Other Related Funding Opportunities The WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects program provides cost-shared financial assistance for small-scale water management projects (up to $75,000 in Federal funding for each project) that have been identified through previous planning efforts.

The WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants program provides cost-shared financial assistance for larger water conservation projects (up to $1.5 million in Federal funding for each project) resulting in quantifiable and sustained water savings.

Award Information Total Project Funding The amount of funding available for awards under this FOA will depend on final fiscal year (FY) 2021 appropriations and on the demand for funding under this and other elements of the WCFSP. This FOA will be canceled if FY 2021 appropriations are insufficient to support new awards.

Project Funding Limitations The Federal share (Reclamation’s share, in addition to any other sources of Federal funding) for any project shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs. A maximum of $25,000 in Federal funding may be allocated to proposals awarded funding under this FOA. An applicant may submit more than one application and may be selected for multiple grants. A maximum of $100,000.00 per entity per year in Federal funding may be allocated to proposals awarded funding under this FOA.

Assistance Instrument Awards will be made through grants or cooperative agreements. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, the recipient should expect Reclamation to have substantial involvement in the project.

Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants include any state, Tribe, irrigation district, water district, or other organization with water or power delivery authority located in Reclamation’s Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region (see Section 8). The proposed activity must have a defined relationship to one or more Reclamation project(s) authorized by Congress. A defined relationship includes everything within the project service area (i.e., project features and facilities, watershed, water systems, or water supplies affected by a specific Reclamation project).

Those not eligible include, but are not limited to, the following entities: Federal governmental entities, institutions of higher education, individuals, 501(c)(4) organizations, and 501(c)(6) organizations.

Cost-Sharing Requirements Applicants must be capable of contributing 50 percent or more of the total project costs. Cost-sharing may be made through cash or in-kind contributions or donations from the applicant or third-party partners. Cost-share funding from sources outside the applicant’s organization (e.g., loans or state grants) should be secured and available to the applicant prior to award.

All cost-share contributions must meet the applicable administrative and cost principles criteria established in 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, available at www.ecfr.gov.

The cost or value of donations and in-kind contributions to satisfy cost-sharing for another Federal financial assistance agreement, a Federal procurement contract, or any other award of Federal funds may not be relied on to satisfy the cost-share requirement for an award under this FOA.

Donations and In-kind Contributions Donations and in-kind contributions constitute the value of non-cash contributions that benefit a Federally-assisted project. These contributions may be in the form of real property, equipment, supplies, and other expendable property, as well as the value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the project or program. Applicants should refer to 2 CFR §200.434 for regulations regarding the valuation of donations and in-kind contributions, available at www.ecfr.gov.

Eligible Project Descriptions Water Management and Conservation Planning Water management and conservation plans provide entities an opportunity to document data on current water supply and demand, prepare a forecast for future water demands, identify water conservation goals, and determine conservation measures (e.g., cost/pricing of water, water accounting, landscape efficiency, information and education, water use regulation). Water conservation plans may be modeled after plans described in the Reclamation document titled Achieving Efficient Water Management: A Guidebook for Preparing Agricultural Water Conservation Plans, Second Edition (2000), available at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/wat/publications/guidemstr.pdf.

System Optimization Review An SOR is used to assess the potential for water management improvements and to identify a plan of action that contains recommendations for implementing specific improvements that have the potential to enhance water management. The review can include an analysis of the entire water delivery system, district, watershed, or a portion thereof. SORs are intended to take a broad look at system-wide efficiency and are not focused on single project-specific planning.

The components of an SOR are identified below.

· Gather information.

· Identify, describe, and prioritize water management issues.

· Establish goals.

· Identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential improvement projects with the ability to mitigate the identified issues and accomplish goals.

· The evaluation of improvement projects could consider: the water management benefits associated with the improvement, anticipated construction and operating costs (as applicable), as well as environmental, regulatory, cultural, and economic impacts.

· As part of the evaluation, efforts to better quantify the associated benefits of the proposed improvement projects are eligible subtasks (e.g., soil infiltration tests, required monitoring activities).

If an applicant’s previous planning efforts have addressed some of the components identified above, the applicant can propose funding for the remaining components for a complete system analysis. The SOR Final Report will serve as the final product of the SOR analysis and will summarize the analysis performed.

Designing Water Management Improvements Upon completion of prior planning efforts (e.g., Water Management and Conservation Plan, SOR) to identify solutions for water management issues, this activity provides funding to design identified water management improvement projects. This activity includes the necessary preliminary work in preparation of the design, such as surveying and gathering of pertinent site-specific information (e.g., hydraulic head available at site, soil testing, determination of groundwater level). Eligible subtasks under this activity also include peer-review for the design; development of a cost estimate, including scoping the costs for regulatory compliance activities (e.g., environmental, cultural); and identification of necessary regulatory requirements (e.g., permits). Land/title acquisition and environmental/cultural resources compliance work are not eligible under this activity.

Examples of eligible design activities include, but are not limited to, the activities listed below.

· Design for conversion of an open conveyance system (e.g., canal) to a closed conveyance system (e.g., pipeline), resulting in conserved water (i.e., reduced evaporation).

· Design for lining of a canal with proven materials or technology, resulting in conserved water (i.e., reducing/eliminating seepage).

· Design of weirs, flumes, ramps, and other irrigation flow measurement devices in an open channel.

· Design of control structures for an irrigation system (e.g., check structures, drop structures, diversion structures).

· Design for installation of meters within a distribution system, resulting in better water management (i.e., leakage quantification).

· Design for system implementation of supervisory control and data acquisition and automation components intended to result in better water management (i.e., reductions in spills, over-deliveries, and/or seepage).

· Design of irrigation system regulating reservoirs for better management of water supply (i.e., reduced spills, more flexibility in water delivery operations, excess water interception at end of system).

Demonstrating Conservation Project Technologies Demonstration activities are those that include the installation or application of a specific technology in a new way, or in a new setting, with the intent of reporting the results to others for wider adoption. The activities should demonstrate innovative technologies in water conservation to increase technical understanding of unfamiliar water management and practices that have been previously used locally.

Ineligible Projects Proposals for the development of planning studies are not eligible for funding under this FOA. This includes proposals for the development of appraisal investigations, feasibility studies, special studies, drought contingency plans, Basin Studies, studies authorized under the Title XVI Water Recycling and Reuse Program, or studies authorized under the Rural Water Program.

Length of Projects In general, projects funded under this FOA should be completed within 2 years of award.

Environmental Compliance Reclamation is required to address environmental compliance for all financial assistance provided by the WCFSP. Environmental compliance for most WCFSP-supported activities can be accomplished with a Categorical Exclusion Checklist. All projects being considered for award funding will require compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Applicants shall adhere to Federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and codes, as applicable, and shall obtain all required approvals and permits. Compliance with all applicable state, Federal, and local environmental, cultural, and paleontological resources protection laws and regulations is also required. Environmental compliance costs are part of the project cost share. Reclamation will provide a successful applicant with information once environmental compliance is complete. An applicant that proceeds before environmental compliance is complete may risk forfeiting Reclamation funding under this FOA.

Application Submission Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirement Applicants must provide a Dun and Bradstreet DUNS number on their application. If you do not have a DUNS number, one may be obtained by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number Request Line at 1-866-705-5711, or by going to the DUNS Government Contractor and Grantee website at: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

System for Award Management Registration Applicants should be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to submittal of an application. Entities must maintain an active SAM registration with current information while they have an active Federal award or an application under consideration. SAM registration can take several weeks to complete. Please allow enough time to complete the necessary registration steps prior to the application due date. Instructions for registering for SAM are located at www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Grants_Registrations.pdf.

Entities must maintain an active SAM registration with current information while they have an active Federal award or an application under consideration.

Application Delivery Methods Applications may be submitted by two methods, by electronic submittal or hard copy, to the Grants Management Specialist listed in Section 1. If an applicant wishes to submit a paper hard-copy as a back-up to the electronic submission, both will be accepted. If the submissions differ, the latter one received will prevail unless the applicant specifies otherwise. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their applications are accepted and received by the established application due date.

Electronic Submittal Grants.gov can be used to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. To electronically apply, applicants must complete the Grants.gov registration process. The registration process can take approximately 2 weeks to complete.

Applicants have experienced significant delays when attempting to submit through Grants.gov. Applicants are encouraged to submit an application several days prior to the application deadline. If an applicant is registered as a Grants.gov applicant and encounters problems with the submission process, the applicant should contact the Grants.gov Help Desk to obtain a case number.

Hard-Copy Submittal All originals of the hard-copy applications should be hand-delivered or mailed to the Grants Management Specialist listed in Section 1 and received by the deadline.

Application Submission Date and Time The deadline for submitting applications is January 15, 2021, 5:00 p.m. MST.

Review, Evaluation, and Selection Process All applications will be evaluated and selected on a points basis. The applications with the highest scores will be selected first for funding. The evaluation process consists of three levels: screening, technical review, and managerial review. After the evaluation and reviews are complete, Reclamation will notify potential award recipients and unsuccessful applicants of their status and begin the process of making awards.

If an applicant submits more than one application for consideration under this FOA, each application will be evaluated and scored independently. Once evaluated and scored, Reclamation may, at its discretion, combine applications selected for funding into one award if the activity statement of objectives is the same or similar.

Required Application Content Use the application checklist (page ii) to make sure the application is complete.

The application shall be limited to five 8 ½-inch by 11-inch pages and single-spaced on one side of the page. The Federal forms and Official Resolution do not count toward the page limit. The font used shall be easily readable and between 10 and 12 points. All pages shall be consecutively numbered.

Federal Forms

Title Page Provide a brief, descriptive title for the proposed work that indicates the nature of the project. Include the name and address of the applicant and the name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the project manager.

Clearly identify the funding category for the project: Water Management and Conservation Plan Development, SOR Project, Water Management Improvement Design, or Demonstration Project.

Background Recommended length: one page or less.

Discuss the background and location of your organization, relationship to the applicable Reclamation project, and project need.

Technical Description Recommended length: two pages or less.

Provide a clear description of the scope of the project and how it is to be accomplished. This should address activity tasks and discuss the approach and evaluation techniques that will be used to accomplish the project. The benefit(s) and outcome(s) of the project should be discussed. This discussion should support a comprehensive evaluation of the application and its outcome.

Project Schedule Recommended length: one-half page or less.

Provide a general calendar of the activities required to complete the project, including start date and general milestones.

Budget Narrative Recommended length: one-half page or less.

Provide a budget for the major activities of the project and the source(s) of cost share. At least 50 percent non-Federal cost-sharing for this activity is required. The cost-share may include cash, materials, supplies, use of facilities, direct labor costs, and contract costs with third parties paid by the recipient. Costs that are not supported appropriately prior to award will be disallowed.

Official Resolution Please provide an official resolution or statement from the board of directors or governing body approving or accepting your application. If you expect to obtain the resolution by a certain date that is after submissions are due, please include that information as a substitute until the resolution is signed. An official resolution is due prior to award.

Evaluation Criteria Applications will be evaluated with the evaluation criteria listed below, as pertinent to the funding category of your application.

Water Management and Conservation Planning

System Optimization Reviews

Designing Water Management Improvements

Demonstration of Conservation Project Technologies

Award Administration Information Award Notices Successful applicants from this FOA will receive notification that the proposal has been recommended for funding. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the work. An official Notice of Award is the authorizing financial assistance agreement signed by the recipient and then executed by the Reclamation Grants Officer. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal was not selected for award.

Reporting Requirements and Distribution The applicant will be required to submit financial and progress reports during the term of the agreement. The specific terms and conditions pertaining to the reporting requirements, including frequency, will be included in the financial assistance agreement. Each reporting period will require a Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and Federal Performance Report.

Federal Reimbursements for Project Costs Incurred The Department of Treasury Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system is a recipient-initiated payment and information system designed to provide a single point of contact for the request and delivery of Federal funds. ASAP is the only allowable method for request and receipt of payment used by Reclamation.

Conflicts of Interest Applicability This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements. In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

Requirements Non-Federal entities must avoid prohibited conflicts of interest, including any significant financial interests that could cause a reasonable person to question the recipient’s ability to provide impartial, technically sound, and objective performance under or with respect to a Federal financial assistance agreement.

In addition to any other prohibitions that may apply with respect to conflicts of interest, no key official of an actual or proposed recipient or subrecipient, who is substantially involved in the proposal or project, may have been a former Federal employee who, within the last 1 year, participated personally and substantially in the evaluation, award, or administration of an award with respect to that recipient or subrecipient or in development of the requirement leading to the funding announcement.

No actual or prospective recipient or subrecipient may solicit, obtain, or use non-public information regarding the evaluation, award, or administration of an award to that recipient or subrecipient or the development of a Federal financial assistance opportunity that may be of competitive interest to that recipient or subrecipient.

Notification Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to DOI’s awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112, Conflicts of Interest. Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients.

Restrictions on Lobbying Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under this grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 4 3 CFR Part 18 and 31 U.S.C. 13 52.

Review Procedures The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

Enforcement Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338, Remedies for Noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR Part 180).

Data Availability Applicability DOI is committed to basing its decisions on the best available science and providing the American people enough information to thoughtfully and substantively evaluate the data, methodology, and analysis used by DOI to inform its decisions.

Use of Data The regulations at 2 CFR 200.315 apply to data produced under a Federal award, including the provision that the Federal Government has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award as well as authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

Availability of Data The recipient shall make the data produced under this award and any subaward(s) available to the Government for public release, consistent with applicable law, to allow meaningful third-party evaluation and reproduction of the following:

· the scientific data relied upon;

· the analysis relied upon; and

· the methodology, including models, used to gather and analyze data.

Funding Opportunity Announcement 2 November 2020

BOR-PN-21-F001

Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region Administrative Boundaries

Funding Opportunity Announcement 2 November 2020

BOR-PN-21-F001

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