WaterSMART Water Recycling

To make funding available for water recycling projects. To develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse-thereby improving efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying water supply portfo

Through the Water Recycling Programs, Reclamation provides cost-shared financial assistance on a competitive basis for planning, design, or construction of water recycling projects. Water recycling is an essential tool for stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States.

Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse: state, regional or local authorities, such as: • States, Tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, and water districts, or wastewater districts • Other organizations with water or power delivery authority. All applicants must be located in one of the following States or territories: 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, or the Virgin Islands. Large-Scale Water Recycling: • States, Tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, water districts, wastewater districts; and any state, regional, or other organization with water or power delivery authority, • State, regional, or local authorities, the members of which include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; and • An agency established under State law for the joint exercise of powers, or a combination of entities described above. All applicants must be located in the Western United States; specifically: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Anyone in the general public that benefits from the additional drought resistant water source created, States, Tribes, municipalities, irrigation districts, and water districts, or wastewater districts, other organizations with water or power delivery authority previously described in applicant eligibility.

Reclamation's WaterSMART Water Recycling Programs provide cost-shared funding on a competitive basis for the planning, design, and construction of water recycling projects.

The costs for preparing and submitting an application in response to this funding opportunity, including developing data necessary to support the proposal, are not eligible project costs and must not be included in the project budget. Feasibility Study costs: The costs for preparing and submitting water recycling feasibility studies to meet the requirements of Reclamation's Directives and Standards WTR 11-01, Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program and Desalination Construction Program Feasibility Study Review Process, or the additional requirements established in WTR TRMR-128, Large-Scale Water Recycling Program Feasibility Study Review Process are not eligible project costs and must not be included in the project budget. While the Project Narrative and responses to the Merit Review Criteria should include the scope of the project as a whole, budgets submitted may only include costs incurred after the date of Reclamation's feasibility determination, and within three years from the application deadline for the funding opportunity.

Generally, Reclamation will provide funding for planning, design, or construction of Water Recycling and Desalination Construction Projects, for work that can be completed in a three-year period.

Preapplication coordination is required. Potential new projects must be eligible under the authorizing legislation, which includes a finding that a feasibility study for the project meets program requirements. Potential applicants must contact regional program staff to discuss submission of a feasibility study. Contact information can be found at https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/title/index.html Projects funded under this program are subject to environmental and cultural resource compliance. The level of compliance for projects funded under this program will vary depending on the scope and complexity of the project being funded. Environmental and cultural resource compliance is required before the commencement of project activities.

Criteria are specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. For more information, see https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.

Proposals received in response to the funding opportunity are reviewed on the basis of a competitive, merit-based review process, and are rated in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in the funding opportunity. Reclamation will make awards to the highest rated proposals based on the amount of funding available each year.

See Reclamation's WaterSMART website https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/ for schedule information.

Continuation of funding from one fiscal year to the next to complete a project is contingent on the final Federal appropriations.

None. Final award decisions are not subject to appeal; however, the Bureau of Reclamation will provide all applicants with information on why their proposals were not selected for award.