Water Conservation Field Services (WCFS)
Active
- Assistance listing
- 15.530
- Agency
-
Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior
- Grant awards
- 367 $13,072,212 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP)
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Formula Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 14-0680-0-1-301
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation funds water conservation planning, system optimization reviews, infrastructure design, and demonstration projects through the Water Conservation Field Services Program (CFDA 15.530), with the most recent grant award issued October 1, 2025.
The program has maintained steady activity over the past five years at a rate of ten to twelve awards annually, with 367 total awards since 2007 and $13.1 million in combined federal dollars obligated. All but two awards have been funded directly by Bureau of Reclamation, which accounts for 365 awards and $13 million. Recent award dates cluster in 2024 and 2025, confirming ongoing program vitality.
Award recipients include municipal water districts, irrigation districts, cities, and tribal water authorities across the Western United States. The program funds predominantly Project Grants (94 percent of the portfolio), with smaller shares of Block Grants (4 percent) and Cooperative Agreements (2 percent). Typical award magnitudes range from $20,000 to $550,000, though recent representative grants show clustering in the $190,000 to $270,000 range. The City of Phoenix received $1.32 million in January 2025 for advanced purified water system development, representing a notable outlier in the upper range.
Awarded activities fall into four categories: water conservation and management plan development, system optimization reviews identifying efficiency improvements and water loss reduction, engineering design for water delivery infrastructure (canal lining, piping, metering structures), and demonstration projects testing new conservation technologies. The Municipal Water District of Orange County received $209,808 in October 2025 to develop customized best management practice plans for commercial, industrial, and institutional water users. A water district in Idaho received $194,475 in January 2025 to develop design standards for metered irrigation water delivery structures. The Western Municipal Water District received $550,000 in January 2025 to conduct a system optimization review addressing imported water reliability, groundwater contamination, and long-term water security.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity (R25AS00022) for Fiscal Year 2025 was posted November 6, 2024, with an application due date of January 31, 2025; however, this opportunity has since closed. The program issues regional solicitations at varying intervals, and Reclamation's regional offices administer separate NOFOs with their own deadlines. Applicants should contact a program coordinator at the Bureau of Reclamation's water conservation website for current opportunity details and regional due dates.
Objective and description
- Objective
The goal of the Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) is to proactively encourage water conservation and water use efficiency in the operations of water projects. The WCFSP is designed to assist water users in water management planning an
- Description
The WCFSP provides cost-shared funding to proactively encourage water conservation in water operations and to assist agricultural and urban water districts in preparing and implementing water conservation planning.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
States, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, or local authorities whose members include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority. Applicants must be located in the Western United States or United States Territories, including 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.
- Beneficiary eligibility
General public, entities with water or power delivery authority, state, county, and local governmental entities, and Tribes located in eligible states and territories previously described in applicant eligibility.
- Uses of assistance
For all recipients, funding under the Water Conservation Filed Services Program will be provided for the developing or updating water conservation and management plans, designing water management improvements, identifying water management improvements through System Optimization Reviews, and improving the understanding of water conservation technologies through demonstration activities. Financial assistance is limited to $100,000 or less, per award, per year. For further information, please contact the regional coordinator listed at https://www.usbr.gov/waterconservation/ .For further information, please contact the regional office.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
In general, projects should be completed within two years of award.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Preapplication coordination is not required This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.12372. Environmental compliance for this program may be required depending on the scope of the specific project funded. This may result in the need for categorical exclusion checklist, environmental impact assessment, or environmental impact statement prior to the commencement of project activities.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria are specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Award procedure
Proposals received in response to the funding opportunity are reviewed through 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 in each Region.
- Deadlines
Application deadlines are listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunities and vary from year to year and Region to Region. Contact a program coordinator https://www.usbr.gov/waterconservation for specific deadlines.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Varies depending on the Region administering the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
- Appeals
Upon request, Reclamation will provide all applicants with information as to why their proposal(s) were not selected for award.
Grant opportunities
Show 40 more
Latest 50 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 367 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Metropolitan Water District Of Southern California | $565,364 | 4% |
| 2 | Rancho California Water District | $551,630 | 4% |
| 3 | Municipal Water District Of Orange County Water Facilities Corporation | $435,434 | 3% |
| 4 | Bard Water District | $369,531 | 3% |
| 5 | Belle Fourche Irrigation District | $303,714 | 2% |
| 6 | Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District 2 | $292,500 | 2% |
| 7 | City Of Yucaipa | $290,000 | 2% |
| 8 | Southern Nevada Water Authority | $275,000 | 2% |
| 9 | El Paso County Water Improvement District No 1 | $250,000 | 2% |
| 10 | Unit B Irrigation & Drainage Dist | $235,372 | 2% |
10 of 208 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$35,725 |
| FY2025 | $455,257 |
| FY2024 | $581,128 |
| FY2023 | $737,306 |
| FY2022 | $449,839 |
| FY2021 | $269,990 |
| FY2020 | $724,173 |
| FY2019 | $961,298 |
| FY2018 | -$309,555 |
| FY2017 | $1,147,487 |
| FY2016 | $2,609,906 |
| FY2015 | $1,721,712 |
| FY2014 | $2,643,699 |
| FY2010 | $1,554,765 |
| FY2009 | $50,000 |
Show all 15
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 15.530?
Assistance Listing 15.530 is Water Conservation Field Services (WCFS), a federal grant program run by Bureau of Reclamation (Department of the Interior).
What is the CFDA number for Water Conservation Field Services (WCFS)?
Its CFDA number is 15.530: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 15.530 awarded?
367 grant awards under 15.530 have obligated $13,072,212 in federal funds to 208 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 15.530?
The recipients obligated the most under Water Conservation Field Services (WCFS) are The Metropolitan Water District Of Southern California ($565,364), Rancho California Water District ($551,630) and Municipal Water District Of Orange County Water Facilities Corporation ($435,434).
How much did 15.530 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 15.530 obligated $455,257 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 15.530?
None of the latest 50 opportunities under 15.530 is open now. The latest, Water Conservation Field Services Program for Fiscal Year 2025, was posted on November 6, 2024.
On GovTribe
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