Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Program

The objective of the Agricultural Water Conservation Efficiency Program is to invite eligible applicants to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on projects that save water, improve water management, increase water supp

Invite Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on projects that seek to: • Conserve and use agricultural water more efficiently, • Mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict, • Enable farmers to make on-farm improvements that may be eligible for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding, and • Contribute benefits to water supply reliability in the Western United States. Project sponsors leverage their money and resources by cost-sharing with Reclamation to construct on-farm projects that save water, improve water management, increase water supply reliability, improve energy efficiency, and benefit endangered species. Funded projects result in quantifiable and sustained agricultural water savings and support broader water reliability benefits. The AWUE program supports Reclamation's priorities, including: • Increasing agricultural water supplies, • Leveraging science and technology to improve water supply reliability for farmers, and • Addressing drought impacts on agricultural activities.

Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water and/or power delivery authority located within the State of California. Those not eligible include but are not limited to the following entities: Federal Governments, institutions of higher education, individuals, 501(c)4 and 501(c) 6 organizations.

Benefits are for tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water and/or power delivery authority to facilitate and/or assist with on-farm improvements that contribute to water supply reliability in the State of California.

Payment terms vary by agreement awarded under this program.

In general, projects should be completed within 2 years of award. Applications for projects requiring more time will be considered for funding only under limited circumstances.

NEPA compliance is required prior to any ground-disturbing activities, and Reclamation will not pay for anything that is not NEPA-compliant.

Specific evaluation criteria will be included in the funding announcements posted on www.grants.gov.

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

Varies depending on the type and complexity of the project. Further information will be available for each specific project at the time the funding opportunity announcement is posted on www.grants.gov and may be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Reclamation personnel listed as the point of contact in the funding announcement.

Projects may generally be renewed on an annual basis, not to exceed a total of 5 years. If renewals or extensions are applicable to the project, this information will be included in the Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement. When renewals or extensions are applicable, continuation of funding for these activities is at the discretion of Congress and will be subject to availability of appropriated funds.