Reclamation Seeks to Help Fund Watershed Groups’ On-the-Ground Watershed Management Projects

With funding provided through WaterSMART’s Cooperative Watershed Management Program, the Bureau of Reclamation recently opened a funding opportunity for watershed groups seeking to implement on-the-ground watershed management projects in their communities. The competitive funding is designed to help local stakeholders develop local solutions that will improve water reliability while reducing conflict, stretching limited water supplies and addressing complex water issues.

To be eligible for watershed management funding, the applicant must be a watershed group and meet additional criteria as detailed in the Department of the Interior’s, Bureau of Reclamation grant opportunity number BOR-DO-18-F013 including:

• An eligible applicant is an established watershed group.
• The applicant must be a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed. (Stakeholders can include representatives from irrigated agriculture, the environment, municipal water suppliers, hydroelectric producers, livestock grazing, timber production, land development, recreation or tourism, private property owners, federal, state and local governments, and tribes.
• The applicant must represent a diverse group of stakeholders, and is capable of promoting water supply reliability in the watershed.
• The applicant must also have approved articles of incorporation, bylaws, and a mission statement; hold regular meetings; and have developed a restoration plan and project concepts for the watershed.

Additionally, applicants must also be located in the Western United States or Territories as identified as Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.

Reclamation anticipates awarding between six and 10 projects through this funding opportunity. Each project may receive up to $300,000 in federal funding. The recipient must provide a minimum of 50-percent of the total project costs.

To view the funding opportunity, go to: https://www.grants.gov/ and search for opportunity number BOR-DO-18-F013. Applications are due on January 30, 2019 by 4:00 p.m. MDT. To learn more about the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp/.