By Joseph Phelan, Grants Development Consultant (State and Local Government)
Federal grants remain in a holding pattern as the current administration aligns grants with priorities. WaterSMART, from the Bureau of Reclamation under the US Department of Interior, is one of the flagship programs that has yet to open a new funding opportunity for any of its funding opportunities. Notice of Funding Opportunities had been posted for several programs, with deadlines sprinkled throughout this year, but had been under review, most likely due to climate change-related executive orders from the previous administration. As the pause continues, it is an appropriate time to review one of the major WaterSMART programs to better understand what type of projects it funds and what states have received funds in recent years.
WaterSMART itself stands for Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow. It administers programs that strive to answer the water challenges facing the western part of the United States. Recycling, restoration, and watershed management are a few priorities under WaterSMART. There is a desire to improve the infrastructure of aging water facilities as well as increase the water supply for those areas most in need.
The Water and Energy Efficiency Grants program has a clear focus on providing funds to conserve and use water more efficiently or increase the production of hydropower. This program will fund up to 50 percent of an irrigation or water district, tribe, or state project. A key factor is that the organization must be in one of the 17 Western States or 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, and the Virgin Island.
In 2023 and 2024, the program funded over 150 projects with an average federal award amount of $1.6 million.
Below are eight project types funded under this program. It is important to point out that most funded projects use more than one of these types.
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Canal lining and/or piping
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Any project that line or pipe canals
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Municipal metering
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Installing smart meters
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Supervisory control and data acquisition and automation (SCADA)
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SCADA or any automation components to increase operational efficiencies
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Landscape irrigation measures
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Turf removal, smart irrigation controllers, or high-efficiency nozzles
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High-efficiency indoor appliances and fixtures
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Rebates or direct-install programs to residents
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Commercial cooling systems
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Retrofitting or replacing large cooling towers
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Hydropower facilities
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Installing a new facility, increasing the capacity of an existing one, or investing in a facility to bring hydropower capacity back online
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Installing solar-electric, wind energy, or geothermal power systems
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Essentially replacing fossil fuel-powered pumps with renewable energy-based pumps
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Viewing how many times an organization from a specific state has been awarded a Water and Energy Efficiency grant in 2023 and 2024 shows California far and away has, unsurprisingly, given its size, had the most success with almost forty-five projects. The only state that has not received funding during this stretch under this program is Hawaii.
How much information a grant program provides will vary by the grant-making agency. The Bureau of Reclamation shares fully approved applications, which makes it easy to understand what projects are being funded and how. For instance, many organizations factored smart meters and SCADA into their project scopes, while rebate programs were not as popular. To view any awarded project under the Water and Energy Efficiency Grants program, visit here: https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg/successful.html
WaterSMART applications are detailed and require plenty of supporting documents, with many nearing a maximum of fifty total pages. That means now is a good time to brainstorm and plan for a future opportunity.