The objective of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to invite sponsors of projects eligible under section 4009(c) of the WIIN Act (Projects) to request cost-shared funding for planning, design, and/or construction of those Projects.
Donor Name: U.S. Department of the Interior
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/15/2022
Grant Size: $30,000,000
Details:
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Program provides a framework for Federal leadership and assistance to stretch and secure water supplies for future generations in support of the Department’s priorities. Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and nonFederal funding to support stakeholder efforts to stretch scarce water supplies and avoid conflicts over water.
The WIIN Act was enacted in December 2016 to address water resources infrastructure that is critical to the Nation’s economic growth, health, and competitiveness. Section 4009(a) of Subtitle J of WIIN includes amendments to the Water Desalination Act of 1996 that authorize Reclamation to provide funding for construction of desalination projects.
Desalination is an essential tool in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Desalination projects develop and supplement municipal and irrigation water supplies through the treatment of ocean or brackish water, thereby providing a local supply, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying the water supply portfolio.
Eligible Projects
Projects eligible for funding under this NOFO include planning, design, and construction of facilities to desalinate ocean or brackish water, including groundwater. In order to be eligible for funding under this NOFO, the Project must meet the following requirements:
- The Project must be constructed, operated, and maintained by an eligible applicant; or the project must be sponsored by an eligible applicant. To sponsor a Project, the eligible applicant must contribute funding for a substantial portion of the capital construction costs of the Project within the timeframe of this NOFO.
- The Project must have a completed Feasibility Study that has been submitted to Reclamation for review by the date that this NOFO is posted, and for which the study is found to meet all of the requirements of Reclamation’s Directives and Standards WTR 11-01 Water Reclamation and Reuse Program and Desalination Construction Program Feasibility Study Review Process by April 30, 2022. If a feasibility study has been reviewed by Reclamation and found to meet the requirements of WTR 11-01, but the review findings have not yet been transmitted to Congress, Reclamation will transmit those findings to Congress either before project selections are made or concurrently with project selections.
- The Project must be located in the Western United States or United States Territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended and supplemented; specifically: 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.
- The Project must be included in a state-approved plan. The plan and documentation of state approval must be included with the proposal or submitted to Reclamation prior to the application deadline for this NOFO. In the alternative, if the Project is not included in a state-approved plan, Federal participation in the Project must have been requested by the Governor of the state in which the eligible desalination project is located.
Funding Information
- Maximum Award: $30,000,000
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants eligible to receive an award under this NOFO include sponsors of seawater and brackish water desalination projects located in the Western United State of United States Territiories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 that have submitted a Feasibility Study to Reclamation for review by the date this NOFO is posted Eligibility does not entitle an applicant to any future Federal funding or create a new project authorization.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
