BOISE, IDAHO - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has selected the Boise Project Board of Control of Boise, Idaho, to receive $39,813 in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant funding to stretch water supplies and conserve energy in the western United States. "Strong partnerships are crucial to creating a sustainable water and energy supply," said Secretary Salazar. "The WaterSMART program is designed to foster local partnerships and support innovative solutions to the water challenges of the future. This funding will not only help ensure a stable water supply for businesses and local residents but also create jobs, enhance the environment and strengthen local economies."

Secretary Salazar established WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) in February 2010 to facilitate the work of Interior's bureaus in pursuing a sustainable water supply for the nation. The program establishes a framework to provide federal leadership and assistance on the efficient use of water and integrating water and energy policies to support the sustainable use of all natural resources. Since its establishment in 2010, WaterSMART has provided more than $118 million in competitively-awarded funding to non-federal partners, including tribes, water districts, municipalities, and universities.

"Providing sufficient water for agricultural, municipal, industrial, recreational and environmental needs is fundamental to the health and economies of communities across the western United States," said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor. "This funding will support the efforts of several local communities to secure their water supplies and reduce dependence on imported water sources."

Boise Project Board of Control, Mora Canal Automation Enhancement Project

Reclamation Funding: $39,813 Total Project Cost: $79,628

• The Boise Project Board of Control in Idaho will automate the Mora Canal headgate facilities. New actuators will be controlled by an existing data logger, enabling better management of the flows into the Mora and New York canals and thereby minimizing spills of tailwater to downstream irrigation facilities or the Snake River. The project is expected to result in water savings of approximately 4,500 acre-feet annually once completed, which will remain in the Anderson and Arrowrock reservoirs to be made available for other uses.

This year, Reclamation received 167 applications for water and energy efficiency grants from water districts, municipalities and Native American Tribes from across the West. These proposals were ranked through a published set of criteria in which points were awarded for those projects that conserve water, incorporate renewable energy or address the water-energy nexus, address Endangered Species Act concerns, contribute to water supply sustainability, and/or incorporate water marketing.

To learn more about this announcement and other funding announcements made today, please visit www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART.