WaterSMART

Frequently Asked Questions

Drought Response Program Overview

Q. What are the objectives for the Drought Program?
A. The objective of the Drought Response Program is to support a proactive approach to drought through three different methods: Emergency Drought Response, Drought Contingency Planning, and infrastructure projects. Emergency response actions may include funding for the construction of temporary facilities, including hauling water and drilling wells. Drought Contingency Planning offers financial assistance for applicants to develop a drought contingency plan or to update an existing plan, including consideration of actions that will build long-term resiliency to drought. Infrastructure projects are intended to mitigate the impacts of drought in advance of a crisis and emergency response.

Drought Emergency Response

Q. What are emergency response actions?
A. They include temporary construction activities and other actions and other non-construction actions, including water purchases and use of Reclamation facilities to convey and store water, for example..

Q. When are Drought Emergency Response Funding Opportunities announced?
A. Unlike the Drought Resiliency Projects and Drought Contingency Planning, the Drought Emergency Response program will accept applications year-round. To request funding consideration, reach out to your local Reclamation office or to the Drought Program coordinator. There is no standing funding opportunity/

Q. Who is eligible to apply?
A: To be eligible, entities must be within a State or Tribe that has a current declaration of drought, or which has a drought plan on file with Congress.

Drought Contingency Planning

Q. What is drought contingency planning?
A. Drought contingency planning is defined by the National Drought Mitigation Center as "actions taken by individual citizens, industry, government, and others before drought occurs to reduce or mitigate impacts and conflicts arising from drought.” The drought contingency planning process is structured to address the three following questions:

• How will we recognize the next drought in the early stages?
• How will drought affect us?
• How can we protect ourselves from the next drought?

Q. How will funding for drought contingency planning be allocated?
A. Reclamation will provide financial assistance on a competitive basis under the annual Drought Response Program funding opportunity for applicants to develop a drought contingency plan or to update an existing plan. Plans are expected to be completed within two years of selection for award.

Q. Is a non-Federal cost share required for contingency plans?
A: Yes, a 50% non-Federal cost share contribution is required (including non-Federal funds, donations, contributions, and/or in-kind services). In limited cases, a cost-share reduction or waiver may be granted. Also, funds received by a Tribe under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, P.L. 93-638, may be used to meet the cost share requirement.

Q. What are the requirements for completing a drought contingency plan under the program?
A: Plans must address six required elements, including: (1) Drought monitoring; (2) vulnerability assessment, including consideration of climate change impacts; (3) mitigation actions; (4) response actions; (5) operational and administrative framework; and (6) plan update process. For more information about the requirements for drought contingency plans, please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Drought Response Program Funding Opportunity

Q. What type of projects are funded under the Drought Response Program?
A. The Drought Response Program NOFO will fund both Drought Contingency Planning projects, and infrastructure projects that improve water management, increase water storage and distribution capabilities, and diversify water supplies. Common project types include, but are not limited to, water storage, water treatment, water recycling and reuse, new conveyance, groundwater recharge, and stormwater capture. The NOFO does not fund Operations, Maintenance, and Repair (OM&R) projects.

Eligibility

Q. Who is eligible to apply for Drought Response Program funding? (non-Emergency funding)
A. Under P.L. 111-11 §9502, applicants eligible to receive an award under this Funding Opportunity include:

Category A applications:

• States, Tribes, irrigation districts, and water districts;
• State, regional, or local authorities, the members of which include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; and
• Other organizations with water or power delivery authority.

All Category A applicants must also be located in one of the following States or Territories: 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, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Note: Applicants located in Puerto Rico and Alaska cannot apply for Drought Contingency Planning.

Category B applications:

• Nonprofit conservation organizations that are acting in partnership with, and with the agreement of, an entity described in Category A. Category B applicants must include with their application a letter from the Category A partner, stating that they are acting in partnership with the applicant and agree to the submittal and content of the proposal.

All Category B applicants must be located in the United States or the specific Territories identified above.

Note: Category B applicants cannot apply for Drought Contingency Planning funding.

Q. What is the performance period for proposals that are funded by the Drought Resiliency Projects program?
A. In general, projects funded under Funding Group I should be completed within 2 years of award; projects funded under Funding Group II and Funding Group III should be completed within 3 years of award. Please note it takes about 1 year between the closure of the Funding Opportunity and the award of financial assistance, upon which time the 2-3 year completion period will begin.

Q. Do I need a drought contingency plan to apply?
A. No. However, you must demonstrate that your proposed project is supported by an existing plan. Cited plans may include, but are not limited to, Drought Contingency Plans, Integrated Resource Water Management Plans, Urban or Regional Water Management Plans, Watershed or Basin Management Plans, Adaptation Plans, and Sustainable Water Management Plans. The program has funded projects not supported by drought contingency plans, but identifying one in the application will make the application more competitive.

Proposal Development and Selection Process

Q. May an applicant that received funding under a previous funding opportunity submit a new proposal?
A. Yes, so long as the new proposal is not for the same scope of work.

Q. If I submitted a proposal for funding in previous years that was not selected for funding, can I re-submit that proposal?
A. Yes. However, it is recommended that you review the latest Funding Opportunity Announcement and related guidance to ensure that your proposal meets the mandatory requirements and program objectives, including the merit review criteria. Grading Criteria is subject to change between FY Funding Opportunity Announcements.

Q. Can I submit more than one proposal per Drought Response Program Funding Opportunity?
A. Yes. Multiple applications with different scopes of work may be submitted for consideration. However, those proposals will be in competition with one another and a single Category A applicant cannot receive more than one award per funding opportunity.

Cost-Share Requirements

Q. Will proposals with less than 50% cost share be considered?
A. No. Under this Funding Opportunity, Applicants must provide at least 50% of the total project costs from non-Federal sources, either in cash or as in-kind contributions. Applications that are unable to meet the 50% cost share will be deemed ineligible and dropped from consideration.

Note: this cost-sharing requirement is not applicable to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Q. Can costs incurred prior to grant award be counted towards the recipient's cost share?
A. Project pre-award costs that have been incurred prior to the date of award, but after the date the Funding Opportunity was posted, may be submitted for consideration as an allowable reimbursable expense. Note: Ground disturbing activities, including any construction or installation activities, may not occur until environmental compliance is complete and a notice to proceed is issued.

Q. How should the recipient plan for Environmental and Cultural Resources compliance costs?
A. Every project funded under this program will have environmental and cultural resources compliance activities undertaken by Reclamation and the recipient. Any costs to the recipient associated with compliance will be identified during the process of developing a final project budget for inclusion in the financial assistance agreement. We highly encourage reaching out to your local Reclamation office for an estimated compliance cost and timeline for your project prior to application. Information obtained from those discussions may be included in your application.