News Release Archive

Bureau of Reclamation provides funding opportunity for established watershed groups for on-the-ground watershed management projects

Funding for projects provided through WaterSMART's Cooperative Watershed Management Program

Media Contact: Peter Soeth, 303-445-3615, psoeth@usbr.gov

For Release: October 10, 2018

2018 Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase II Funding OpportunityWASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation has opened a funding opportunity for watershed groups to seek funding to implement on-the-ground watershed management projects for their communities. The funding provided through the Cooperative Watershed Management Program helps local stakeholders develop local solutions that will improve water reliability while reducing conflict, addressing complex water issues and stretching limited water supplies.

Reclamation anticipates awarding between six and 10 projects through this funding opportunity. To view the funding opportunity, please visit grants.gov and search for opportunity number BOR-DO-18-F013. Applications are due on January 30, 2019 by 4:00 p.m. MDT.

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 be eligible for this funding, the applicant must be a watershed group. A watershed group is defined as a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues with the relevant watershed, is capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed, makes decisions on a consensus basis, and represents a diverse group of stakeholders, including 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.

To learn more about the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp/.

Through WaterSMART, Reclamation works cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply through investments to modernize existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. Visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart for additional information about the program.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.