WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for FY 2014 | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for FY 2014 (Funding Opportunity Number R14AS00001) was a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under CFDA 15.507. It was designed to help address growing water-supply stress across the United States, especially in the West, where prolonged drought, aging water infrastructure, population growth, groundwater depletion, and climate variability were making water shortages and conflicts more common even in average water years. The central idea of the program was to push water management beyond traditional approaches by helping local and regional water managers adopt practical, near-term improvements that conserve water, save energy, and strengthen overall resilience.

The purpose of the funding opportunity was to encourage eligible water and power delivery entities to partner with Reclamation through cost-shared projects that measurably improve water efficiency and modernize water management. Projects were expected to reduce water losses and waste, improve the efficiency of water delivery and use, and, where applicable, integrate energy benefits such as increased energy efficiency or renewable energy use tied to water operations. The announcement also emphasized broader public benefits, including projects that support endangered or threatened species, facilitate water markets, and address climate-related impacts on water supplies. In plain terms, the program sought projects that would stretch limited water supplies further, reduce the energy footprint of water systems, and improve flexibility so communities could better handle drought and long-term climate pressures.

Funding for FY 2014 was estimated at $12 million total, with an expectation of about 30 awards. Individual awards could be as high as $1,000,000, with a stated minimum award floor of $1. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applied, meaning applicants were expected to contribute non-federal resources alongside federal funds to complete the project, effectively leveraging federal investment to produce larger on-the-ground results.

Eligibility was defined by statute (P.L. 111-11, Section 9502). Eligible applicants included States, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations that have water or power delivery authority. The geographic scope was limited to the western United States and specified U.S. territories under the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended. The eligible locations listed were Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. The announcement explicitly excluded federal governmental entities, institutions of higher education, and individuals.

The grant was positioned as part of broader federal climate and resilience policy, specifically referencing the President's June 2013 Climate Action Plan and the November 1, 2013 Executive Order on preparing the United States for climate change impacts. The practical takeaway is that Reclamation was looking for implementable projects with near-term outcomes that would make water supplies more reliable and management more adaptable under drought and climate stress, while also improving efficiency in both water and energy use.

Key dates for the opportunity were a posted and created date of November 14, 2013, with an application deadline of January 23, 2014, and an archive date of January 24, 2014. For assistance accessing the full announcement, the listed contact was Michelle Maher, Grants Officer, at 303-445-2025 and mmaher@usbr.gov.

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