Applicants eligible to receive financial assistance to fund activities under this NOFO include: Sponsors of small surface water and groundwater storage projects located in the 17 Western United States as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, that have been found to meet all of the requirements of Temporary Reclamation Manual Release CMP TRMR-127 no later than the dates posted in NOFO Sec C.4, which details specific feasibility study submission deadlines.
The project must be located in the Western United States as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended and supplemented; specifically: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, administers the Small Surface and Groundwater Storage Program (Small Storage Program) to promote Federal assistance to enhance water storage opportunities for future generations in support of the Department’s priorities. Reclamation leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to support stakeholder efforts to stretch scarce water supplies and avoid conflicts over water.
Congress enacted the BIL on November 15, 2021, with Title IX—Western Water Infrastructure to address water storage infrastructure critical to the Nation’s economic growth, health, and competitiveness. Section 40903 authorizes Reclamation to provide funding for small surface water storage and groundwater storage projects.
Water storage projects are an important part of Reclamation and the Department’s priorities. Surface water and groundwater storage are essential tools in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Water storage projects enhance and increase the reliability of municipal and irrigation water supplies, provide opportunities to enhance groundwater management and provide water quality improvements and ecosystem benefits. These projects will provide Western communities with new sources of water and increase water management flexibility. Water storage projects help water managers increase resilience to climate change and are directly aligned with Executive Order (EO) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Further, EO 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, calls on agencies to advance equity through identifying and addressing barriers to equal opportunities across policies and programs, including grant opportunities. The Small Storage Program will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Established by EO 14008, the Justice40 Initiative establishes a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments, such as climate, clean energy, and other areas, flow to disadvantaged communities that are overburdened by pollution and marginalized by underinvestment.
The objective of this NOFO is to invite sponsors of small surface water and groundwater storage projects to request cost-shared funding for the planning, design, and/or construction of those projects.
The NOFO will have two application submittal periods with a final closing date on July 15, 2025.
Application due dates:
Period 1: December 12, 2024, 4 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST)
Period 2: July 15, 2025, 4 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)
Note: Applications received after December 12, 2024, 4 p.m. MST and before July 15, 2025, 4 p.m. MDT will be considered under Period 2.