Established in 2010, the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) program provides federal leadership and financial assistance for the efficient use of water in the Western United States. Each year the Bureau of Reclamation allocates millions of dollars in grant funding through the WaterSMART program to support Western states, tribes and local water providers as they plan and implement actions to advance their water efficiency and supply reliability priorities.
What is WaterSMART?
The WaterSMART program was created to address the Western United States’ serious water challenges – widespread drought, increased population, aging infrastructure, and environmental water requirements that all place strain on water resources. The WaterSMART Program funds local water management programs that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently, mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict, or accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability, among other objectives.
Between 2010 and 2016, the WaterSMART Program contributed $137 million dollars to leverage $395 million dollars in non-federal funding from project partners. Of the 243 projects that have been awarded, 143 (60%) have been completed.
Additionally, due to the close connection between water and energy use, the program is estimated to save 10.8 million kilowatt-hours each year, equivalent to the energy needs of approximately 1,000 average households and 12 million pounds of avoided carbon emissions. You can find more details about WaterSMART funded projects on Reclamation’s WaterSMART Data Visualization Tool.
There are 6 unique water supply reliability programs that operate under the WaterSMART program. Three of these programs provide funding for on-site, localized efficiency and reuse solutions: WaterSMART Grants, Drought Resiliency Project Grants (DRP), and Water Conservation Field Services Program Grants (WCFSPG).
Within the WaterSMART grants program, there are two funding opportunities specific to localized water efficiency programs:
Water and Energy Efficiency Grants (WEEG)
Small Scale Water Efficiency Projects (SWEP)
Check out the additional resources linked below. Stay tuned for access to additional resources highlighting WaterSMART funded localized infrastructure projects. In addition, WaterNow has an ongoing initiative to assist local water managers to apply for these grants – click here to learn more.
Bureau of Reclamation's 2010-2016 progress report on the WaterSMART program finding an expected water savings of 1.14 million acre-feet per year.
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Bureau of Reclamation's 2016 WaterSMART program progress report fact sheet.
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Eligibility & Application Process
Entities eligible for funding opportunities through the WaterSMART Program are:
States
Tribes
Irrigation districts
Water districts
Organization with water or power delivery authority in the Western United States or United States territories
In addition, to be eligible, grant applications must be located in enumerated states and territories, which include those shown on the below map, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
In order to apply for funding, water providers must be able to cover 50 percent or more of total project costs with non-federal funding. Non-federal funding can include (but is not limited to): cash, in-kind contributions, state grants or loans, and/or philanthropic grants. For most WaterSMART program grants, cost-shared project must be completed within two to three years.
Funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) are available at grants.gov. Specific FOAs should be reviewed carefully as the
application requirements change regularly. The application window for WaterSMART Program grants is typically open for two to three months. Application processes will vary for each grant opportunity however all applications will require:
A technical proposal that includes an executive summary, project description and evaluation criteria
A project budget
Overview of environmental and cultural resource compliance
An official resolution from the entity’s governing board
Complete federal forms
Registration on the System for Award Management
And registration on Grants.gov (in order to submit an application electronically)
The resources linked below provide further information about WaterSMART eligibilities and application requirements.
Example Bureau of Reclamation Funding Opportunity Announcement. FOAs provide key information on the grant type, grant award ceiling, and how to apply.
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Access federal forms required to be submitted with WaterSMART grant applications.
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Access the registration process for the System for Award Management - part of applying for WaterSMART grants.
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Water & Energy Efficiency Grants
Water and Energy Efficiency Grants (WEEG) focus on large-scale projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings. Criteria also place a priority on projects that support broader water reliability benefits, including multiple benefits achieved through collaboration.
For municipal water providers, eligible localized infrastructure projects include outdoor water use efficiency programs such as:
turf replacement
smart irrigation controller installation
high-efficiency spray device change-outs
As of FY2021, applicants could request federal funding up to $500,000 for projects to be completed within two years, or up to $2,000,000 for projects to be completed within three years with a 50% non-Federal cost-share match.
WEEG project evaluation criteria for FY21 are included below. Projects that will not receive points under
some criteria, e.g. implementing hydropower, are still eligible to receive WEEG funding. More details on each of the evaluation criteria can be found in the FY21 WEEG Funding Opportunity Announcement.
In FY2020, Reclamation awarded $40.99 million in WEEG funding for 54 projects. The application deadline for FY2021 funding is September 17, 2020.
Download the FY21 Water & Energy Efficiency Grant Funding Opportunity Announcement
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Access federal forms required to be submitted with WaterSMART grant applications.
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Access the registration process for the System for Award Management - part of applying for WaterSMART grants.
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Small Scale Water Efficiency Projects Grants
The Small Scale Water Efficiency Projects (SWEP) grant is for small-scale, on-the-ground water management projects that that seek to conserve, better manage, or otherwise make more efficient use of water supplies. Projects supported by an existing water management and conservation plan, System Optimization Review, or other planning effort led by the applicant are prioritized.
Similar to the WEEG program, for municipal water providers, eligible distributed infrastructure projects include outdoor water use efficiency programs such as:
turf replacement
smart irrigation controller installation
high-efficiency spray device change-outs
The SWEP application is designed to be as streamlined as possible in order for small to mid-sized utilities to be able to apply and compared to WEEG, there’s less emphasis placed on quantified water savings.
Applicants may request up to $75,000 in Federal funding, with a non-Federal cost-share of 50% or more of total project costs, for projects with total construction costs no more than $200,000.
SWEP evaluation criteria for FY20 are included below. More details on each of the evaluation criteria can be found in the FY20 Small Scale Water Efficiency Projects Funding Opportunity Announcement.

In FY20, Reclamation awarded $3.3 million for 52 water projects. The FY2020 application window closed on March 4, 2020.
Download the Small Scale Water Efficiency Projects Funding Opportunity Announcement.
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Access federal forms required to be submitted with WaterSMART grant applications.
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Access the registration process for the System for Award Management - part of applying for WaterSMART grants.
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Drought Resiliency Projects
The Drought Resiliency Projects (DRP) grant is intended for projects that improve the ability of a water manager to
continue to deliver water and power during a drought and should decrease vulnerabilities and costs of drought. Eligible projects fall into three different categories: increasing the reliability of water supplies, improving water management, and providing benefits for fish, wildlife and the environment.
While many DRP projects focus on large-scale infrastructure improvements, funding is also available for distributed infrastructure strategies including:
Constructing stormwater capture and reuse systems
Installing residential graywater and rain catchment systems
As of FY21, applicants could request federal funding of up to $500,000 for projects that could be completed in two years (Funding Group 1) or up to $1.5 million for projects that could be completed in three years (Funding Group 2) with a 50% non-Federal cost-share match.
DRP evaluation criteria for FY20 are included below. More details on each of the evaluation criteria can be found in the FY21 DRP Funding Opportunity Announcement linked below.

In FY20, Reclamation awarded $7.5 million in DRP funding to 12 communities. The FY21 application window closed August 5, 2020.
Download the Drought Resiliency Projects Funding Opportunity Announcement.
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Access federal forms required to be submitted with WaterSMART grant applications.
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Access the registration process for the System for Award Management - part of applying for WaterSMART grants.
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Water Conservation Field Services Program Grants
Unlike the other WaterSMART funding programs, the Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) is managed by each of Reclamation’s regional offices and implemented at the local level through Reclamation’s area offices in order to advance water conservation and to meet local goals.
Each of the regional WCFSP eligible project types and funding amounts are different. Awards range from $25,000 to $100,000 and funding is typically available for projects that prioritize water planning efforts including:
developing water conservation plans
identifying water management improvements through System Optimization Reviews
designing water management improvements
improving application of water conservation technologies through demonstration activities.
Water conservation demonstration activities, in particular, is an opportunity for utilities to test out and gather data around innovative, distributed infrastructure tools and technologies such as leak detection devices, smart irrigation controllers, low-flow appliances, etc. If the demonstration program is successful, this demonstration program could then receive additional funding for large-scale implementation through WEEG.
WaterSMART Grant Application Support
Through our WaterSMART Conservation and Efficiency Funding for Colorado River Basin Communities program, WaterNow provides western water decisionmakers with no-cost, hands-on assistance to apply for WaterSMART Grants.
WaterNow has supported a number of successful applications.
South Jordan City, UT received $300k in WEEG funding to implement secondary irrigation metering with
estimated water savings of 172 AF per year. WaterNow worked with South Jordan City to identify and define an eligible project for funding, to connect them with various Reclamation staff members, to draft and provided them with application and budget templates, and to edit and review their application before submission.
Desert Water Agency, CA received $75k in SWEP funding to expand their existing grass removal incentive program. The agency offers rebates to users replacing turf grass with low water use landscaping. The reduced water demand in the service area, estimated at approximately 13 acre-feet annual water savings, will address aquifer overdraft and increase the resilience of water supply. In addition to many of the support services listed above, WaterNow supported Desert Water Agency (DWA) to draft their grant application. DWA is now applying for a much larger grant under the FY21 WEEG funding opportunity to further expand their grass removal program.

The City of Greeley, CO received $1.49M in WEEG funding for Advanced Metering Infrastructure with estimated water savings of 1,129 AF per year. Greeley had submitted an application for WaterSMART funding in FY2019 but were not successful in receiving funding, so they requested support from WaterNow on strengthening their application.
Application Tips
- Before applying, review the objectives of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), eligible project types and evaluation criteria closely to determine if your proposed project is a good fit for the specific grant opportunity. If you’re not sure, WaterNow staff and BoR Program Coordinators are here to help!
- Copy and paste the evaluation criteria from the FOA into your application to ensure you’re responding fully and clearly to all criteria.
- Review the application checklist (Page iii of every FOA) to ensure that you are submitting a complete application with all required supporting materials.
WaterNow is available to provide pro-bono support in applying for WaterSMART funding opportunities. This includes (but is not limited to):
- 1-on-1 calls to explain programs, address specific project questions, and provide tips for submitting a competitive application
- Connections and guidance on calls with relevant WaterSMART staff
- Research on specific application questions (e.g. quantifying water savings or identifying your nexus to Reclamation)
- Application and budget templates
- And more, depending on what your community’s specific needs are!
If you’re interested in applying for a WaterSMART funding opportunity and would like WaterNow’s assistance, fill out this short form and we’ll be in touch.