Grant Details

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Summary

History of Funding

FY25 funded projects may be viewed at: https://www.usbr.gov/drought/docs/2025/FY25.DroughtResiliencyProjects.pdf

FY24 funded projects may be viewed at: https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/swep/selectedapps.html

FY22 funded projects may be viewed at: https://www.usbr.gov/drought/docs/2022/2022-Drought-Resiliency-Project-Descriptions.pdf

Additional Information

Example projects include:

Task A: Infrastructure Projects

Investments in infrastructure improve drought resiliency by increasing water management flexibility and providing alternative sources of water supply. Infrastructure projects include, but are not limited to the following:

• System modifications or improvements. Projects that will increase flexibility of water conveyance and deliveries, facilitating access to water supplies in times of drought. Projects include, but are not limited to:
  • Constructing or modifying surface water intakes to access supplies when water levels are low (e.g., at dead pool), or to allow access at different locations.
  • Constructing new conveyance system components (pipelines, canals, pumping plants, etc.) to increase delivery flexibilities, facilitate voluntary water marketing, or to deliver water from alternative sources.
  • Constructing connections between water delivery systems to provide more options for water conveyance.
  • Installing barriers or other facilities to prevent saltwater intrusion into surface supplies. 
• Storing water and/or recharging groundwater supplies. Projects that enable the capture or storage of additional water supplies that can be made available during drought. Projects include, but are not limited to:
  • Developing or expanding surface water storage facilities such as off-stream storage ponds.
  • Installing water towers and storage tanks to store water for municipal and domestic use. 
  • Installing recharge ponds or injection wells to increase recharge and storage of surplus, inactive, or reclaimed water for later beneficial use.
• Developing Alternative Water Supply Sources Through the Treatment and Reuse of Surface Water and Reclaimed Water. Projects that develop alternative water supplies to build drought resiliency. Projects include, but are not limited to:
  • Constructing or expanding water treatment facilities to treat impaired surface water, municipal wastewater or stormwater runoff for later beneficial use.
  • Constructing stormwater capture and reuse systems, including stormwater infrastructure solutions such as rain gardens, cisterns, and bioswales.
  • Installing residential grey water and rain catchment systems.
• Groundwater Recovery and Treatment Projects. Projects that implement the sustainable use of groundwater or the recovery of recharged water to build drought resiliency. Projects include, but are not limited to:
  • Constructing or rehabilitating a well to provide back-up water supplies during times of drought.
  • Constructing an extraction well at groundwater banks or other recharge areas to improve extraction and return capabilities during dry years.
  • Constructing an aquifer storage and recovery well
  • Treating impaired groundwater for beneficial use.

Task B: Water Management and Planning Projects

Task B projects are intended to help entities better manage water supplies through decision support tools, modeling, the identification of potential strategies to address drought, and comprehensive drought planning. Projects include but are not limited to the following:

• Developing water management, water marketing, and modeling tools to help communities evaluate options and implement strategies to address drought.
  • Developing online decision support tools to help communities identify alternative water supplies or water management options in times of drought.
  • Installation of monitoring equipment to accurately track water supply conditions (e.g., stream flow measurement structures, groundwater monitors, reservoir level monitors) to improve water management practices, optimizing water resources and supporting informed decision-making.
  • Developing new models or improving existing models for analyzing and predicting drought conditions. Such models should be based on proven methods to analyze drought frequency, duration, and intensity, as opposed to research type efforts.
  • Developing water budgets and tiered pricing programs that incentivize decreased consumptive use.
  • Real-time operational modeling to track supply conditions and demands. Modeling can be used to analyze different operational scenarios to optimize pumping capacities, evaluate user restrictions, water delivery needs, etc., and determine how to best meet compliance requirements such as temperature control points, water quality, or other environmental compliance (e.g., Endangered Species Act), and Clean Water Act.
  • Assessing water quality with respect to the level of drought to determine appropriate measures to protect water quality for fish and wildlife, agriculture, and human consumption (e.g., water quality testing or constructing groundwater monitoring wells).
  • Developing tools to facilitate water marketing, connecting willing sellers and willing buyers that want to participate in the buying, selling, leasing, or exchanging of water.
• Developing or updating Drought Contingency Plans (comprehensive drought plans) that, when implemented, will increase water reliability and improve water management through the use of expanded technologies for drought forecasting, planning mitigation actions, and identifying drought response actions.
  • Drought contingency planning efforts are to develop and update comprehensive drought plans designed to build resilience to drought in advance of a crisis. Applicants under this NOFO may request funding to develop a new drought plan or to update an existing drought plan (collectively, Drought Contingency Plans). Drought Contingency Plans funded under this NOFO must include six required project elements: 1) Drought Monitoring, 2) Vulnerability Assessment, 3) Mitigation Actions, 4) Response Actions, 5) Operational and administrative Framework, and 6) Plan Development and Update Process

Proposed Drought Contingency Plans should be divided into two phases (Phase I and Phase II):

• Phase I includes the establishment of a drought planning task force, development of a detailed work plan, and development of a communication and outreach plan.
• Phase II begins after the detailed work plan is accepted by Reclamation. In Phase II, the planning lead develops the plan or plan update including the required Drought Contingency Plan elements. 

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