Water Recycling and Desalination Construction Programs

To make funding available for water recycling and desalination projects. To develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse and the treatment of ocean or brackish water—thereby improving efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying water supply portfolios.

Title XVI of P.L. 102-575, as amended (Title XVI), directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner, to undertake a program to identify and investigate opportunities to reclaim and reuse wastewaters and impaired ground and surface water in the 17 Western States and Hawaii. Title XVI provides authority for the Secretary to provide up to 25 percent of the cost of planning, design, and construction of water recycling projects, currently up to $30 million unless otherwise specified by Congress, as well as up to 50 percent of the cost of feasibility studies.

The Water Desalination Act of 1996, as amended by P.L. 114-332 provides authority for the Secretary to provide up to 25 percent of the cost of planning, design, and construction of ocean or brackish water desalination facilities.

Section 40905 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, P.L. 117-58 provides authority for the Secretary to provide up to 25 percent of the cost of planning, design, and construction of water recycling projects with a total estimate project cost of $500 million or more.

Eligible applicants of Title XVI funding are identified under the 1902 Act and include State, regional, or local authorities; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; or other entities such as a water conservation or conservancy district, wastewater district, rural water district, located in the western United States or United States Territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended or Hawaii. To be eligible to receive funding for construction activities, a water reclamation and reuse project must be specifically authorized under Title XVI or eligible under the amendments in section 4009(c) of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. Sponsors of ocean and brackish water desalination projects must be eligible under section 4009(a) of the WIIN Act. Sponsors of large-scale water recycling projects must be eligible under Section 40905 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, P.L. 117-58.

Funds for construction activities associated with an individual project will not be disbursed until all Title XVI pre-construction requirements have been met for that project. These include: (1) a finding that the feasibility study meets program requirements; (2) complete compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental clearances; (3) an approved determination of financial capability; and (4) an executed grant or cooperative agreement for financial assistance between Reclamation and the project sponsor.

Anyone in the general public that benefits from the additional drought resistant water source created.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity will contain all information regarding application procedures for submitting applications, instructions, and points of contact.

Proposals received in response to the funding opportunity are reviewed on the basis of a competitive, merit-based review process, and are rated in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in the funding opportunity. Reclamation will make awards to the highest rated proposals based on the amount of funding available each year.

See Reclamation’s WaterSMART website https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/ for schedule information.