Lewiston Orchards Well Engineering and Drilling | BOR PN 17 N019

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the Lewiston Orchards Well Engineering and Drilling opportunity?

It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, supporting engineering and well drilling work connected to a water-exchange arrangement in north-central Idaho. The work is intended to help enable a staged transition to groundwater supply while increasing and formalizing instream flow protections tied to new wells.

2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number is BOR PN 17 N019.

3) Which federal agency is offering this grant?

The grant is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.

4) What type of funding is this?

This is a discretionary grant, and the funding instrument is a grant.

5) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.517.

6) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $200,000.

7) When was the application originally due?

The original application closing date was September 19, 2017.

8) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to federally recognized Native American tribal governments.

9) What is the project trying to achieve?

The project supports engineering and drilling actions that help expand well infrastructure and support a staged shift toward groundwater supply for irrigation, while also protecting specific instream flows intended to support aquatic habitat and tribal resources.

10) What agreement is this project based on?

The project is grounded in the 2014 Term Sheet Water Exchange Appendix agreed to by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

11) How does the water-exchange concept work in this opportunity?

The 2014 Term Sheet Water Exchange Appendix describes how irrigation water will be exchanged once new wells are completed. The intent is to protect certain instream flows while still meeting irrigation needs.

12) What is the connection between new wells and additional instream flow protections?

Each new well that comes online after the initial pilot well triggers additional water protections. The amount of additional water to be protected is based on the well's full productive capacity.

13) What does "full productive capacity" mean in this context?

Full productive capacity means the maximum sustained flow a well can deliver using the installed pumping system.

14) How is a well's full productive capacity used for the exchange values?

The well's full productive capacity is translated into additional quantities of water that must be protected and left instream during the defined seasonal protection window.

15) What is the seasonal window for the instream flow protections?

The defined seasonal window is February through October.

16) Why is consultation with the Nez Perce Tribe mentioned?

Because the exchange values can affect the Nez Perce Reservation and tribal trust resources, Reclamation is expected to act in its federal trustee role by consulting with the Nez Perce Tribe on the final timing and quantification of exchange values.

17) Does Reclamation directly perform the on-the-ground work under this funding piece?

The notice states there is no anticipated direct involvement from Reclamation in carrying out the on-the-ground work under this particular funding piece, even though Reclamation is expected to consult with the Nez Perce Tribe on timing and quantification of exchange values.

18) Who coordinates annually to set and document bypass flows?

Annual coordination is required among the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District (LOID), the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), NOAA, and Reclamation.

19) What are bypass flows?

Bypass flows are the amounts of water deliberately left in the stream rather than diverted.

20) Where are the bypass flows set and documented?

Bypass flows are set and documented at the Sweetwater and Webb Creek diversion dams.

21) What does the annual coordination and planning produce?

The group develops an annual plan that determines how to allocate available water between Sweetwater Creek and Webb Creek, and that plan is used to set and document bypass flows at the diversion dams.

22) Has this coordination approach been used before?

Yes. The description notes that the planning and coordination approach was successfully implemented in spring 2017 for the pilot well.

23) What part of the broader effort does this specific funding support?

The requested funding is specifically aimed at the well drilling portion of the broader effort, supporting next steps associated with expanding well infrastructure under the same coordination and exchange framework.

24) Is this grant expected to be combined with other funding sources?

Yes. The grant is intended to be braided with other funding sources, including Reclamation support, the Idaho Office of Species Conservation (Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund), and Bureau of Indian Affairs climate change funds.

25) How is the Nez Perce Tribe expected to use this grant funding?

The structure described is that the Nez Perce Tribe would use this grant funding through a subcontract arrangement with the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District (LOID) to carry out the drilling-related work.

26) What is LOID's role in the overall project?

LOID is identified as the primary entity for the overall project and the lead for project activities. That means LOID manages implementation while the tribe participates through the funding and coordination mechanisms described.

27) What natural resources purpose is emphasized in the opportunity description?

The opportunity focuses on natural resources work tied to protecting specific instream flows that support aquatic habitat and tribal resources, while still meeting irrigation needs via a water-exchange arrangement enabled by new wells.

28) What triggers the increase in protected instream flow quantities?

Additional protections are triggered as each new well comes online after the initial pilot well, with the protection quantities linked to that well's full productive capacity.

29) Which entities are named in the underlying 2014 agreement?

The 2014 Term Sheet Water Exchange Appendix is described as being agreed to by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

30) What geographic area is referenced for the project?

The opportunity is described as being focused on a water-exchange arrangement in north-central Idaho.