WaterSMART: Title XVI Water Recycling Projects Under the WIIN Act | BOR DO 17 F028

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 17 F028

The WaterSMART: Title XVI Water Recycling Projects Under the WIIN Act funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR DO 17 F028) is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, under CFDA 15.504 (Natural Resources). It was created to advance water recycling projects in the western United States by helping communities stretch limited water supplies, especially during drought and other shortages. The opportunity sits within Reclamation's broader WaterSMART portfolio, which focuses on improving water sustainability through smarter management, conservation, and resilience investments.

This opportunity is rooted in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, Public Law 114-322, enacted in December 2016. WIIN made key changes to Reclamation's Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program, which originally began under Public Law 102-575 in 1992. Before WIIN, federal construction funding under Title XVI generally required that a project be specifically authorized by Congress. The WIIN amendments expanded eligibility so that new water recycling projects could become eligible for federal funding without needing that same project-by-project congressional authorization pathway. In practical terms, the law change was meant to speed up and broaden access to federal support for water reuse infrastructure, recognizing how central recycling and reuse have become to long-term water reliability in the West.

The program is aimed at projects that develop or expand water supplies for both urban and agricultural users by reusing water, thereby increasing overall system efficiency and supply diversity. Title XVI projects typically support things like municipal wastewater recycling for non-potable and potable reuse, upgrading treatment and distribution systems to deliver recycled water, and related infrastructure that helps communities reduce dependence on overdrawn rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater basins. The stated public benefits include improved flexibility during water shortages, increased resilience of local and regional water portfolios, stronger environmental stewardship, and potential energy efficiency gains tied to modernized treatment and distribution approaches.

Eligibility is narrow and based on a specific readiness milestone. Applicants must be project sponsors whose projects have completed a Title XVI Feasibility Study that has been reviewed by the Bureau of Reclamation and found to meet the requirements of Reclamation Manual WTR 11-01 (Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program Feasibility Study Review Process). In addition, Reclamation must have transmitted its findings on that feasibility study to Congress by the time the funding opportunity was posted. A list of eligible applicants and projects is maintained on Reclamation's Title XVI website and was also included as an attachment to the funding opportunity. The opportunity lists the eligible applicant category as "Others," reflecting that project sponsors can include entities such as local water agencies and similar sponsors, but only those that meet the specific feasibility-study and transmittal requirements.

The notice also makes an important limitation clear: being eligible to apply does not guarantee any future federal funding and does not create a new project authorization. In other words, this is competitive grant funding with defined eligibility criteria, and eligibility alone does not obligate the federal government to fund a project or to treat the project as authorized beyond the purposes of the funding process.

Key administrative details from the posting include an original closing date of August 17, 2017, an expected number of awards of 8, and a funding instrument type of grant. The award ceiling field is shown but not populated in the provided source text. For broader program context and related WaterSMART initiatives, Reclamation directs applicants to www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART, while Title XVI feasibility and eligibility information is referenced at www.usbr.gov/watersmart/title/feasibility.html.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WaterSMART: Title XVI Water Recycling Projects Under the WIIN Act" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.504.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-07-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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