WaterSMART: Cooperative Watershed Management Program – Phase I 

Applicants can apply for activities within one or more of the following Task Areas: 

Task A: Activities include but are not limited to (See Section C.4. of NOFO): 

• Gathering information about issues and needs related to water quality, quantity, and restoration needs within the watershed. 
  
• Conducting pre-planning activities—including outlining a watershed restoration plan, reviewing existing plans related to the watershed, and collecting baseline information. 
  

Task B: Activities include but are not limited to (See Section C.4. of NOFO): 

• Completing a watershed restoration plan or updating an existing plan. 
  
• Conducting monitoring activities; mapping and other technical analyses, including obtaining data, performing modeling, or developing goals and benchmarks for the watershed restoration plan. 
  
• Working with group members, landowners, Federal agencies, and state or local governments to determine how the watershed can be improved. 
  

Task C: Activities include but are not limited to (See Section C.4. of NOFO): 

• Completing an analysis to identify specific project locations. 
  
• Completing site-specific project design and engineering. 
  
• Developing project timelines and milestones. 
  
• Researching site-specific environmental and cultural resource compliance.

New Watershed Groups: States, Indian Tribes, Local and Special Districts, Local Governmental Entities, Interstate Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations, and Institutes of Higher Education sponsoring a watershed group. Applicants must also meet all the following requirements: 

1. Be sponsoring the development of a New Watershed Group 
   
2. Be significantly affect(ed) [by] the quality/quantity of water in a watershed 
   
3. Be capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources 

Existing Watershed Groups: States, Indian Tribes, Local and Special Districts, Local Governmental Entities, Interstate Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations, and Institutes of Higher Education sponsoring a watershed group. Applicants must also be an Existing Watershed Group and be legally incorporated as a non-profit entity; be a participating entity in an Existing Watershed Group; or be a fiscal sponsor of an Existing Watershed Group.
 
*Multiple applications may be submitted for consideration provided that the project scopes are not duplicative. However, only one award will be made per watershed group. 
**See Section C of NOFO for specific location restrictions to applicant eligibility. 

Groups that have been active in the watershed for several years and have previously conducted some watershed planning should apply as an Existing Watershed Group, even if the group is not incorporated as a legal entity. 

Developing articles of incorporation, bylaws, and business practices are eligible activities for both New and Existing Watershed Groups. 

By request, Reclamation can provide technical assistance after the award of a project; assistance should be discussed with Reclamation staff prior to applying. 
All applicants and projects must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act (CWA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Watershed Restoration Plan Guidance: A tool designed to help a watershed group plan for and implement restoration activities in their watershed.  

Watershed Groups Definition: A grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed, is capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources in the watershed, makes decisions on a consensus basis, and represents a diverse group of stakeholders—including hydroelectric producers; livestock grazing; timber production; land development; recreation or tourism; irrigated agriculture; the environment; municipal water suppliers; private property owners; Federal, state, and local governments; Tribes; and disadvantaged communities. 

Eligibility of Education and Training Activities: To be eligible, all outreach activities, training, and conferences must be specifically linked to the proposed watershed group development, watershed restoration planning, or watershed management project design.  

Monitoring, Measurement, and Fieldwork: To collect baseline information regarding the current conditions and needs of the watershed is eligible, if they will inform a broader planning or design effort being completed as part of the same grant project and costs do not exceed 50% of the Reclamation grant funding.