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1 1 (May 26, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/goveltt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 May 26, 2023 Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Program The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), an agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI), combines funding for multiple agency-wide programs promoting water conservation into a single program-the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage American Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program was formally established in 2010 under DOI Secretarial Order 3297. As of 2023, WaterSMART includes funding for seven subprograms: WaterSMART Grants, Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse (Title XVI Program), the Drought Response Program (DRP), the Basin Studies Program, the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, Water Conservation Field Services, and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration. Unlike most traditional Reclamation projects, which are geographically specific authorizations, WaterSMART funding is awarded on a competitive basis. Congress has increased funding for WaterSMART activities generally (Figure 1), including $1.85 billion in new funding for selected WaterSMART subprograms over the FY2022-FY2026 window in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58). This included significant new funding relative to baseline levels for WaterSMART Grants, water reuse and recycling projects under the Title XVI Program, the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration. For more information, see CRS Report R47032, Bureau of Reclamation Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Figure I. WaterSMART Program Funding, FY20 1 4-FY2023 ii z Source: Enacted appropriations data for FY2014-FY2023. Notes: FY2022 and FY2023 reflect supplemental funding in the Infrastructure Investment and fobs Act (P.L. 11I7-58). The remainder of this In Focus discusses the subprograms in the WaterSMART Program. WaterSMART Grants Congress provided authority for the WaterSMART Grant Program in 2009 under P.L. 111-11, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 10364). The program provides cost-shared funding in four grant categories: water and energy efficiency, small-scale water efficiency, water marketing strategy grants, and environmental water resources projects. The program's initial focus was water and energy efficiency grants. Reclamation administratively added grant opportunities for small-scale water efficiency projects and water marketing strategy development in FY2017 and for environmental water resources projects in FY2022. The environmental water resources project grants also serve as a funding source for implementation of projects (i.e., phase two) that the Cooperative Watershed Management Program previously funded (see below section). Eligible applicants for WaterSMART grants are the same across grant categories. They include domestic nonprofit conservation organizations and states, Indian tribes, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority. Applicants also must be located in a Reclamation State or Territory (as identified in the Reclamation Act of 1902, as amended) or in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico. WaterSMART grant award amounts may not exceed $5 million based on statute; however, the award amounts typically depend on project categories-water and energy efficiency grants awards range from $500,000 to $5 million; small-scale water efficiency grants are typically up to $100,000 (and may have maximum project costs of up to $250,000); water marketing strategy grants range from $200,000 to $400,000; and environmental water resources projects grants may be up to $3 million. Most of these grants limit the federal cost share for projects to 50%, except that environmental water resources projects developed as a part of a collaborative process may qualify for up to 75% in federal funding. Title XVI Program The Title XVI Program funds the study and construction of authorized nonfederal water recycling and reuse projects. The program originated with individual project authorizations authorized by Congress in P.L. 102-575 and has expanded over time. Amendments in the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act; P.L. 114-322) created a new mechanism for authorization whereby the Secretary of the Interior may accept and review nonfederal feasibility studies for planning, design, and construction funding of projects. Once the Secretary has approved a project it is eligible to receive Title XVI Program funds (i.e., without additional congressional authorization). In the years since WIIN Act enactment, this authority has resulted in regular secretarial approval of new

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