What Happened?
Las Cruses, N.M., is one of the cities expected to apply for the federal WaterSMART water and energy efficiency grant to aid its water conservation effort in its Utilities Department.
So What?
Las Cruses is looking to secure the $200,000 grant -- which will also require $100,000 of matching funds -- to fund automated metering systems. The meter systems will allow customers of the city’s water system to view their water consumption in real time. The hope is that allowing for the water consumption viewing will give customers the tools modify their habits with an eye toward water conservation. The funds are available in the 17 western states, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands.
The Details
The grant is available through the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. Eligible projects are ones that conserve water or result in water sustainability in the western United States. Funds are available for small and large-scale projects, with the total funding expected to reach $21 million.
Small scale projects (Funding Group 1) are available to be funded up to $300,000. These projects would be completed in less than two years, and the bureau said most of the grants that will be awarded in this category.
Larger projects (Funding Group 2) are for larger, phased projects that will take up to three years to complete and are eligible to be funded at $1.5 million. A maximum of $750,000 will be available for one year of the project. However, funding for the second and third year of the program is dependent on appropriation.
In 2012, the bureau awarded $11 million to 32 projects under the WaterSMART designation for projects that saved enough water for 227,000 people, according to the bureau.
Other Programs
The bureau recently released the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, which is part of the WaterSMART program. The report details the steps that need to be taken to balance the limited supply and high demand for water in the Colorado River Basin over the next 50 years.
More Information
For more on WaterSmart, go to the program’s website. Application information is at grants.gov, and the deadline to apply is Jan. 17. You can also learn more about Federal, State, corporate and private grants through our new, real-time, searchable database - GrantFinder.