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Water Project Grants and Loans

Public Comment Opportunity

The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) invites written public comment on grant applications received by January 17, 2024 for Irrigation Modernization Funding. OWRD received ten complete grant applications requesting a total of $25,900,067 in funding. OWRD did not receive any complete applications for the Water Project Grants and Loans program.

A multi-agency Technical Review Team (TRT) will consider public comments submitted in their evaluation of applications. The TRT will evaluate applications and make a funding recommendation to the Water Resources Commission. OWRD will post the TRT funding recommendation for an additional public comment period in the spring. The tentative date for the Commission to make its funding decision is June 13-14, 2024.

Written comments on the applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 2, 2024.

Please submit comments to: OWRD.Grants@water.oregon.gov or Grant Coordinator, 725 Summer Street NE, Suite A, Salem, Oregon 97301.


Timeline

OWRD anticipates announcing a second Water Project Grants and Loans funding cycle in spring 2024 with applications due in summer 2024. Funding decisions will be made by the Water Resources Commission at the Commission meeting on December 12-13, 2024.


Eligibility

Water Project Grants and Loans

  • This program provides grants for water projects to evaluate, plan, and develop instream and out-of-stream water projects that have economic, environmental and social/cultural benefits. Projects must provide benefits in each of these three categories to be eligible for funding. 
  • This competitive funding opportunity is meant for implementation-ready projects. Eligible projects include: conservation, reuse, above-ground storage, below-ground storage, streamflow protection or restoration, water distribution, conveyance or delivery systems, and other water resource development projects that result in economic, environmental, and social/cultural public benefits. 
  • Grants require a 25% cost match.
  • Any local government, Indian tribe, or person may apply for funding. 
  • If an applicant or co-applicant is required to have a Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP), the plan must be submitted to the Water Resources Department and receive approval prior to the application due date.

Irrigation Modernization Funding

  • This program provides grants for projects that improve water use efficiency of irrigation systems on currently irrigated agricultural lands. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: piping irrigation canals, ditches or laterals; lining irrigation canals, ditches or laterals; installing sprinkler or microirrigation systems; upgrading existing infrastructure, such as flumes or pipes; installing or upgrading pump stations, including variable speed pumps; installing measuring devices or soil moisture monitoring; installing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems; purchasing irrigation scheduling software; and upgrading turnouts. 
  • The project must have federal match associated with Natural Resources Conservation Service authorized watershed plans, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grants or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants that are eligible to be on the Department of Environmental Quality’s Intended Use Plan.
  • Any local government, Indian tribe, or person may apply for funding.
  • If an applicant or co-applicant is required to have a Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP), the plan must be submitted to the Water Resources Department and receive approval prior to the application due date.


Available Funding

Funding for Water Project Grants and Loans is provided through the sale of lottery revenue bonds. OWRD anticipates having $5 million available for Water Project Grants and Loans projects and $25 million available for Irrigation Modernization projects in 2024.


How to Apply

OWRD anticipates the next Water Project Grants and Loans funding cycle will be announced in spring 2024 and applications will be due in summer 2024. Application materials and guidance from the previous funding cycle are available for review on the Applications, Forms and Guidance page. OWRD encourages prospective applicants to participate in a Pre-Application Conference prior to submitting an application for funding. The purpose of a Pre-Application Conference is to answer questions, identify additional information needed or issues with project eligibility, and connect applicants to other resources. To discuss a project with OWRD staff or to schedule a pre-application conference, please contact the Grant Coordinator.

More Information

The Department has been funding Water Project Grants and Loans since 2016. It has awarded $56.9 million in grants.