Water for America: Expand, Protect, and Conserve Our Nation's Water Resources-System Optimization Reviews

The Water for America Initiative (Initiative) is focused on addressing 21st century water challenges, including decreasing water supplies caused by climate change and population growth, and securing water resources for future generations. The President’s fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget requests $31.9 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Water for America activities. Reclamation’s efforts will focus on two of the Initiative’s three strategies: “Plan for Our Nation’s Water Future” and “Expand, Protect, and Conserve Our Nation’s Water Resources.” The U.S. Geological Survey will take on the third strategy to “Enhance Our Nation’s Water Knowledge.” Water for America will offer four Challenge Grant funding opportunities; two are incorporated from Water 2025: Water Marketing and Efficiency Grants and System Optimization Review Grants (SORs). Two new challenge grants are being developed: Advanced Water Treatment Grants, and Species of Concern Grants. These four Challenge Grants will leverage scarce Federal funds to provide the greatest benefits to the West and Nation. Through SORs, Reclamation will work with willing irrigation and water districts, western states, tribal water authorities, and other local entities with water delivery authority, to assess the potential for water management improvements in a given basin or district. The SOR will include the development of a plan of action with specific recommendations and performance measures for projects with significant potential to improve water management. The recommendations can include physical improvements, such as modernization of a water delivery system, or operational changes to improve efficiency or facilitate water transfers or water marketing, for example. The SOR may focus on a water basin, district, system, or a portion thereof