WaterSMART: Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024

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The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow) Program provides a framework for Federal leadership and assistance to stretch and secure water supplies for future generations in support of the Department’s priorities. Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to support stakeholder efforts to stretch scarce water supplies and avoid conflicts over water.Through the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program (Title XVI), authorized by P.L. 102-575 in 1992, Reclamation provides financial and technical assistance to local water agencies for the planning, design, and construction of water reclamation and reuse projects. Water recycling is a tool in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Title XVI projects develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse, thereby improving efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying the water supply. These projects provide growing communities with new sources of clean water which increases water management flexibility and makes our water supply more reliable.Through the Large-Scale Water Recycling Program, Reclamation will provide up to 25 percent (%) Federal cost share, with no per-project Federal funding maximum, to water recycling projects that have a total project cost greater than or equal to $500 million. Large-scale water recycling projects will play an important role in helping communities develop local, drought-resistant sources of water supply by turning currently unusable water sources into a new source of water supply that is less vulnerable to drought and climate change. The Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects funding opportunity provides support for priorities identified in Presidential Executive Order (E.O.) 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and is aligned with other priorities, such as those identified in E.O. 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

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