Cooperative Watershed Management

Reclamation’s WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management program (CWMP) provides funding for the establishment or enlargement of grassroots, local watershed groups to encourage diverse stakeholders to develop collaborative solutions to address their water management needs. A watershed group is a self-sustaining, non-regulatory group that is composed of a diverse array of stakeholders, which may include, but is not limited to, private property owners, non-profit organizations, Federal, state, or local agencies, and tribes. Funding is provided on a competitive basis for the development of watershed groups, watershed restoration planning, and watershed management project planning and design. CWMP provides funding to local watershed groups to encourage diverse stakeholders to develop collaborative solutions to address their water management needs. Watershed groups bring together varied groups of stakeholders, some of which might otherwise be at odds, to provide a platform for collaborative, locally-led, and community-based water resource management. Stakeholders may initially unite around one issue that affects multiple stakeholder groups, for example food control or wildfire mitigation. However, these groups often evolve to have a more holistic approach: aiming to address multiple issues within the watershed and benefit a wide range of stakeholders.

Existing watershed groups and entities sponsoring the establishment of a watershed group. The watershed group must be located in one of the following states or territories: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Existing watershed groups must meet the definition of a watershed group under Section 6002 of the Cooperative Watershed Management Act: the watershed group must be a grassroots, non-regulatory entity that addresses water availability and quality issues within the watershed and capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources. The watershed group must make decisions on a consensus basis as identified in the by-laws of the watershed group and represent a diverse group of stakeholders, such as hydroelectric producers, livestock grazing, timber production, land development, recreation or tourism, irrigated agriculture, the environment, municipal water supplies, private property owners, Federal, state and local governments, and Tribes. Entities eligible to sponsor a new watershed group include States, Tribes, local or special districts (e.g., irrigation, water district, water conservation district), local governmental entities,...

Specific evaluation criteria will be included in the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted on www.grants.gov. All applications will be evaluated using criteria that give priority based on the diversity and scope of the watershed group, need for project and project benefits, prior planning that supports the project, the applicant's ability and readiness to implement the project, and Presidential and Department of the Interior priorities.

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Fiscal Year2025: Reclamation provided funding to an existing watershed group to digitize and consolidate existing water data, analyze and map potential watershed restoration projects by type and anticipated benefits, and engage with stakeholders to prioritize projects and update their watershed restoration plan. Reclamation also provided funding to a county to establish a new watershed group and conduct preplanning activities, including developing an organizational structure, stakeholder outreach and engagement, collecting data and consolidating data and consolidating existing information in the watershed, and identifying critical data gaps.Fiscal Year2026: Reclamation provided funding to a watershed group that will work with stakeholders to design agricultural infrastructure upgrades and associated wetland restoration projects. Reclamation also provided funding to a nonprofit organization to establish a new watershed group and begin developing a watershed restoration plan. Activities include creating a steering committee, stakeholder outreach and engagement, and stakeholder workshops.