Basinwide & Basin States Salinity Control Programs | BOR UC 17 F003

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR UC 17 F003

The Basinwide and Basin States Salinity Control Programs are funding opportunities run by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to reduce salt entering the Colorado River system, especially in the Upper Basin above Hoover Dam. The larger goal is to meet Colorado River Basin Water Quality Standards and follow the Basinwide Plan of Implementation aimed at preventing further water quality degradation in a river system that supplies major downstream users in southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The program focuses on practical, cost-effective regional approaches that measurably cut salt loading, rather than experimental or high-risk concepts.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, and projects are chosen through a competitive process in which Reclamation solicits proposals, ranks them, and selects projects that best meet program criteria. Historically, many funded projects have involved replacing or upgrading inefficient irrigation conveyance infrastructure, such as converting unlined canals and ditches into buried pipelines. This kind of work reduces seepage losses; seepage is a major pathway for salinity because water leaking from unlined systems can dissolve and pick up salts from surrounding soils and geologic formations, eventually returning to the river system with a higher salt content. Projects are typically located in Upper Basin states, including Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, where these conveyance improvements can produce significant salinity-reduction benefits.

The opportunity is structured around two related tracks. The Basinwide Program is aimed at legal entities (for example, irrigation districts, conservancy districts, tribes or other eligible organizations depending on the specific FOA language) that own or operate the facilities being replaced or built and can directly contract with the Bureau of Reclamation. The Basin States Program (BSP) is similar in purpose but is administered through participating state partners; it is open to a legal entity or an individual who owns or operates the features being improved and who can contract with the state where the project is located, specifically Utah, Colorado, or Wyoming. In practice, this means applicants may either work directly with Reclamation (Basinwide) or work through a state-managed route (BSP), depending on location, applicant type, and program fit.

Across both tracks, the core eligibility and technical expectations are consistent. Projects must be located in the Colorado River Basin above Hoover Dam and must clearly respond to the specific requirements laid out in the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Proposals are expected to rely on proven technologies rather than untested approaches, and they must avoid creating undue financial risk for Reclamation, which signals an emphasis on predictable performance, realistic budgets, and implementable designs. Applicants also need to be in an area where salinity load data can be provided, because quantifying salt reduction is central to how benefits are estimated and projects are compared. Another key design expectation is that conveyance upgrades should, where topography allows, provide enough pressure and appropriate flow velocity to support future high-efficiency on-farm irrigation improvements, such as sprinkler systems. This ties conveyance work to longer-term water management efficiencies that can further reduce deep percolation and salt mobilization.

From the source details provided, this opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR UC 17 F003) is a discretionary environmental funding program under CFDA 15.509, using cooperative agreements as the funding instrument. The listed award ceiling is $6,000,000, with selections made through the competitive ranking process described in the announcement. The original closing date shown is November 14, 2017, which is important context for timing, since applicants would need to look for the most current iteration of the program if seeking funding today.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basinwide & Basin States Salinity Control Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.509.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-08-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for BOR UC 17 F003

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: