Cooperative Watershed Management

Program objective

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.

As published in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing.

Eligible applicants (program level)

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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, interstate organizations, non-profit organizations, and institutes of higher education located in a state or territory identified above. The watershed group sponsor must also be able to significantly affect or be affected by the quality or quantity of water in the watershed and capable of promoting the sustainable use of water resources. A watershed group member or fiscal agent may apply on behalf of the watershed group if they are a state, Tribe, local or special district (e.g., irrigation, water district, water conservation district), local governmental entity, interstate organization, or a non-profit organization.

Intended beneficiaries: Other.

Program-level eligibility from SAM.gov. Each funding notice sets its own requirements.

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Frequently asked questions