The Department of the Interior recently announced new funding opportunities to help Western communities create or expand clean, new water sources, including $1 billion over five years for water desalinization, reclamation, and reuse projects.

With the right funding, creative, innovative solutions can be devised to safeguard healthy, dependable, affordable drinking water sources over the long term.

“Drought, climate change, and less reliable water resources year-after-year give rise to the need to continue to develop new and innovative solutions to address the challenges we face,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo in the announcement.

Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton stated, “Water reuse and desalination are important tools to building resiliency throughout the West, and these funding opportunities support water providers in developing new and clean sources of water to improve their water supply reliability for their communities.” Part of the WaterSMART program, these opportunities will bring resources to states, tribes, and local entities as they formulate and carry out plans to increase water supply.

New Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) are being released on an ongoing basis. If you’re looking to take advantage of this or other opportunities on the horizon to find a lasting solution to your drinking water challenges, contact us today!