Water for 2060 Drought Grants

The application period for this grant opportunity is currently closed.

Project Eligibility

With the passage of the Water for 2060 Act in 2012, Oklahoma became the first state to establish a statewide goal of consuming no more fresh water in 2060 than is consumed today. Appointees to the Water for 2060 Advisory Council are studying a wide range of innovative conservation measures, incentives, and related project financing options to solidify Oklahoma’s water future. The 2012 Update of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan demonstrated that water conservation still remains the most immediate and effective way to prevent future water shortages for many communities and water systems in Oklahoma. As the state enters its fourth year of ongoing drought, water conservation and reuse are becoming increasingly important to protecting the water supplies that communities currently use.

To receive funding under the Water for 2060 Drought Grant program for FY 2015, the applicant and the project must be eligible. Eligible entities include counties, towns and municipalities, public work authorities and rural water/sewer districts formed under Title 82 of the State’s statutes. A hardcopy application (with original signatures) must be received at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Office (3800 North Classen, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118) no later than 11:00 am on November 26, 2014. The maximum funding available per project is $500,000.

Projects to be considered for this grant funding must demonstrate water efficiency and support drought resiliency within the community or water/wastewater system. Water efficiency is defined as the use of improved technologies and practices to deliver equal or better services with less water. Water efficiency encompasses conservation and reuse efforts, as well as water loss reduction and prevention, to protect water resources for the future.

Categories of water efficiency projects eligible for the Water for 2060 Drought Grant Program include, but are not limited to the following:

(A) Installing or retrofitting water efficient devices in public buildings, such as plumbing fixtures and appliances.

(B) Installing any type of water meter in previously unmetered areas.

(C) Leak detection and associated replacement of leaks within the distribution system.

(D) Replacing existing broken/malfunctioning water meters, or upgrading existing meters, with the following:

a. Automatic meter reading systems (AMR) such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and Smart meters
b. Meters with built in leak detection
c. Backflow prevention devices if installed in conjunction with water meter replacement

(E) Retrofitting/adding AMR capabilities or leak detection equipment to existing meters (not replacing the meter itself).

(F) Water audit and water conservation plans that are reasonably expected to result in a capital project.

(G) Recycling and water reuse projects that replace potable sources with non-potable sources, including gray water, condensate and wastewater effluent reuse systems (where local codes allow the practice), and extra treatment costs and distribution pipes associated with water reuse.

(H) Retrofit or replacement of existing landscape irrigation systems with more efficient landscape irrigation systems, including moisture and rain sensing equipment.

(I) Retrofit or replacement of existing public irrigation systems with more efficient irrigation systems.

A project may include any of the above categories or a combination thereof. Eligible costs include costs for planning, design, construction, inspection, and testing. Documentation of the percent efficiency to be achieved with the eligible project must be included in the planning document. The percentage of efficiency will be calculated by determining percent change between current and proposed water usage.