Yesterday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced $179 million for the first-ever awardees of the Large-Scale Water Recycling Projects Competitive Grants Program. The WateReuse Association helped create the program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and is proud to say that all five recipients (via four awards) are WateReuse members. We congratulate the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Ventura (California), Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles Sanitation, and Washington County Water Conservancy District (Utah) on their awards.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will receive $99 million to support the planning and design of the Pure Water Southern California project, which is projected to deliver almost 120,000 acre-feet of recycled water annually once fully operational. The LA Groundwater Replenishment Project and the City of Ventura’s Pure Water Program will both receive $30 million, and Utah’s Washington County Water Conservancy District will receive $20.5 million for its Regional Reuse System.

“We congratulate these five WateReuse members who are taking bold steps to secure their water futures through water reuse. Water recycling is increasingly becoming an essential tool for communities across America, and we applaud the Bureau of Reclamation for supporting some of the most urgent and significant water recycling projects in the country,” said Patricia Sinicropi, Executive Director of the WateReuse Association. “These projects will support the water needs of millions of Americans and provide valuable examples for other communities nationwide.”

Under the IIJA, the Bureau of Reclamation will provide $450 million over the course of 5 years for large-scale water recycling projects that have a total cost of $500 million or more.

Reclamation is accepting project proposals and making awards for the program in batches, or rounds. The deadline for the second round of proposals is closing on May 31, and recipients are expected to be announced in October 2024. The final submission period for the current funding opportunity is November 26, 2024. The Bureau of Reclamation requires that a feasibility study be submitted 60 days prior to application submission. You can view of Notice of Funding Availability here.

Eligible applicants must be in one of the 17 Bureau of Reclamation states and must be:

• a state, Indian Tribe, municipality, irrigation district, water district, wastewater district, or other organization with water or power delivery authority;
• a state, regional, or local authority, the members of which include 1 or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; or
• an agency established under state law for the joint exercise of powers or a combination of entities described in the above bullets.

Eligible projects include planning, design, and construction for water recycling projects that have a total cost of $500 million or more.

The WateReuse Association congratulates the inaugural class of Large-Scale Water Recycling Project Grant recipients. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation to ensure the success of this important program.