2017 San Luis Water District-Kaljian Drainwater Reuse Project | BOR MP 17 N030

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 17 N030

The 2017 San Luis Water District-Kaljian Drainwater Reuse Project (Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 17 N030) was a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, focused on managing agricultural subsurface drainwater in Californias west-side Central Valley. The project sits within the broader Westside Regional Drainage Plan (WRDP), a multi-agency strategy created to address long-running drainage and water quality problems tied to irrigated agriculture in the San Luis Unit of the Central Valley Project. In practical terms, the grant is aimed at helping meet the federal governments obligation to provide drainage service to irrigated lands in this area while reducing environmental harm associated with saline agricultural drainage.

A central problem highlighted in the opportunity is salinity loading to the lower San Joaquin River. The notice identifies subsurface drainwater discharged from the roughly 97,000 acre Grasslands Drainage Area (GDA) as a major source of salinity. As irrigation water moves through soils, it mobilizes naturally occurring salts and minerals, which then concentrate in subsurface drainwater. When that drainwater is discharged, elevated salinity and associated constituents can degrade water quality and pose risks to aquatic wildlife and habitat conditions downstream. The WRDP frames this as both an infrastructure and environmental management challenge, not just a farm-level operational issue.

The WRDP approach described in the announcement is organized around four main, complementary activity areas designed to reduce drainwater volumes and manage salt: (1) source control (actions that reduce the amount of drainage generated in the first place), (2) groundwater management (managing shallow groundwater conditions that drive drainage needs), (3) reuse of drainwater (putting drainage water to beneficial use rather than discharging it), and (4) treatment and disposal of salts (addressing the residual salt problem that reuse and source control cannot eliminate). The opportunity description notes that federal and non-federal cost share investments have already supported WRDP work such as lining canals to reduce seepage (thereby lowering recharge and drainage generation), installing wells to manage shallow groundwater, and implementing drainwater reuse systems that irrigate salt-tolerant crops. Those reuse systems include physical infrastructure like pumps and pipelines to move drainwater to designated reuse areas. The Kaljian Drainwater Reuse Project falls within that reuse-and-management framework, leveraging land and facilities dedicated to receiving and using drainwater in a controlled way.

The intended recipient and eligibility were narrowly defined. Eligible applicants were listed as special district governments, and the opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $3,000,000 and an expected awards count of 1. The single-award structure aligns with the single-source justification included in the notice. Reclamation explicitly states it did not pursue full and open competition because of the applicants unique qualifications. The key rationale is that the recipient is the public entity responsible for providing drainage service to farmers in the Grasslands Drainage Area, and it owns and operates the local drainwater management facilities needed to implement the work. The notice specifically points to more than 6,000 acres of land controlled by the recipient where agricultural drainwater is reused to irrigate salt-tolerant crops, making this entity uniquely positioned to carry out the project due to location, asset ownership, operational authority, and implementation capacity.

Roles and responsibilities are also clearly divided. The recipient is expected to carry out the scope of work in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and codes, and to secure any required approvals and permits. If construction is involved, the recipient bears responsibility for construction inspection, oversight, and acceptance, and must coordinate with site owners and operators when relevant. By contrast, Reclamations role is described as non-substantial, meaning the project is intended to be executed primarily by the recipient without day-to-day federal direction. Reclamations involvement is expected to remain within standard federal stewardship functions, such as monitoring performance and providing technical assistance if requested.

The legal authority cited for providing this financial assistance is grounded in fish and wildlife and environmental coordination mandates, primarily the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) and related delegated authorities within the Department of the Interior. The notice references the FWCA provisions that require wildlife conservation to receive equal consideration alongside water resource development and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to assist and cooperate with other agencies and organizations in wildlife conservation and habitat-related efforts. It also references Department Manual delegations (including 255 DM 1.1B and related sections) that empower the Bureau of Reclamation to provide financial assistance to non-federal parties for certain fish and wildlife and habitat-related actions connected to Reclamation projects, including planning, design, construction, monitoring, and related activities. In effect, the grant is positioned not only as a drainage service and water management action, but also as an environmental protection measure tied to reducing harmful impacts from saline drainwater on downstream ecosystems.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on Aug 15, 2017, with an original closing date of Aug 29, 2017. It was categorized as a grant (funding instrument type: Grant) under a natural resources funding activity category, with CFDA number 15.517. Taken together, the notice describes a targeted, implementation-oriented award to a specific local public entity to advance WRDP drainwater reuse and management infrastructure, reduce salinity impacts to the San Joaquin River system, and support the broader federal commitment to responsible drainage service in the San Luis Unit.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2017 San Luis Water District-Kaljian Drainwater Reuse Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 15, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 29, 2017. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Special district governments.

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