Water Quality Grants

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

Tire-Derived Aggregate (TDA) is made from shredded tires as an alternative to conventional lightweight aggregates that is: Lightweight Free-draining Less expensive Eligible Applicants Include: -All California local government entities, including cities, counties, and cities and counties. -Special districts, including transportation districts. -Joint Powers Authorities in which all JPA members are also eligible applicants. -Public school districts. -All California state agencies, including offices, departments, bureaus, and boards. -University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges. -Private, for-profit entities.      Defined as a business intended to operate at a profit and return a profit to its owner(s).      The business must be California-based, or if in another state, must have an operational presence in   California: see Application Guidelines and Instructions for complete details and restrictions. -Non-profit organizations, except private elementary or secondary schools, registered with the federal government under section 501(c)(3), (c)(4), (c)(6), or (c)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code. -Qualifying Tribal Entities.       A Qualifying Tribal Entity is defined as a tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, residing within the borders of California, which:           Is recognized for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of the               status of its members as Indians or:           Can prove that it is a government entity and meets the criteria of the grant program. Eligible projects include: Category 1: Mechanically Stabilized TDA for retaining walls. Category 2: Low Impact Development, stormwater mitigation including stormwater infiltration galleries. Category 3: Lightweight film, slope stabilization, embankment fill, landslide repair, and retaining walls. Category 4: Vibration mitigation under rail lines. Category 5: Landfill application, aggregate replacement projects such as leachate and gas collection systems, drainage layers, and leachate injection.   How to apply: Funding - CalRecycle Home Page  Applications due July 16, 2026.

Geological Survey

Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner for research focused on advancing GeoAI-enabled automated landform mapping, expansion of the Landform Reference Ontology using knowledge graphs, and improving Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) summit feature positional accuracy using lidar-derived elevation datasets.

Environmental Protection Agency

Technical Assistance and Training for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems

Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications under the authority of the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 104(b)(8) to provide Technical Assistance and Training for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems. The program supports small, rural, and Tribal communities efforts to identify water challenges, develop plans, build technical, financial, and managerial capacity, comply with CWA requirements, and access water infrastructure funding.Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity under the Clean Water Act, EPA will achieve greater protection of public health and the environment through an increase in trained water sector personnel, access to funding and financing for wastewater treatment facilities, and Clean Water Act compliance. This action advances the Administration s priorities, including to Make America Healthy Again, by improving water quality and reducing exposure risks, and enabling responsible economic growth for small, rural, and tribal communities through improved wastewater infrastructure. In partnership with States, Tribes, and local governments and grounded in sound science and the law, EPA will deliver cleaner water, stronger infrastructure, and long-term environmental stewardship for all Americans.The proposed activities support the Agency s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative s Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American. Priority Areas identified in this opportunity are:(1) Technical assistance and training for rural, small, and Tribal municipalities for planning, developing and acquisition of financing/funding for eligible projects and activities. Technical assistance and training for rural, small, and Tribal publicly owned treatment works and decentralized wastewater systems to help improve water quality and to achieve and maintain compliance.(2) Technical assistance and training focused specifically on Tribes for planning, developing and acquisition of financing/funding, to help improve water quality and achieve and maintain compliance, and/or to support emerging contaminants project development.(3) Information dissemination, technical assistance and training focused specifically on decentralized wastewater treatment systems to support planning, development and acquisition of financing.Eligible entities for this grant program include nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education that can provide technical assistance and training to rural, small, and Tribal municipalities, publicly owned wastewater treatment works, and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Assisting systems with their technical, managerial, and financial capacity to achieve long-term compliance is a key priority for the Agency. Infrastructure construction projects such as repairing water or sewer lines, adding new equipment, or upgrading, retrofitting, or rehabilitating existing equipment are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

National Rural Water Association

Water system operator training and capacity building for small rural systems

Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Technical assistance for rural water and wastewater system improvements

Environmental Conservation

2025 Clean Water Board Pollution Control Grants

Bureau of Reclamation

WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program

Bureau of Reclamation

The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program funding opportunity invites eligible entities to apply for funding to develop local solutions to address their water management needs. This opportunity provides funding for watershed group development, restoration planning, and watershed management project planning and design. By providing this funding, Reclamation promotes water reliability and cooperation between stakeholders to reduce conflict, facilitate solutions to complex water issues, and stretch limited water supplies.The WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).

State Water Resources Control Board

Eligible Applicants: Local public agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations qualified to do business in California, Public Utilities, Federally and non-federally recognized Native American tribes on the Native American Heritage Commission’s list, and Mutual water companies. Eligible Uses: Eligible projects include recycled water treatment; recycled water storage, distribution, and pumping; groundwater recharge; indirect potable reuse; surface water augmentation; and large scale recycled water projects. Ineligible Uses: Operation and maintenance costs.  Eligible Costs:  Construction Grant Funding - Construction costs only Construction Grant Funding - Large Scale Recycled Water Projects - Planning, Design, and Construction. Eligible Communities: All community types are eligible for funding.  This includes small and large communities, non-disadvantaged, disadvantaged, and severely disadvantaged communities. For more information, please review the Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Guidelines:  https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/docs/wrfp_guidelines.pdf  

State Water Resources Control Board

Eligible Applicants: Local public agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations qualified to do business in California, Public Utilities, Federally and non-federally recognized Native American tribes on the Native American Heritage Commission’s list, and Mutual water companies. Eligible Uses: Eligible projects include recycled water treatment; recycled water storage, distribution, and pumping; groundwater recharge; indirect potable reuse; surface water augmentation; and large scale recycled water projects. Ineligible Uses: Operation and maintenance costs.  Eligible Costs:  Construction Grant Funding - Construction costs only Construction Grant Funding - Large Scale Recycled Water Projects - Planning, Design, and Construction. Eligible Communities: All community types are eligible for funding.  This includes small and large communities, non-disadvantaged, disadvantaged, and severely disadvantaged communities. For more information, please review the Water Recycling Funding Program (WRFP) Guidelines:  https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/docs/wrfp_guidelines.pdf  

Waterkeeper Alliance

Supports local Waterkeeper organizations fighting for clean water worldwide.

Clean Water Fund

Funds grassroots efforts to protect water quality and ensure safe drinking water.

River Network

Supports community-based watershed protection and river conservation.

American Rivers

Funds river restoration, dam removal, and clean water initiatives across the US.

Water Environment Federation

Funds water quality research and innovation in water treatment and management.

Department of Commerce

B-WET Chesapeake is a competitive grant program that supports existing, high quality environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, and encourages capacity building and partnership development for environmental education programs throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Successful projects advance the goals of the NOAA Education Strategic Plan and the Mid Atlantic Elementary and Secondary Environmental Literacy Strategy by providing hands-on environmental education about issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed for students, related professional development for teachers, and/or capacity building for watershed education. These Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) integrate field experiences with classroom activities and instruction in NOAA-related content.

Department of Commerce

The Great Lakes B-WET grant program is a competitively based program that supports existing environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new programs, and encourages the development of partnerships among environmental education programs throughout the Great Lakes watershed. Projects support organizations that provide students "meaningful" watershed educational experiences and teachers professional development opportunities in the area of environmental education, while helping to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Great Lakes.

National Park Service

In 2011, MEVE staff asked NPS-Water Resources Division (WRD) staff to evaluate site conditions in hopes of restoring the abandoned pond to wetland habitat. The liner has been removed, but 6-12 of bentonite remains on top of the native soil (sandy clay). WRD and park staff installed 10 wells in the abandoned pond in late summer 2011 for purposes of investigating site hydrology and developing and evaluating feasibility of restoration design concepts. The goal of the project is to establish an approximately 1.6 acre wetland system at the abandoned wastewater treatment pond.

National Park Service

Understanding the role of increasing water quality and groundwater inputs on ecosystem structure, function, and health in Big Bend National Park

National Park Service

The goal of this project is to develop a data portal and database to accept and manage groundwater data from 22 parks in the American Southwest.

National Park Service

This project will provide intern assistance to the NPS for monitoring of water quality, vegetation, and other significant resources at 14 national park units. This information is useful to parks for visitor-use and for handling management issues such as prescribed fire. Interns will receive on-the-job learning experiences with resources of the national park system via professional mentoring.

National Park Service

This is not a request for application. This serves as public notice of the National Park Services intention to fund project activities with full and open competition. The broad goals of this agreement include restoring habitat for federally listed threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead restoring National Park Service and adjacent lands within the Columbia River estuary and restoring the historic scene at the NPS and adjacent lands within the Columbia River estuary by restoring the natural setting

Fish and Wildlife Service

The Hines Emerald Dragonfly is state and federally-listed as endangered and occurs in only four states: WI, MI, IL and MO. The best populations of the species are found in Door County, Wisconsin. The proposed project is the development of a report that includes information on: 1. the Hine s emerald dragonfly (HED),2. karst features in Door County, WI3. maps of the groundwater contribution areas (GCAs) compiled by Bradbury and Cobb (2008) for the HED larval sites in Door County (WI) updated with information on surface watersheds, sub watersheds, and areas vulnerable to changes in water quality and quantity (karst features, closed depressions, etc), 4. best management practices (BMPs) to protect the groundwater in the GCAs, 5. evaluation of options and approaches for implementation of BMPs including voluntary and regulatory options, and6. a brochure summarizing the above information

National Park Service

This task agreement outlines a partnership between NPS and River Network with the goal of developing networks and tools that are of benefit to various audiences, including the public, national water trail managers, NPS staff, watershed conservation groups, and NPS partners. This collaborative effort will focus on several projects that are ranked highly by the national river and watershed conservation community, including: promotion of local river conservation and protection efforts by communities, national water trail network support, and building a river and watershed conservation directory.

National Park Service

Results of the study will be used to inform federal land managers and developers in determining alternative approaches for managing in-stream and floodplain timber to protect mission sensitive resources and/or avoid development in areas that may be at risk.

National Park Service

The objective of this Cooperative Agreement is to provide curriculum-based Watershed Education for Teachers (WET) and Discover a Watershed the Colorado River Professional Development Education for Teachers. This curriculum-based program will be presented to approximately 150 teachers in at least 6 workshops. The teacher workshops will enable a greater understanding of the Colorado River watershed by teachers and students in Clark County. Clark County is the largest county within the state of Nevada. The workshops will provide educators with additional teaching strategies for Clark County School District s Next Generation Science Standards.