Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration (15.580)

Also known as AERP

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$52.2 million
• Grant awards25
• Typical award$1.0 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$17.7 million
• Size rank1023 of 1824
• Type of assistanceGrant

Key findings

• It is the 1023rd largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 18 largest recipients received 104% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 7 states and territories.

What the program funds

The objective of the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program is to work cooperatively with states, Tribes, and other entities as they study, design and construct aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that are collaboratively developed, have widespread regional benefits, and result in the improvement of the health of fisheries, wildlife, and aquatic habitat through restoration and improved fish passage. As used here, “aquatic ecosystem” refers to freshwater and brackish water habitats such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands, swamps, and estuaries and the adjacent floodplains, riparian corridors, deltas, and shallow aquifers that interact with surface water.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include States, Tribes, irrigation districts, or water districts; State, regional, or local authorities, the members of which include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; agencies established under State law for the joint exercise of powers; and other entities or organizations that own a dam that is eligible for upgrade, modification, or removal. Nonprofit conservation organizations are also eligible to apply if they are acting in partnership with and with the agreement of an entity described above with respect to a project involving land or infrastructure owned by the that entity. Applicants must also be located in in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funding may be used for engineering and restoration project design, biological and cultural resource surveys, preparation of federal and state compliance documents, development of post-construction monitoring plans, outreach to affective stakeholders, removal or modification of barriers to fish passage, restoration of natural features, connectivity, and aquatic habitat. Each Notice of Funding Opportunity offered under this listing includes specific information about ineligible activities.;

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. The recipient of an award under the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects funding opportunity must pay 35% of the total project cost with non-Federal funds. Recipients of discretionary emergent needs projects awards must pay at least 35% of construction costs. Note: this cost-sharing requirement may not be applicable to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands. Please review individual funding opportunities for specific information. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Application deadlines are listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunities and vary from year to year. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Study and design project awards range from $500,000 to $2,000,000. Average award amount $1,100,000. Construction awards range from $3,000,000 up to $10,000,000. Average award amount, $7,400,000.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Reclamation provided funding to a city to complete the study and design of an aquatic ecosystem restoration project that includes the replacement of an undersized bridge, removal of abandoned irrigation infrastructure, restoration of the floodplain, improve fish passage and habitat for steelhead trout and Coho salmon, and the development of plans for a park to increase recreational opportunity. reduction and floodplain restoration project near the confluence of two rivers. Reclamation provided funding to an irrigation district to remove their existing rotary drum fish screens and install flat plate screens and a traveling screen cleaning system to improve fish passage and reduce entrainment of ESA-listed fish species. This project is one element of a larger regional effort by irrigation districts in the state to modernize and improve aging infrastructure to conserve water and improve conditions for aquatic species.Fiscal Year2026: Reclamation provided funding to a Tribe to construct instream habitat for the benefit of ESA-listed Coho Salmon and reconnect a 1-mile segment of the river to its historic floodplain. The Tribe will construct numerous habitat features, including 5-acre of new floodplain habitat and, one acre of constructed riffle and incorporate beneficial channel fill and low flow channel modification.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 53% of the money, tribes 39% and nonprofits 7.9%.

By state

6 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.