PLPT TROA Water Management | BOR MP 17 N028

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 17 N028

The PLPT TROA Water Management opportunity is a Bureau of Reclamation (U.S. Department of the Interior) grant action intended to fund water management work tied to Pyramid Lake and the lower Truckee River system in Nevada. It is issued under CFDA 15.508, "Providing Water to At-Risk Natural Desert Terminal Lakes," with authority rooted in federal law including the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Public Law 108-7, Division D, Title II, Section 207) and the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill, Public Law 113-79, Title II, Section 2507). The notice is framed as a "Notice of Intent to Award" (Funding Opportunity Number BOR-MP-17-N028), meaning the agency is signaling its intent to make a non-competitive award rather than soliciting proposals in an open competition.

Funding is set at a total of $529,500, with Reclamation providing the full $529,500 in Fiscal Year 2017. The award ceiling matches that figure, and the agency anticipates making one award. While the general eligibility list in the posting includes various government entities, tribes, nonprofits, and certain for-profit organizations, the text makes clear the intended recipient is the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and the government expressly notes it is exercising discretion not to compete the assistance action under the Departmental Manual framework cited (505 DM 2, paragraph 2.14(B)(4)). In practical terms, this is a targeted grant intended to support a specific tribal water management effort rather than a grant program round open to multiple applicants.

The project focus is implementation and oversight of water operations under TROA, the Truckee River Operating Agreement, with the central purpose of improving the reliability and effectiveness of water deliveries to Pyramid Lake through the Truckee River system. The work is framed not only as water-supply administration but as a conservation and ecosystem-support effort aimed at protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, plant communities, and habitat conditions associated with the lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake, which is a desert terminal lake system vulnerable to flow reductions and water management impacts upstream.

Five core objectives define what the grant supports. First, the project will implement TROA operational provisions to manage water rights efficiently and ensure water is delivered to Pyramid Lake in ways that produce measurable conservation benefits for species and habitats tied to the lake and river corridor. Second, the Tribe will monitor Truckee Canal operations, participate directly in planning or projects related to future canal operations and repairs, and track upstream groundwater pumping to make sure these activities do not reduce water available to Pyramid Lake or undermine tribal water rights that sustain ecological resources. Third, the effort seeks to increase direct flows in the lower Truckee River and improve flows to Pyramid Lake by better managing releases, storage decisions, and reservoir use within an adaptive management framework, essentially using operational tools to get more water to the downstream system when and where it matters. Fourth, the project aims to enhance Truckee River flows to support riparian vegetation, aquatic habitat, and water quality in the lower river and Pyramid Lake itself, recognizing that flow management influences temperature, dissolved oxygen, sediment transport, and overall habitat suitability. Fifth, the project includes participation in ongoing federal litigation involving TCID (Truckee-Carson Irrigation District) related to recouping water diverted to the Newlands Project in violation of operating criteria, with the goal of quantifying how much water must be repaid and ensuring that repayment benefits the lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake ecosystem.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary, uses a grant as the funding instrument, and is placed in the Natural Resources activity category. The posting dates indicate it was created August 2, 2017, with an original closing date of August 15, 2017, consistent with a notice-based action rather than a long competitive application window. For official questions, the notice directs inquiries to Larry Glover-Meade, Grants Management Specialist, at Lglovermeade@usbr.gov, and references the Notice of Intent to Award announcement number BOR-MP-17-N028 for any additional details tied to the agency record.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PLPT TROA Water Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.508.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 02, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 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 $529,500.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for BOR MP 17 N028

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: