Grants/Funding Opportunities

People recognize and respect city and county borders. Water does not. The South Florida Water Management District is a regional agency committed to ensuring that local perspectives are incorporated into our activities. Strong working relationships between local officials and staff allow us to share and utilize our knowledge, expertise and resources to address shared water and land stewardship responsibilities. Intergovernmental communication, cooperation and coordination are vital to meeting the water resource needs of our communities.

Cooperative Funding Program

The objective of the Cooperative Funding Program is to assist local governments, public and private water providers, and other entities with construction and/or implementation of alternative water supply (AWS) and water conservation (WC) projects that support or complement the District’s mission.

FY2024 Grant Funding Application Period

The District appreciates your interest in the Cooperative Funding Program. The application period for the FY2023-24 FDEP funding consideration is now closed. Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature support water supply and water resource development projects through state funding assistance. In anticipation of legislative appropriations being allocated, the District accepted applications for funding consideration for alternative water supply (AWS) and water conservation projects within the District’s 16-county service area for the tentative FY2023-24 budget appropriations. The District will be providing the list of applicants to the FDEP for funding consideration by May 31, 2023.

FY2024 Application Schedule

December 15, 2022	Application period opens
January 11, 2023	Zoom Webinar Recording
January 26, 2023	Zoom Webinar Recording
March 2, 2023	Application portal closed
March – April 2023	Internal application review process
May 2023	Governing Board project list approval & submission to FDEP

Supporting local water projects is an important part of protecting and managing regional water resources, so please refer back to the web page for future program opportunities. To be included on the email notification of future cooperative funding grant opportunities please click here to subscribe.

For the latest information or technical assistance, you may contact Stacey Adams (sadams@sfwmd.gov or 561-682-2577); Jim Harmon (jharmon@sfwmd.gov or 561-682-6777); Robert Wanvestraut (rowanves@sfwmd.gov or 561-682-6615); or Rosines Colon Ortega (rcolon@sfwmd.gov or 561-682-6715).

Alternative Water Supply (AWS) Projects

Meeting the growing need for water in South Florida hinges on efforts to develop region-specific sources that offer an alternative to traditional groundwater and surface water. This component of the Cooperative Funding Program is focused on supporting the development of AWS projects that will diversify the supply while reducing dependence on freshwater resources. Examples of alternative water supply are:

Saltwater or brackish water
Reclaimed or recycled water
Surface water captured during heavy rainfalls
Sources make available through addition of new storage capacity
Storm water (for use by consumptive use permittee)
Any other source designated as non-traditional in a regional water supply plan

Eligible AWS projects in previous years have included aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), reclaimed water plant expansions and transmission mains, reverse osmosis plants, brackish water supply wells and tailwater recovery projects. Local governments and municipalities were required to have an approved irrigation ordinance that comports with the District’s Mandatory Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures. For more information refer to Chapter 40E-24, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) CHAPTER 40E-24 (sfwmd.gov) and Model_Irrigation_Ordinances_for_Local_Governments

From Fiscal Years 1997 to 2023, AWS projects totaling approximately $4.4 billion in construction costs received partial funding from the South Florida Water Management District. This District provided approximately $243 million in budgeted grants towards 530 alternative water supply projects that produced 523 million gallons of capacity per day.

Water Conservation Projects

Formerly known as the Water Savings Incentive Program (WaterSIP), this component of the Cooperative Funding Program is continuing to support water conservation efforts of public and private water providers or users. Projects that use hardware and/or technology to implement water conservation are eligible for funding consideration. Local governments and municipalities were required to have an approved irrigation ordinance that comports with the District’s Mandatory Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures. For more information refer to Chapter 40E-24, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) CHAPTER 40E-24 (sfwmd.gov) and Model_Irrigation_Ordinances_for_Local_Governments

Examples of eligible water conservation projects in previous years include:

High-efficiency indoor plumbing retrofits and/or rebates
Automatic line flushing devices and/or hydrant flushing devices
Pre-rinse spray valves
Irrigation retrofits, including soil moisture sensors, rain sensors and irrigation head upgrades

The District encourages industrial, commercial, institutional and agricultural water users, as well as homeowners and condominium associations, to apply for funding.

From Fiscal Years 2003 to 2023, $30 million in projects qualifying for water conservation cost-share were partially funded. The District contributed approximately $9 million toward 260 projects with an estimated savings of 5 billion gallons of water per year, or 13.6 million gallons of water per day.