Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 17 N010
The Lewiston Orchard Project (LOP) Water Exchange Project - Well 6 and Power Substation is a Bureau of Reclamation grant opportunity intended to help the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District in Lewiston, Idaho stabilize its irrigation supply while reducing pressure on surface-water sources that support threatened steelhead. The District is a special district government responsible for operating and maintaining Reclamation irrigation facilities and delivering both natural-flow and stored water from three federally owned reservoirs to roughly 3,850 irrigated acres. That service area is highly subdivided, with about 6,240 individual user accounts, which makes delivery management and fair allocation especially challenging during dry years.
The core problem behind the project is a tightening water supply from the Craig Mountain watershed combined with legal and ecological constraints tied to Endangered Species Act protections for steelhead in the Lapawi Basin. The District diverts irrigation water from Sweetwater Creek into the Sweetwater Canal, which then gravity-feeds water to Reservoir A and into the broader distribution system. Because threatened steelhead populations and their habitat depend on adequate streamflows, the District has been restricted in how much surface water it can divert. In recent years, climate-driven variability and recurring shortages have made those constraints more acute, leaving the District struggling to reliably meet irrigation demand while also supporting tribal and environmental streamflow needs.
This funding builds on two major efforts already underway. First, the District adopted a Water Conservation Plan in 2005 that called for metering at each delivery point so water use can be measured accurately and managed efficiently. Past monitoring approaches were described as inefficient and often ineffective, which limited the Districts ability to control losses, allocate water fairly, or respond quickly to shortages. With Reclamation assistance, the District had reached about 68 percent metering by the end of 2015, but significant gaps remained. Second, in 2013 the District received Reclamation support for a pilot groundwater well to test whether groundwater from the deep Lewiston Basin aquifer could serve as an alternative supply. Even though the hydrology report from the test well was still pending at the time of the notice, early indications suggested the resource could be promising, and the District was being considered for expansion of the well concept, starting with Well 6.
The proposed grant-supported work focuses on two linked strategies: expanding metering across the system and developing a new groundwater supply that can substitute for some surface diversions. Specifically, the District requested assistance to complete engineering design and construction for a new groundwater well (Well 6) and to install about 2,080 additional irrigation meters at delivery points throughout the distribution network. The idea is that better measurement and control of delivered water, combined with an alternate groundwater source, will make overall operations more efficient and create a more stable supply for irrigators. At the same time, replacing a portion of surface-water withdrawals with groundwater helps leave more Craig Mountain watershed water in Lapawi Basin streams, supporting ESA-related steelhead recovery goals.
Recipient responsibilities are spelled out in practical, implementation-focused terms. With grant support, the District would acquire land and easements needed for the well site and a new power substation, complete site preparation and access improvements, and design and construct a power substation capable of providing sufficient electrical service to operate the wellfield. The District would also design and construct Well 6 itself, including the wellhouse, pump, and conveyance piping needed to move groundwater from the deep aquifer into the existing irrigation distribution system. In addition, the District would be responsible for obtaining necessary permits (such as water right authorization, building permits, and any conditional use approvals), conducting procurement by soliciting bids and negotiating construction contracts, overseeing construction, handling grant administration and payments, invoicing project supporters as applicable, and coordinating with federal and state agencies to monitor project effectiveness over time.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a continuation category grant administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, under CFDA 15.517 (Natural Resources). The eligible applicant type is special district governments, aligning with the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation Districts status. The funding opportunity number is BOR PN 17 N010, with an original closing date of August 31, 2017. The notice anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $7,294,352.
In short, this grant opportunity supports a water-exchange approach: reduce reliance on ESA-sensitive surface diversions by developing groundwater supply capacity (Well 6) and the electrical infrastructure needed to run it, while simultaneously tightening operational control and accountability through widespread metering. The expected result is improved drought resilience for irrigators, more efficient district operations, and better protection of streamflows and habitat conditions for threatened steelhead in the Lapawi Basin.Apply for BOR PN 17 N010
- The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lewiston Orchard Project (LOP) Water Exchange Project-Well 6 and Power Substation" 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 2017-08-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-31. (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 $7,294,352.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Lewiston Orchard Project (LOP) Water Exchange Project - Well 6 and Power Substation?
It is a Bureau of Reclamation grant opportunity designed to help the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District in Lewiston, Idaho stabilize its irrigation supply while reducing pressure on surface-water sources that support threatened steelhead in the Lapawi Basin.
What problem is this grant trying to solve?
The District faces a tightening water supply from the Craig Mountain watershed along with legal and ecological constraints tied to Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for threatened steelhead. Climate-driven variability and recurring shortages have made it harder to reliably meet irrigation demand while also supporting streamflow needs.
Who is the intended beneficiary of the project?
The project is intended to support the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District and the irrigators it serves, while also benefiting streamflows and habitat conditions that support threatened steelhead.
What does the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District do?
The District is a special district government responsible for operating and maintaining Reclamation irrigation facilities and delivering both natural-flow and stored water from three federally owned reservoirs to roughly 3,850 irrigated acres.
How large and complex is the District's service area?
The service area covers roughly 3,850 irrigated acres and is highly subdivided, with about 6,240 individual user accounts. This high number of accounts makes delivery management and fair allocation especially challenging during dry years.
Where does the District currently divert surface water from?
The District diverts irrigation water from Sweetwater Creek into the Sweetwater Canal, which gravity-feeds water to Reservoir A and into the broader distribution system.
Why are surface-water diversions restricted?
Because threatened steelhead populations and their habitat depend on adequate streamflows, the District has been restricted in how much surface water it can divert, consistent with ESA-related protections and recovery goals.
What is the "water exchange" approach described in this opportunity?
The project aims to reduce reliance on ESA-sensitive surface diversions by developing groundwater supply capacity (Well 6) and the power infrastructure to run it, while improving measurement and control of deliveries through expanded metering.
What are the main components of the proposed grant-supported work?
The proposed work includes (1) completing engineering design and construction for a new groundwater well known as Well 6, (2) designing and constructing a power substation to operate the wellfield, and (3) installing about 2,080 additional irrigation meters across the distribution network.
How many new irrigation meters are planned?
About 2,080 additional irrigation meters are planned for installation at delivery points throughout the District's distribution system.
Why is metering a major focus of the project?
The District adopted a Water Conservation Plan in 2005 that called for metering at each delivery point so water use can be measured accurately and managed efficiently. Past monitoring approaches were described as inefficient and often ineffective, limiting the ability to control losses, allocate water fairly, or respond quickly to shortages.
How much metering had been completed before this opportunity?
With Reclamation assistance, the District had reached about 68 percent metering by the end of 2015, but significant gaps remained.
What is Well 6 and why is it important?
Well 6 is a proposed new groundwater well intended to draw from the deep Lewiston Basin aquifer. It is meant to provide an alternate supply that can substitute for some surface-water diversions, improving reliability for irrigators and leaving more water in streams that support threatened steelhead.
What prior groundwater work led to the Well 6 concept?
In 2013, the District received Reclamation support for a pilot groundwater well to test whether groundwater from the deep Lewiston Basin aquifer could serve as an alternative supply. Early indications suggested the resource could be promising, and the District was being considered for expansion of the concept starting with Well 6.
What infrastructure is included besides the well itself?
The scope includes a power substation capable of providing sufficient electrical service to operate the wellfield, along with Well 6 construction elements such as the wellhouse, pump, and conveyance piping needed to move groundwater into the existing irrigation distribution system.
What land-related work is the recipient expected to handle?
The recipient would acquire land and easements needed for the well site and the power substation, and complete site preparation and access improvements.
What permits or approvals are mentioned as recipient responsibilities?
The recipient would be responsible for obtaining necessary permits, including water right authorization, building permits, and any conditional use approvals.
What procurement and contracting activities are included in recipient responsibilities?
The recipient would conduct procurement by soliciting bids and negotiating construction contracts, and would oversee construction.
What grant administration tasks are called out in the description?
Recipient responsibilities include grant administration and payments, invoicing project supporters as applicable, and coordinating with federal and state agencies to monitor project effectiveness over time.
How does this project support threatened steelhead?
By replacing a portion of surface-water withdrawals with groundwater, the project helps leave more Craig Mountain watershed water in Lapawi Basin streams, supporting ESA-related steelhead recovery goals through improved streamflows and habitat conditions.
What operational benefits are expected for irrigators and the District?
The expected results include improved drought resilience for irrigators, more efficient District operations, better measurement and accountability through metering, and a more stable irrigation supply by adding an alternate groundwater source.
Which federal agency administers this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
What is the CFDA number and program area listed?
The grant is listed under CFDA 15.517 in the Natural Resources category.
What type of grant category is this opportunity?
It is described as a continuation category grant.
Who is eligible to apply based on the notice?
The eligible applicant type is special district governments, which aligns with the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District's status.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is BOR PN 17 N010.
When was the original closing date for the opportunity?
The original closing date listed in the notice was August 31, 2017.
How many awards were anticipated?
The notice anticipated a single award.
What is the award ceiling mentioned in the notice?
The award ceiling was $7,294,352.
What surface-water sources and locations are central to the project narrative?
The narrative references the Craig Mountain watershed and the Lapawi Basin, including Sweetwater Creek, the Sweetwater Canal, and Reservoir A as key parts of the current diversion and delivery system.
How does expanded metering help during dry years?
With many individual user accounts and limited supplies, improved metering supports more accurate measurement and management of deliveries, which can help with fair allocation and quicker responses to shortages.
What monitoring or follow-up is expected after construction?
The recipient is expected to coordinate with federal and state agencies to monitor project effectiveness over time.
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