Lewiston Orchard Project (LOP) Water Exchange Project-Well 6 and Power Substation | BOR PN 17 N010

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.

• 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.

Apply for BOR PN 17 N010

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