Strategic Implementation Area Technical Assistance and Restoration Grants

Background

In June 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 2010 that, combined with other legislation, allocated $5 million to establish the Drinking Water Source Protection (DWSP) Grant Program at OWEB. Through the DWSP Grant Program, OWEB is providing grants to public water suppliers to protect, restore, or enhance sources of drinking water through land acquisition and conservation. The program focuses on water suppliers that serve rural communities and/or lower-income populations but is not limited to these communities. See below for eligibility information.

Purpose

The DWSP Grant Program provides land acquisition grants to Water Suppliers to protect, restore, or enhance sources of drinking water through:

1. The acquisition of lands from willing sellers;
2. Entering into covenants, easements, or similar agreements with willing landowners; or
3. Repaying a loan used to finance a project as described (a) or (b) above.
   
   

Program Overview

Program Guidance and Materials

• Program Manual See FAQ for two minor corrections.
  
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Created 10/29/24 to supplement the DWSP Program Manual.
• Guidance on Budgeting in Grants (GoBig) DWSP Appendix
  
• Budget Worksheet
  
• Title Analysis Sheet
  
• Appraisal Contracting Worksheet
  
• Landowner Acknowledgement Form
  
• Evaluation Criteria updated 11/7/2024
  
• Grant Agreement Template
  
• Application Template. For reference only. Applications must be submitted via OWEB’s online application system.
  
• OWEB Online Application Guidance – Please see pages 1, 2, 4, and 54 for online application assistance relevant to the DWSP Grant Program. The rest of the pages are focused on OWEB’s traditional grant offerings and are not applicable to DWSP.
• 10 Best Practices in Community Engagement around Water Projects– For guidance on how to meaningfully include your community in the project, please refer to this document.
• DWSP Legislative Report, 2025
  

Grant Cycle Timeline

October 10, 2024 – OWEB hosted an informational Zoom webinar to present program materials. A recording is posted on OWEB’s YouTube channel and you can view the slides here: DWSP Informational Webinar Slides

October 21, 2024 – Grant solicitation opened

December 12, 2024 – Grant solicitation closed

January - March 2025 - Project review, including virtual site visits

April 2025 – Board awarded $5 million to fund six DWSP applications; see Press Release from Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts about projects selected for funding

Late Spring 2026 - Grant agreements signed

October 2026 - Approximate closing deadline for funded projects

Contact

Please direct questions or comments to Audrey Squires, Drinking Water Source Protection Specialist, 503-798-6337.

Stay informed about DWSP Grant Program updates by subscribing to the OWEB GovDelivery.

Administrative Rules and Statutes

The OWEB Board recently adopted  Oregon's Administrative Rules for the DWSP Grant Program located on the Secretary of State website. The DWSP rules will provide potential applicants with a detailed understanding of the grant program. This presentation, delivered to the OWEB Board on July 24, 2024, provides a summary of the DWSP administrative rules. The Oregon Revised Statutes for the program are located here: ORS 448.370 to 448.380.

Information and materials from the rulemaking process can be found on OWEB’s Administrative Rules webpage.