The WaterSMART Program was started under the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation to provide financial assistance for water management projects across the US. This includes funds for design and planning projects, habitat restoration, reclamation and reuse, watershed management, and drought planning. The City of North Pole sought funds from the WaterSMART grant to finalize design plans and specifications for the town’s Downtown Loop water mains, which had been installed 50 years prior and had deteriorated. Funds received from this grant would go towards finalizing the design schematics, conducting permit reviews, and generating construction design so that construction and installation could begin.

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TBEC was hired to aid in the preparation of the WaterSMART grant application. TBEC employees conducted a meeting with North Pole representatives to get the information needed to draft the grant proposal, attended a webinar, and conducted additional research to support the application. A Letter of Support was drafted and TBEC aided in the filling out of forms required to submit alongside the proposal. TBEC also completed a budget narrative showcasing where the requested funds would be used for.

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Ultimately, TBEC spent 9 weeks researching, writing, and compiling the WaterSMART grant application together. In total, 34 applicants nationwide were awarded $11.1 million in 2023. Of that, North Pole received $164,471 to complete their project in a competitive pool of applicants.

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Project Deliverables:

Round One

• Completed WaterSMART grant proposal that includes:

  • Project description

  • Evaluation criteria

  • Compliance items

  • Budget narrative

• Forms

• Letter of Support draft

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External Links:

Award Notice

DOI WaterSMART webpage

DOI WaterSMART factsheet

City of North Pole website