Water Project Navigators Act

Support for Water Project Development: The program provides funding for "navigator" positions to help entities with grant writing, project management, and technical assistance such as engineering and design (Section 3(d)).

Benefits for Vulnerable Communities: The Secretary is directed to prioritize applications from entities that serve Indian Tribes, disadvantaged communities, and rural communities (Section 3(c)(2)).

Increased Water Resilience: Multi-benefit water projects can enhance community resilience to climate-related impacts, such as increasing water use efficiency, reducing water supply-demand imbalances, and improving access to safe drinking water (Section 2(5)(A)).

Ecosystem and Watershed Protection: Projects may provide benefits to ecosystems by conserving fish and wildlife habitats, protecting water quality, and improving watershed health (Section 2(5)(B)).

Economic Opportunities: The program prioritizes projects that may promote job creation and retention within Tribal, disadvantaged, and rural communities (Section 3(c)(2)(A)(iii)).

Financial Relief for Specific Entities: The Secretary has the authority to reduce or waive the required non-Federal cost share for Indian Tribes, acequias, land grant-merced, or disadvantaged communities if the contribution would cause financial hardship (Section 3(f)(3)).

Financial Requirement for Non-Federal Shares: For most eligible entities, the Federal share of a grant or cooperative agreement cannot exceed 75 percent, meaning entities must provide at least 25 percent of the cost in cash or in-kind contributions (Section 3(g)(1)).

Limited Duration of Funding: Grants or cooperative agreements under this program are limited to a period of no more than 3 years, though the Secretary may allow for a 2-year extension under certain conditions (Section 3(e)(1)).