Water Conservation Grant Program

The objective of the Water Conservation Grant Program is to support the District’s mission of enhancing water conservation education and water conservation measures. 

The 2019 Water Conservation Grant Program provided over $160,000 in reimbursements for projects focused on water loss control measures, irrigation efficiency, and water conservation research. The water loss control project targeted leak detection to pinpoint areas of interest accompanied by field investigation and pipe repair. The irrigation efficiency projects involved the installation of smart irrigation systems on athletic fields that reduced both the frequency and magnitude of water use. Finally, the District funded two(2) research projects focused on investigating cost-effective best management practices and identifying approaches to saving water using computer models and tracking spreadsheets.

Five projects were funded in 2020 through the Water Conservation Grant Program leveraging more than $400,000 towards water conservation projects in the Houston region. Learn more about project results and key takeaways here.

In April 2022, the District awarded a total of $450,000 in matching funds spread across five (5) projects for the Water Conservation Grant Program. These projects include water efficiency measures through the implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) on the water system, water loss control focusing on leak detection on the main water line, and water efficiency measures by showerhead fixture replacement with EPA WaterSense products.

In 2023, the District modified the water conservation grant request for applications into three categories and established an open-application cycle, thereby removing a deadline for submission.  The categories include water conservation measures, water efficiency, and water conservation research. Water conservation measures focus on reducing water use or loss, with projects including leak detection and repair. Water efficiency targets an increased potential for reduced water use through effective water-saving technologies and/or equipment. Previously funded water efficiency projects include the installation of smart irrigation controllers and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Water conservation research supports evaluating water-saving technology, analyzing water use data to understand better water use habits, or other innovative approaches to enhance water conservation in Harris and Galveston counties. Research projects include developing GIS models and using tracking tools to identify indoor and outdoor water use to guide recommendations for drought contingency plans.

Water Conservation Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA)

The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District is seeking applications from qualified applicants for grant funding to support projects that align with the District’s water conservation mission. Projects in the scope of water efficiency, conservation measures, or research are eligible for funding.

Water Conservation Grant Program – RFA Questions

In order to qualify for the Grant Program, applicants must be one of the following:

  • A water utility in good standing with the District. A water utility, including a water supply corporation, general law or home-rule city, a special utility district, a municipal utility district or any other entity included in the definition of a retail public utility in Section 13.002, Texas Water Code, whose defined service area, or a majority portion thereof, lies within the boundaries of the District;
  • A private entity (industrial, commercial/institutional, residential, agricultural or other) whose property, or a majority portion thereof, is within the District;
  • A 501(c) non-profit organization with an environmental purpose located within Harris County or Galveston County;
  • A public entity (school district, management district, improvement district or similar entity) whose property, or a majority portion thereof, is within the District; or
  • A research university located within the State of Texas.

The scope of work should include a focus on water efficiency, conservation measures, or research with the goal of improving water conservation in Harris and/or Galveston counties.

Previous grant funding from the District’s Water Conservation Program supported the following successful projects:

Conservation Measures Projects:

  • City of League City – Detection of waterline leaks utilizing interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques that enabled areas of interest to focus field investigation. This project also involved field acoustic leak detection and associated waterline repair.
  • Harris County Fresh Water Supply District 1A – Reduction of water loss through acoustic leak detection and water line repair.
  • Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 50 – Implementation of shower head replacement for residents to improve water efficiency at home.

Research Projects:

  • Texas State University Meadows Center for Water and The Environment – Development of a suite of water conservation program scenarios, tailored for the City of Houston, that individually and collectively indicate a positive benefit-cost ratio.
  • University of Houston – Quantification of water savings from conservation practices in Northwest Houston through land-use based water modeling in ArcGIS for the City of Houston.

Water Efficiency Projects:

  • Clear Creek ISD and Klein ISD – Implementation of smart irrigation system, RainBird, for middle and high school athletic fields.
  • City of Friendswood, City of Galveston, and City of Webster – Installation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) on all meters for their water systems. These AMI projects improve meter accuracy, allow customers to access their water usage in real time, and provide faster leak notification and detection for customers.

We have opened the application process for all future projects.

Applications shall be submitted electronically via email to contracts@subsidence.org with the subject line labeled “Water Conservation Grant Program RFA”

All applications must be complete and include the requested information. Applications may not exceed ten (10) pages in length including attachments except as specified in the application requirements. Applications should be prepared with 8 ½” by 11” pages with not less than 1-inch margins and not less than 11-point font.

The applicant may include any additional information within the page limitations of the application to help the District evaluate the application. Additional information may also be requested by the General Manager or the District after submitting the application.

Please call the District office at 281-486-1105 for questions regarding the preparation of an application.

There is no longer a deadline for applications, we will review all project submissions.

The District will contact the applicant upon review and consideration of the project.

The District would consider an application if the majority of the project is within Harris County. For example, if a project covers an area which is 40% in Fort Bend and 60% in Harris County, the District will only consider funding the portion of the project located in Harris County.

The application form and the attachments should be included in the submittal. The form can be downloaded directly from the District’s website. Applications, including required attachments, should not exceed 10 pages.

 

To request more information about the Water Conservation Grant, click here.