The Bureau of Reclamation's Drought Response Program

The Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Drought Response Program helps communities take a proactive approach to drought by funding projects that strengthen long-term water resilience. The program supports a wide range of efforts, including infrastructure improvements to increase storage and distribution capacity, diversification of water supplies, development of management tools, and comprehensive drought planning.

A key component of the program is support for drought contingency planning, which helps water systems better understand and prepare for future drought conditions. These planning efforts guide communities through identifying early warning signs of drought, assessing hydrologic risks and uncertainties, evaluating potential impacts, and determining actions to reduce vulnerability. The process is designed to be collaborative and inclusive, bringing together municipal, agricultural, environmental, and other stakeholders to develop practical, locally driven solutions.

The program also funds drought resiliency projects that implement these plans through on-the-ground improvements. Eligible projects include infrastructure upgrades such as new conveyance systems, expanded storage, and modified intake structures, as well as the development of decision-support tools like drought forecasting systems and enhanced water monitoring equipment. In addition, under separate authorities, emergency response actions may be supported during acute drought events, including temporary water supply solutions and short-term construction activities to reduce immediate impacts.

In addition to long-term resiliency projects, the program can also fund short-term emergency response actions for unexpected drought conditions. Currently, a funding opportunity is open through July 28, 2026, offering support for both drought contingency planning and on-the-ground resilience projects, as part of ongoing federal investments to help water systems better prepare for and respond to drought challenges.

Resources:

• Drought Response Program Fact Sheet
• Drought Response Program Framework
• Drought Resiliency Projects vs. Small Storage Program

For More Information: 

• For additional information on the Drought Response Program, please contact Ms. Shelbie Neff at sneff@usbr.gov
• If you have questions regarding applicant and project eligibility or the evaluation criteria, click here and submit an inquiry request for the appropriate program
• You may complete this form to receive WaterSMART program notification from the Bureau of Reclamation

U.S. EPA's Water Network Tool for Resilience

Researchers from U.S. EPA and Sandia National Laboratories developed the Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR), a "comprehensive scientific software package to help assess a drinking water systems’ resilience to natural disasters. The software improves upon already available capabilities by fully integrating hydraulic and water quality simulation, damage estimates and response actions, and resilience metrics into a single platform. The software is available as an open-source software package and can be applied to a wide range of disruptive incidents and repair strategies." 

Utilities can incorporate WNTR into their existing systems by simulating various scenarios, like power outages or critical pipe breaks, to assess impacts and identify potential repair strategies. WNTR can be utilized in the development of Emergency Response Plans by helping to evaluate and prioritize preparedness strategies and response actions to enhance resilience of the utility. It can also be used to assist in meeting legal requirements, such as those set out in America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, by identifying system vulnerabilities and determining mitigation measures.

The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) integrates several key features:

• Hydraulic and Water Quality Simulation: WNTR combines hydraulic simulations with water quality analysis to understand how water moves and changes within the distribution system.
• Damage Estimates and Response Actions: It estimates potential damages from disasters, helps utilities to understand how infrastructure damage might occur over time, and evaluates the effectiveness of response actions.
• Resilience Metrics: The tool includes metrics to assess the resilience of water systems under various scenarios.
• Compatibility with EPANET: WNTR is compatible with EPANET, a widely used software for modeling water distribution systems, enhancing its utility and accuracy.

Access the WNTR tool and relevant webinar recordings on U.S. EPA's website.