Agricultural Water Conservation Grants Program
The Agricultural Water Conservation Grants Program offers grants to state agencies and political subdivisions for technical assistance, demonstration, technology transfer, education, and metering projects that conserve water. Grant topics vary from year to year to address current issues and topics in agricultural water conservation. The goal of these projects is to implement designated agricultural irrigation conservation strategies in the state water plan and to demonstrate best management practices that may save water or improve water use efficiency.
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) annually publishes a Requests for Applications (RFAs) in the Texas Register. The total amount of the grants to be awarded by the TWDB per fiscal year shall not exceed $600,000 from the Agricultural Water Conservation Fund. The Agricultural Water Conservation Fund's (31 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 367), governing rules, guidelines, and instructions are available upon request from the TWDB. To view the current TWDB Request For Applications
Agricultural Demonstration Initiative Grants
In 2004, the TWDB authorized funding two long-term Agricultural Demonstration Initiative grants in the Texas Southern High Plains and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. See the details on the water saving techniques demonstrated by these projects.
Agricultural Grants Projects
The following table includes details on all Agricultural Water Conservation Grants funded by TWDB since 2004. Where available, a PDF of the final report is provided.
| Contract Number | Fiscal Year |
Contractor | Funded Amount | Project Type | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1213581479 | 2012 | Coastal Bend GCD | $25,000 | Metering | Agriculture Water Conservation Grant for metering. |
| 1213581480 | 2012 | Mesquite GCD | $50,000 | Metering | Agriculture Water Conservation Grant for metering. |
| 1213581481 | 2012 | Panhandle Regional Planning Commission | $200,000 | Education | Educational outreach and training for targeted users of the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network for use in irrigation scheduling. |
| 1213581482 | 2012 | Texas A&M University – Kingsville | $136,982 | Demonstration | Demonstration of improved water conserving irrigation techniques to educate citrus growers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. |
| 1103581250 | 2011 | Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District | $50,000 | Metering | Agriculture Water Conservation Grant for metering |
| 1103581251 | 2011 | Hemphill County Underground Water Conservation District | $10,373 | Metering | Agriculture Water Conservation Grant for metering |
| 1103581253 | 2011 | Texas AgriLife Research | $77,208 | Demonstrations | Demonstrations of irrigation efficiency improvements |
| 1103581252 | 2011 | North Plains Groundwater Conservation District | $250,000 | Demonstrations | Demonstrations of irrigation efficiency improvements |
| 1103581254 | 2011 | Texas Tech University | $101,049 | Audits | Irrigation System Audits |
| 1003581095 | 2010 | El Paso County WCID No. 1 | $50,000 | Metering | Delivery of flow and soil water content measurements to farmers for improved irrigation water management. |
| 1003581096 | 2010 | Hemphill County UWCD | $36,491 | Metering | Irrigation Water Use Metering |
| 1003581097 | 2010 | Medina County GCD | $60,000 | Metering | Irrigation Water Use Metering |
| 1003581098 | 2010 | Panhandle GCD | $63,375 | Metering | Irrigation Water Use Metering |
| 1003581099 | 2010 | Sandy Land UWCD | $11,000 | Education | Conservation Education and Public Awareness |
| 1003581100 | 2010 | Texas AgriLife Extension | $57,321 | Education | Youth education on rainwater harvesting and agricultural irrigation training for small acreage landowners. |
| 1003581101 | 2010 | Panhandle GCD | $127,300 | Audits | Irrigation System Audits |
| 1003581102 | 2010 | Sandy Land UWCD | $47,801 | Audits | Irrigation System Audits |
| 0903580957 | 2009 | Texas AgriLife Research | $275,000 | Research | Estimation of irrigated land use using time-integrated remotely sensed data. The 4 pilot projects have been identified. |
| 0903580956 | 2009 | Texas AgriLife Research | $99,076 | Education | Educational enhancements to the TX High Plains Evapo-transpiration Network. |
| 0903580958 | 2009 | Panhandle GCD | $125,000 | Research | Economic impacts of the 50/50 management standard for use of Ogallala Aquifer. Addendum |
| 0903580955 | 2009 | Lower Colorado River Authority | $99,219 | Technology Transfer | Garwood Irrigation Division volumetric measurement equipment. |
| 0903580882 | 2008 | Harlingen Irrigation District | $249,015 | Technology Transfer | Designed, developed, and demonstrated innovative technologies including automatic gates and a soil moisture sensor telemetry system. |
| 0903580904 | 2008 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $198,835 | Research | Assessment of Texas Evapotranspiration (ET) Networks include site visits and sensor degradation analyses. |
| 0903580884 | 2008 | Panhandle GCD | $149,968 | Metering | Purchased and installed 159 flow meters and 27 telemetry devices. |
| 0703580719 | 2007 | Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board | $100,000 | Other | Supplemented statewide technical assistance to implement agricultural water conservation Best Management Practices. |
| 0703580721 | 2007 | Uvalde County UWCD | $68,992 | Metering | Purchased and installed 112 flow meters. |
| 0703580720 | 2007 | Mesa UWCD | $35,729 | Metering | Purchased and installed 23 flow meters, 16 dataloggers and 1 portable flowmeter and construction of 3 monitoring wells. |
| 0603580592 | 2006 | Texas Cooperative Extension | $100,000 | Demonstrations | AgriPartners Program employed 5 farm demonstration assistants to monitor irrigation water use from 44 field demonstration sites. Producer-to-producer education was disseminated. |
| 0603580596 | 2006 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $250,000 | Demonstrations | Precision Irrigation Network (II) in Wintergarden and Texas High Plains. A total of 45 field demonstration sites were developed to promote deficit irrigation methods and validate CropMan model. |
| 0603580605 | 2006 | Texas Cooperative Extension | $250,000 | Education | Irrigation Training Program for agricultural producers. Two versions of training curriculum were developed and 6 training events were conducted. Over 200 producers and governmental staff attended training. |
| 0503580024 | 2005 | Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board | $100,000 | Other | Supplemented technical assistance for statewide irrigation water conservation practices. 199 Soil and Water Conservation Districts participated in the program. |
| 0503580023 | 2005 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $150,000 | Demonstrations | Precision Irrigation Network in the Wintergarden and Texas High Plains. Field demonstrations sites were established with drip systems and soil moisture sensors. A Decision Support System was developed for enhancing the use of evapo-transpiration tools by the cooperating producers. |
| 2005358021 | 2005 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $85,265 | Research | High yielding, short season, and stress tolerant varieties of corn were tested. Research showed that irrigation water use could be reduced without yield reduction for Texas High Plains. |
| 0503580025 | 2005 | Post Oak Savanah GCD | $6,562 | Metering | Purchased and utilized a portable flow meter with thickness gauge to measure unmetered irrigation wellls. |
| 2005358018 | 2005 | Sandy Land UWCD | $41,093 | Demonstrations | Drip irrigation system on cotton in Yoakum County. Demonstrated that 34.75 acre feet of water could be saved and also increase production. |
| 0503580020 | 2005 | Tule Creek SWCD | $1,050 | Metering | Purchased and utilized a portable flow meter with thickness gauge to measure unmetered irrigation wellls. |
| 0503580019 | 2005 | Lower Neches Valley Authority | $61,000 | Metering | Purchased and installed laser levelling and metering equipment. |
| 0503580022 | 2005 | Coastal Bend GWCD | $50,000 | Metering | Purchased and installed 62 flow meters. |
| 2005358016 | 2005 | Texas Cooperative Extension | $45,000 | Demonstrations | Nursery industry water use and utilization of Best Management Practices. A survey of water use data from the nursery/floral industry and field days were conducted. |
| 2004358004 | 2004 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $40,600 | Demonstrations | Demonstration of drip irrigation systems at Uvalde Research & Extension Center. Drip Irrigation system for forage crops, vegetable crops, and for Bermuda grass were installed and demonstrated to producers. |
| 2004358005 | 2004 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $100,000 | Demonstrations | Statewide competitive small grants program for demonstrating agricultural water conservation Best Management Practices. Texas Water Resources Institute administered the award to 10 receipients and supervised their research activities. |
| 2004358008 | 2004 | Texas Agricultural Experiment Station | $44,400 | Technology Transfer | Operational support and technological upgrades for the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration (ET) Network. A new database was developed and a listserv mechanism was established to disseminate ET data to users. |
| 2004358001 | 2004 | Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board | $115,000 | Other | Supplement of the statewide technical assistance program to agricultural producers. A total of 197 Soil and Water Conservation Districts participated in the program and identified areas of potential water savings. |
| 0403580003 | 2004 | Cameron County Irrigation District No. 2 | $50,000 | Technology Transfer | Purchased and installed 11 pressure transducers, 11 gates, and a telemetry system to monitor gates. |
| 0403580002 | 2004 | High Plains UWCD No. 1 | $20,000 | Metering | Purchased and installed 15 flowmeters. |
| 2004358011 | 2004 | Uvalde County UWCD | $54,000 | Research | Installation and research on 2 weighing Lysimeters at Uvalde Research & Extension Center. Crop coefficeints were developped for corn, spinach, onions, cotton, and wheat. |
| 0403580012 | 2004 | La Feria Irrigation District | $25,000 | Technology Transfer | Purchased & installed an open channel device to calibrate flow meters and includes telemetry system. |
| 043580006 | 2004 | Sandy Land UWCD | $51,800 | Demonstrations | Drip Irrigation system installed in 60 acres for watermelons. Demonstrated that 54 acre feet of water could be potentially saved as compared with sprinkler irrigation system. |
| 0403580010 | 2004 | North Plains GCD | $23,500 | Demonstrations | Procured and installed a new center pivot system with dual nozzling options for research and demonstration. |
Where can I get more information?
Please contact Agricultural Conservation staff at agconservation@twdb.texas.gov for more information.