Bureau of Indian Affairs - WaterCorps Program
About the Program
This program is a partnership between the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Stewards Individual Placements, and multiple federal, state and tribal entities who host BIA WaterCorps Members. The WaterCorps program's mission is to provide high quality technical skills and opportunities to Tribal youth in the water resources field. Scroll below to learn more details about this program and see our open positions table.
GENERAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Interested Candidate Information:
Are you an enrolled member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe, Band and/or Village? Are you also interested in gaining experience in the world of water resources and management? If so, this program might be for you!
Over the course of 26 weeks, BIA WaterCorps members will support a variety of water related projects stationed a varying host sites across the country to help meet the project needs of the host site. Upon successful completion of the position, Members will receive an AmeriCorps Education Award.
**All 2025 positions have been closed. Applications for 2026 positions will open in December, 2025 so please check back then!*****
Questions? Contact Us.
Host Site Information:
Interested in supporting WaterCorps members and being a host site? Federal, state, and local agencies are invited to apply to host BIA WaterCorps members with positions starting between April-July! All projects must support water resources and management, be entry level, and have an established relationship with local Tribal nations. Host sites are required to do their own local recruitment while Stewards will support national recruitment.
Host site applications are evaluated on equal distribution of sites within BIA regions, project scope, a robust local recruitment plan with proven established Tribal connections, supervisor mentorship abilities, opportunities for professional development and site inclusivity for indigenous members.
Funding for positions is extremely limited and therefore the application is only open to a select few established host sites who will be contacted directly.
Check it out!! A BIA WaterCorps Member's experience
-
Past WaterCorps members assist graduates from the University of New Mexico in establishing and installing new piezometers sites to help them in their study and data collection. If you are selected as a participant, you may be able to participate in meaningful research like this!
-
WaterCorps member identifies hybrid trout species when removing a screw trap from the Lyre River. Members may support population studies, habitat assessments, water quality testing, and macroinvertebrate surveys to support fisheries work!
-
WaterCorps members may learn how to evaluate species composition, health of waterways, and general field data collection techniques such as peak-flow data, steamflow, and gage height.
-
WaterCorps members may be learning how to collect water benchmarks and water flows and levels in surface waters like streams and lakes. Further, they will be exposed to groundwater sampling to understand the water levels in wells and aquifers.
-
WaterCorps Members may be exposed to hydropower system infrastructure such as power substations, electrical switching stations, and power generating facilities
-
WaterCorps members may be operating advanced irrigation technology to maximize agricultural output. The members could be working on one of the Bureau of Indian Affairs 15 large scale irrigation projects that are active in the Western United States.
-
WaterCorps members will be guided by mentors at their host site that provide professional development opportunities and aim to give members real world career experience. Water resources are the fundamental building block of life and our program greatly admires those who are willing to work towards maintaining crucial structures that deliver these resources. Stewards Individual Placements, alongside the Bureau of Indian Affairs, ensures host site accountability by consistent check-ins and a final program review to provide the best experience.
Project Examples:
You can expand the accordions below to see a few examples of past project work. Also check out this article from a current BIA WaterCorps member, Elena Prest, for a look into the inside experience!
