Opportunity Information: Apply for R14SS00008
Apply for R14SS00008
- The Bureau of Reclamation in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Design Variable Development for Transverse Features in the Middle Rio" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560 SECURE Water Act Research Agreements.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 21, 2014 and posted on Jul 21, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 3, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,445,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,445,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Eligible applicants include any university, nonprofit research institution, or other organization with water or power delivery authority.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Bureau of Reclamation funding opportunity titled "Design Variable Development for Transverse Features in the Middle Rio" supported applied research to improve how engineers design transverse river-training structures in the Middle Rio Grande. Transverse features are in-stream structures that extend out from the bank or sit at an angle to the flow, including bendway weirs, spur dikes, and rock vanes. These structures are commonly used to interfere with secondary currents in river bends, improve navigation, and push faster flow away from eroding outer banks. Compared with continuous riprap bank revetments, transverse features often require less rock and can be used to shape flow and create habitat variability, but they also introduce more uncertainty because they do not provide continuous bank protection. Practitioners therefore need clearer, more reliable guidance on what hydraulic changes to expect after installation, especially expected reductions in near-bank velocity and shear stress.
A central problem highlighted in the announcement is that, even though multiple references and guidance documents exist, design criteria vary widely and the field practitioner often lacks dependable predictions of performance. Reclamation and Colorado State University (CSU) had already spent about a decade developing and using physical scale models to study the hydraulics around these structures, using field data from Rio Grande bends between Cochiti Dam and Angostura Diversion Dam. CSU built two types of models: an idealized trapezoidal channel and a model reflecting natural channel geometry. The existing dataset supported empirical equations for the idealized trapezoid case that link design variables to predicted changes in velocity and shear stress. However, testing revealed that results differed notably between the idealized and natural-geometry models and across structure types (bendway weirs, spur dikes, and rock vanes), limiting how broadly the existing equations could be trusted. The opportunity was framed around performing additional targeted tests to strengthen the statistics and general applicability of the design relationships.
The cooperative agreement's main goal was to develop practical design equations and guidelines for transverse features, with emphasis on bendway weirs and rock vanes, that practitioners could use confidently across many real-world situations. The intended outcome was guidance that makes the key variables easy to determine, supports rapid optimization of design choices, and works across a wide range of hydraulic conditions (flows, velocities, shear stresses) and geomorphic settings (channel shapes, bends, and other site characteristics). The underlying management purpose was twofold: better protection of critical infrastructure along the river corridor, such as irrigation drains and canals, and better use of available river flows to create habitat diversity without undermining reliable water delivery.
The project deliverables were structured around phased reporting: three reports, one at each phase, documenting the evolving design guidance and how to optimize design variables to achieve desired hydraulic and geomorphic responses under existing conditions. In other words, the research was intended to move beyond general qualitative recommendations and toward usable, evidence-based equations and guidelines that help a designer pick geometry and configuration that produce predictable reductions in erosive forces or desired flow redirection.
Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Bureau of Reclamation under CFDA 15.560 (SECURE Water Act Research Agreements). It anticipated a single award with total funding up to $1,445,000, with no cost-sharing requirement. Eligible applicants included universities, nonprofit research institutions, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority. The opportunity was posted July 21, 2014, and closed August 3, 2014, with a grants officer contact listed as Timothy Wagoner at Reclamation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this Bureau of Reclamation funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity was titled "Design Variable Development for Transverse Features in the Middle Rio."
What was the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The purpose was to support applied research that improves how engineers design transverse river-training structures in the Middle Rio Grande, especially by producing clearer and more reliable predictions of how these structures change near-bank velocity and shear stress after installation.
What are "transverse features" in the context of this opportunity?
Transverse features are in-stream structures that extend out from the bank or sit at an angle to the river flow. The opportunity specifically referenced bendway weirs, spur dikes, and rock vanes as examples.
Why are transverse features used in rivers like the Middle Rio Grande?
They are commonly used to interfere with secondary currents in river bends, improve navigation, and push faster flow away from eroding outer banks.
How do transverse features compare to continuous riprap bank revetments?
Compared with continuous riprap bank revetments, transverse features often require less rock and can be used to shape flow and create habitat variability. However, they also introduce more uncertainty because they do not provide continuous bank protection.
What key performance outcomes did practitioners need better guidance on?
Practitioners needed clearer, more dependable guidance on expected hydraulic changes after installation, especially predicted reductions in near-bank velocity and shear stress.
What problem did the announcement highlight with existing design guidance?
Even though multiple references and guidance documents existed, design criteria varied widely. As a result, field practitioners often lacked dependable predictions of how transverse features would perform.
What prior work had Reclamation and Colorado State University (CSU) already done?
Reclamation and CSU had spent about a decade developing and using physical scale models to study hydraulics around transverse features. Their work drew on field data from Rio Grande bends between Cochiti Dam and Angostura Diversion Dam.
What kinds of physical models did CSU build for this research?
CSU built two types of models: (1) an idealized trapezoidal channel model, and (2) a model reflecting natural channel geometry.
What did the existing dataset already support before this opportunity?
The existing dataset supported empirical equations for the idealized trapezoidal channel case that linked design variables to predicted changes in velocity and shear stress.
Why were the existing empirical equations considered limited?
Testing showed results differed notably between the idealized trapezoidal model and the natural-geometry model, and results also varied across structure types (bendway weirs, spur dikes, and rock vanes). That variation limited how broadly the existing equations could be trusted.
What was the opportunity asking researchers to do beyond the existing work?
The opportunity was framed around performing additional targeted tests to strengthen the statistics and improve the general applicability of design relationships across structure types and channel conditions.
What was the main goal of the cooperative agreement?
The main goal was to develop practical design equations and guidelines for transverse features, with emphasis on bendway weirs and rock vanes, that practitioners could use confidently across many real-world situations.
Which transverse feature types were emphasized?
The agreement emphasized bendway weirs and rock vanes, while also referencing spur dikes as part of the broader category of transverse features studied.
What did "practical design equations and guidelines" mean for this project?
It meant producing usable, evidence-based equations and guidance that make key design variables easy to determine, support rapid optimization of design choices, and provide predictable hydraulic and geomorphic responses under existing site conditions.
What range of conditions was the guidance intended to work across?
The intended outcome was guidance that works across a wide range of hydraulic conditions (flows, velocities, shear stresses) and geomorphic settings (channel shapes, bends, and other site characteristics).
What was the management purpose behind funding this work?
The management purpose was twofold: (1) better protection of critical infrastructure along the river corridor (such as irrigation drains and canals), and (2) better use of available river flows to create habitat diversity without undermining reliable water delivery.
What were the expected project deliverables?
The deliverables were structured around phased reporting: three reports, one at each phase, documenting the evolving design guidance and how to optimize design variables to achieve desired hydraulic and geomorphic responses under existing conditions.
What was the intended shift in guidance quality compared to typical recommendations?
The research was intended to move beyond general qualitative recommendations toward usable, evidence-based equations and guidelines that help a designer choose geometry and configuration to produce predictable reductions in erosive forces or desired flow redirection.
What type of funding mechanism was used?
This was a discretionary funding opportunity, and the award instrument was a cooperative agreement.
What CFDA program was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was issued under CFDA 15.560 (SECURE Water Act Research Agreements).
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What was the maximum total funding available?
Total funding was up to $1,445,000.
Was cost sharing required?
No cost-sharing requirement was stated for this opportunity.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included universities, nonprofit research institutions, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on July 21, 2014, and closed on August 3, 2014.
Who was the listed grants officer contact?
The grants officer contact listed in the announcement was Timothy Wagoner at the Bureau of Reclamation.
What river reach did the prior field data and modeling work focus on?
The prior work used field data from Rio Grande bends between Cochiti Dam and Angostura Diversion Dam.
Why did the opportunity focus on strengthening statistics and general applicability?
Because observed performance and modeled results varied across model types (idealized vs. natural geometry) and across structure types, the opportunity aimed to reduce uncertainty and improve confidence that design relationships would hold across many real-world conditions.
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