Opportunity Information: Apply for R12AC80883
Apply for R12AC80883
- The Bureau of Reclamation Denver Office in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Predicting the Interactions between Flow, Sediment and Riparian Vegetation" 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 May 15, 2012 and posted on May 15, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $54,774.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Predicting the Interactions between Flow, Sediment and Riparian Vegetation" was a Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) research award aimed at strengthening the science base that supports future water management decisions. The central problem it addresses is the growing competition for limited water resources across domestic use, industry and commerce, agriculture, and environmental needs, alongside the requirement to maintain both water quantity and water quality. The opportunity frames this as a strategic challenge expected to intensify over the next 10 to 15 years, emphasizing that policymakers will need better research and analytical tools to weigh tradeoffs among uncertain and sometimes conflicting management options.
At its core, the project focused on improving modeling capabilities for river systems by better representing the coupled relationships among streamflow, sediment transport, and riparian vegetation. Rivers are shaped by moving water and sediment, but vegetation along riverbanks and floodplains also feeds back into the system by changing hydraulic roughness, altering velocities and shear stresses, influencing erosion and deposition patterns, and affecting channel form and habitat. Traditional models often treat vegetation in simplified ways (for example, as a fixed roughness parameter), and this project sought to move beyond that by incorporating more dynamic, physically informed representations of vegetation behavior under varying flow conditions.
The work described in the announcement was the product of a collaborative proposal involving the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) along with research partners at the University of New Mexico (UNM), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and ESI (as named in the notice). The collaboration was presented as leveraging complementary expertise across institutions, building on the research team’s prior experience to add new modeling capacity rather than starting from scratch. A key deliverable highlighted for UNM was the development of a vegetation hydraulics module using then-cutting-edge approaches, specifically designed to represent how streamflow influences plant properties such as size, flexibility, and density. Those plant traits matter because they determine how much resistance vegetation provides to flow (hydraulic roughness) and how that resistance changes as flows rise, vegetation bends or reconfigures, or plant stands become denser or sparser over time.
A notable technical emphasis in the description is the integration of UNM algorithms for dynamic hydraulic roughness. In practical terms, this suggests the project intended to treat roughness as an evolving property that responds to hydraulic conditions and vegetation characteristics, rather than a constant input. That kind of capability can improve predictions of water levels, velocities, sediment mobilization, and geomorphic change, which in turn supports planning and operational decisions for water delivery, habitat management, flood risk reduction, and restoration design.
Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office, under the SECURE Water Act Research Agreements CFDA number 15.560. The instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement or coordination during the project compared with a standard grant. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with a fixed total amount: an award ceiling and floor both listed at $54,774, meaning the award size was essentially predetermined. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning with the stated purpose of building research capacity, particularly at UNM.
In terms of timing, the funding opportunity was posted and created on May 15, 2012, with an original and current closing date of May 25, 2012, and an archive date of May 26, 2012. The short open period suggests it may have been tied to a specific collaborative proposal already developed within the 2010 Reclamation Science and Technology Program context described in the narrative. The listed contact for access issues was Michelle Maher, Grants Officer, reachable by phone at 303-445-2025.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Predicting the Interactions between Flow, Sediment and Riparian Vegetation."
Which federal agency offered this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity was offered by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), specifically noted as the Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office.
What type of funding opportunity was this?
This was a discretionary research award issued under the SECURE Water Act Research Agreements program (CFDA 15.560).
What funding instrument was used?
The instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates meaningful federal involvement or coordination during the project compared with a standard grant.
What was the main purpose of the project?
The project aimed to strengthen the science base needed for future water management decisions by improving the ability to model river systems, particularly the coupled interactions among streamflow, sediment transport, and riparian vegetation.
What broader water management problem was the opportunity designed to address?
The opportunity framed a growing strategic challenge: increasing competition for limited water resources across domestic use, industry and commerce, agriculture, and environmental needs, while still needing to maintain both water quantity and water quality. It emphasized that this challenge was expected to intensify over the next 10 to 15 years.
Why are flow, sediment, and riparian vegetation considered together in this project?
The description emphasized that rivers are shaped by moving water and sediment, and that riparian vegetation also feeds back into the river system. Vegetation can change hydraulic roughness, alter velocities and shear stresses, influence erosion and deposition patterns, and affect channel form and habitat. Because these processes affect each other, the project focused on representing them as coupled relationships rather than isolated components.
What modeling gap or limitation was this project trying to improve?
The announcement noted that traditional models often treat vegetation in simplified ways (for example, as a fixed roughness parameter). The project sought to move beyond those simplifications by incorporating more dynamic, physically informed representations of vegetation behavior under varying flow conditions.
What specific modeling capability was highlighted as a key deliverable?
A key deliverable highlighted for the University of New Mexico (UNM) was developing a vegetation hydraulics module using then-cutting-edge approaches. The module was intended to represent how streamflow influences plant properties such as size, flexibility, and density.
What does "dynamic hydraulic roughness" mean in the context of this opportunity?
Based on the announcement, "dynamic hydraulic roughness" refers to treating roughness as an evolving property that responds to hydraulic conditions and vegetation characteristics, instead of using a constant roughness value as a fixed model input.
What kinds of outcomes could improved dynamic roughness modeling support?
The opportunity description connected improved modeling to better predictions of water levels, velocities, sediment mobilization, and geomorphic change. It also stated that these improvements could support planning and operational decisions for water delivery, habitat management, flood risk reduction, and restoration design.
Which organizations were involved in the collaborative proposal described?
The announcement described a collaborative proposal involving the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) along with research partners at the University of New Mexico (UNM), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and ESI (as named in the notice).
How was the collaboration positioned in the opportunity narrative?
The collaboration was described as leveraging complementary expertise across institutions and building on prior experience of the research team in order to add new modeling capacity rather than starting from scratch.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 15.560 (SECURE Water Act Research Agreements).
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What was the total award amount?
The award ceiling and award floor were both listed at $54,774, indicating the award amount was essentially predetermined at $54,774.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted/created on May 15, 2012. The original and current closing date was May 25, 2012. The archive date was May 26, 2012.
What does the short application window suggest about the nature of the opportunity?
The announcement noted that the short open period suggests the opportunity may have been tied to a specific collaborative proposal already developed within the 2010 Reclamation Science and Technology Program context described in the narrative.
Who was the listed contact for access issues, and how could they be reached?
The listed contact for access issues was Michelle Maher, Grants Officer, reachable by phone at 303-445-2025.
What office location was referenced for Reclamation in this opportunity?
The opportunity referenced the Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office.
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