Opportunity Information: Apply for R15AN20028
Apply for R15AN20028
- The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Sycamore Island Pond Isolation" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.555 San Joaquin River Restoration Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 14, 2015 and posted on Aug 14, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 28, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,350,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,350,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Sycamore Island Pond Isolation grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number R15AN20028) is a single-award, discretionary federal grant offered by the Bureau of Reclamation under CFDA 15.555, the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. It was posted on August 14, 2015 and closed on August 28, 2015 (archived September 27, 2015). The total funding amount is fixed at $4,350,000, with the award floor and ceiling both set at $4,350,000, and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility is limited to state governments, and the anticipated number of awards is one.
The project addresses long-standing habitat and river management issues along the San Joaquin River, where historic gravel mining left behind reclaimed gravel pits that sit near the river and are often separated from the main channel by simple earthen berms. These berms are not engineered levees built to federal or state flood control standards, so they are prone to erosion and failure during high-flow events. A key trigger for this work occurred in 2005, when high flows breached the berm that separated the Pit 46e pond from the river channel. That breach also disrupted an important vehicle access route between two Conservancy-owned properties: the Proctor Broadwell Cobb property and the Sycamore Island property. In response, the San Joaquin River Conservancy (a state agency created following earlier state legislative actions aimed at protecting wetlands and riparian resources) approved a plan for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to take the lead on planning, design, environmental compliance, and construction needed to restore access and improve site resilience, with some earlier funding support coming from the California Wildlife Conservation Board.
At its core, the funded work focuses on isolating a high-priority gravel pit from the river channel at lower and moderate flows, specifically below 8,000 cubic feet per second. This isolation is intended to reduce risks to fish, particularly juvenile salmon, by minimizing the chances of fish entering the pit and then becoming stranded or impinged as river conditions change. The project also aims to improve water quality outcomes (including temperature-related benefits) that can affect salmon migration and survival. Beyond fish protection, the project is designed to reduce the likelihood of future berm failures, restore and expand functional floodplain habitat, create additional space for riparian vegetation, and develop salmon rearing habitat on newly created floodplain areas. Another explicit objective is to eliminate predator habitat by filling in portions of the gravel pit area that can otherwise provide favorable conditions for predators that prey on young salmon.
A central construction feature described in the opportunity is an "equalization saddle" or gravel road that serves multiple purposes at once. It is meant to re-establish reliable emergency and management access and provide an emergency egress route, while also supporting a public trail connection. Importantly for restoration goals, this saddle/gravel road is also intended to function as a permeable isolation barrier between the gravel pit and the river channel. In practice, that means it can block problematic fish passage into the pit while still allowing controlled or filtered hydrologic connectivity that supports habitat restoration and floodplain processes.
The project location is near River Mile 253.5 on the San Joaquin River, roughly 1.6 miles downstream of the State Route 41 bridge. The work spans both sides of the river corridor in Madera County (right bank) and Fresno County (left bank). All project features are located on state property, which matters for access, construction staging, and long-term management responsibility.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity anticipates minimal hands-on involvement from the Bureau of Reclamation during implementation. Reclamation characterized its role as standard federal stewardship, such as monitoring performance and providing technical assistance if requested by the recipient, rather than day-to-day project management. The award was not competed as a typical open solicitation; instead, it relies on a single-source justification centered on DWRs unique qualifications and existing work on the project. The Conservancy indicated it lacks sufficient personnel and specialized expertise to deliver the engineering, permitting, and construction tasks independently, and DWR had already completed key technical groundwork, including preliminary design alternatives, hydrology modeling, and geotechnical analyses for Reach 1, along with initiating California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. Because DWR already controls critical site knowledge and has established property access through the Conservancy/DWR relationship, the opportunity argues that bringing in another entity would require substantial time to recreate analyses and overcome access constraints, putting schedules and outcomes at risk.
Legally, the grant is grounded in the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement and its federal authorizing framework, including Public Law 111-11 (Title X, Part I), particularly Sections 10002 and 10004(b)(1), and Settlement Paragraph 11(b)(3). That paragraph specifically calls for filling and/or isolating the highest priority gravel pits in Reach 1, with prioritization based on their potential to reduce juvenile salmon mortality, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Restoration Administrator. In other words, this is not a stand-alone local improvement project; it is framed as an implementation step in a broader, legally defined restoration effort tied directly to salmon recovery and river function in Reach 1 of the San Joaquin River.
For additional details or access issues related to the full announcement at the time, the listed contact was Christina Munoz, Grants Management Specialist, at cmunoz@usbr.gov.
Sycamore Island Pond Isolation Grant (R15AN20028) FAQs
What is the Sycamore Island Pond Isolation grant opportunity?
It is a single-award, discretionary federal grant offered by the Bureau of Reclamation under CFDA 15.555 (San Joaquin River Restoration Program). The funding opportunity number is R15AN20028, and it supports work to isolate a high-priority gravel pit/pond area from the San Joaquin River to improve habitat conditions and reduce risks to fish.
Which federal agency is offering the grant?
The Bureau of Reclamation is the awarding agency.
What program is this grant associated with?
The opportunity is under CFDA 15.555, the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is R15AN20028.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on August 14, 2015 and closed on August 28, 2015. It was later archived on September 27, 2015.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. Based on the provided information, the announcement closed on August 28, 2015 and was archived on September 27, 2015.
How much funding is available?
The total funding amount is fixed at $4,350,000.
What are the award floor and ceiling?
Both the award floor and the award ceiling are $4,350,000, meaning the opportunity is structured as a single fixed award at that amount.
How many awards were anticipated?
The anticipated number of awards is one.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to state governments.
Why was eligibility limited to state governments for this opportunity?
The opportunity was not competed as a typical open solicitation and relied on a single-source justification focused on the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and its unique qualifications, existing work, and established access and technical groundwork for the site.
What is the main problem the project is trying to solve?
The project addresses habitat and river management issues created by historic gravel mining. Reclaimed gravel pits sit near the San Joaquin River and are often separated from the river by earthen berms that are not engineered flood-control levees. These berms can erode or fail during high-flow events, creating unwanted connectivity between pits and the river and increasing risks to fish and habitat conditions.
What event triggered the need for this work?
In 2005, high flows breached the berm separating the Pit 46e pond from the river channel. The breach also disrupted a vehicle access route between two Conservancy-owned properties: the Proctor Broadwell Cobb property and the Sycamore Island property.
What are the core objectives of the funded work?
The project focuses on isolating a high-priority gravel pit from the river channel at lower and moderate flows (below 8,000 cubic feet per second). The goals include reducing risks to fish (including juvenile salmon), improving water quality (including temperature-related outcomes), reducing the likelihood of berm failures, restoring and expanding functional floodplain habitat, creating space for riparian vegetation, developing salmon rearing habitat on newly created floodplain areas, and eliminating predator habitat by filling portions of gravel pit areas that can support predators of young salmon.
What does it mean to isolate the gravel pit "below 8,000 cubic feet per second"?
It means the project is designed to prevent problematic fish passage into the gravel pit and reduce pit-river connectivity during lower and moderate river flows, specifically when river discharge is below 8,000 cubic feet per second.
How is the project expected to benefit salmon?
It is intended to reduce the chances of fish, particularly juvenile salmon, entering the pit and then becoming stranded or impinged as river conditions change. It also aims to improve water quality conditions (including temperature-related benefits) that can influence salmon migration and survival, while creating floodplain-based rearing habitat.
How does the project address predator habitat?
An explicit objective is to eliminate predator habitat by filling in portions of the gravel pit area that could otherwise provide favorable conditions for predators that prey on young salmon.
What is the "equalization saddle" mentioned in the announcement?
The equalization saddle is described as an "equalization saddle" or gravel road that serves multiple roles: re-establishing reliable emergency and management access, providing an emergency egress route, supporting a public trail connection, and functioning as a permeable isolation barrier between the gravel pit and the river channel.
How can a gravel road also function as a restoration feature?
In this project, the gravel road/saddle is intended to act as a permeable isolation barrier. It can block problematic fish passage into the pit while still allowing controlled or filtered hydrologic connectivity that supports habitat restoration and floodplain processes.
Where is the project located?
The project is near River Mile 253.5 on the San Joaquin River, about 1.6 miles downstream of the State Route 41 bridge.
Which counties does the work take place in?
The work spans both sides of the river corridor in Madera County (right bank) and Fresno County (left bank).
Who owns the land where project features are located?
All project features are located on state property, which is important for access, construction staging, and long-term management responsibility.
What role does the San Joaquin River Conservancy play in this project?
The San Joaquin River Conservancy approved a plan for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to take the lead on planning, design, environmental compliance, and construction needed to restore access and improve site resilience. The Conservancy is described as a state agency created following earlier state legislative actions aimed at protecting wetlands and riparian resources.
What role does the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) play?
DWR is identified as the lead for planning, design, environmental compliance, and construction. The single-source justification states DWR had already completed key technical groundwork (including preliminary design alternatives, hydrology modeling, and geotechnical analyses for Reach 1) and had initiated CEQA review.
Did the Bureau of Reclamation plan to manage day-to-day implementation?
No. The opportunity anticipates minimal hands-on involvement from Reclamation during implementation, describing Reclamation's role as standard federal stewardship (monitoring performance and providing technical assistance if requested) rather than day-to-day project management.
Why was this described as a single-source award rather than a typical competition?
The justification provided is that DWR had unique qualifications and ongoing work, including existing site knowledge, completed analyses, initiated environmental review, and established property access through the Conservancy/DWR relationship. The announcement argues that selecting another entity would require substantial time to recreate analyses and overcome access constraints, risking schedules and outcomes.
What legal or authorizing framework supports this grant?
The grant is grounded in the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement and its federal authorizing framework, including Public Law 111-11 (Title X, Part I), particularly Sections 10002 and 10004(b)(1), and Settlement Paragraph 11(b)(3).
How does Settlement Paragraph 11(b)(3) relate to the project?
Settlement Paragraph 11(b)(3) specifically calls for filling and/or isolating the highest priority gravel pits in Reach 1, with prioritization based on their potential to reduce juvenile salmon mortality, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Restoration Administrator. The project is framed as an implementation step aligned with that directive.
Is this project part of a broader restoration effort?
Yes. It is framed as an implementation action within the San Joaquin River Restoration effort tied to salmon recovery and river function in Reach 1, rather than as a stand-alone local improvement project.
Who was the listed contact for announcement access issues or details?
The listed contact was Christina Munoz, Grants Management Specialist, at cmunoz@usbr.gov.
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