Sacramento River Salmonid Passage Model for Data Assessment in Real Time | BOR MP 17 N022

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 17 N022

The Bureau of Reclamation, within the Department of the Interior, announced its intent to make a discretionary cooperative agreement for a project titled "Sacramento River Salmonid Passage Model for Data Assessment in Real Time" (Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 17 N022). The stated plan is to issue the agreement to the University of Washington under CFDA 15.517, with the work justified under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act authorities and related Interior Department delegations. This is presented as a notice of intent to award rather than an open solicitation, meaning it is not seeking competitive proposals and the government reserves discretion to proceed without competition under the cited departmental manual provisions.

Financially, the overall estimated project value is listed as $559,563, with Reclamation contributing $172,000 in Fiscal Year 2017. The opportunity forecasts a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1) and is categorized under an environmental funding activity area, with eligibility limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, consistent with the intended recipient being a university. The announcement was created July 3, 2017, with an original closing date of July 17, 2017, reflecting the administrative window for the notice rather than a typical competitive application deadline.

The project itself is focused on improving real-time and near-real-time understanding of juvenile salmonid passage through the Sacramento River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where fish movement, water operations, and habitat conditions interact in complex ways. A central objective is to develop a new fish passage model or adapt an existing one so it can forecast juvenile salmonid movement and abundance patterns. In practical terms, this implies building or refining modeling tools that can translate available monitoring and environmental data into actionable forecasts about where juvenile salmon are likely to be, how many may be moving through certain reaches, and how movement patterns change under different flow and operational scenarios.

A second major component is the creation and implementation of a spatially referenced data inventory and a Data Access in Real Time query system and website, referred to as SacDART. The intent is to use open-source applications and tools to assemble regionally integrated datasets and make them publicly accessible, which suggests a strong emphasis on data transparency, interoperability, and usability for researchers and resource managers. The spatially referenced aspect indicates the system is expected to organize information by location (such as river reaches, monitoring stations, and geographic layers) so users can query, map, and download data in ways that support both scientific analysis and management decisions.

The third objective emphasizes applied monitoring, evaluation, and production of data products and services that can help predict, track, and assess the effectiveness of proposed or implemented actions during Water Years 2016, 2017, and 2018. This frames the work as operationally relevant rather than purely academic: the model and data system are meant to support real decisions and post-action evaluation, such as assessing whether specific flow changes, operational adjustments, habitat actions, or passage interventions appear to improve juvenile salmonid survival, movement timing, or distribution. By pairing forecasting tools with a real-time data access platform, the project aims to shorten the time between data collection, analysis, and decision support for salmonid management in a heavily managed river-delta system.

Administrative questions are directed to Megan Bryant, Grants Management Specialist, at mbryant@usbr.gov, and the notice references the associated Notice of Intent to Award for additional detail.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Sacramento River Salmonid Passage Model for Data Assessment in Real Time" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 03, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 2017. (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 $172,000.00 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.

Apply for BOR MP 17 N022

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