Integrated Modeling Tool | BOR MP 17 N010

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 17 N010

The Integrated Modeling Tool grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 17 N010) is a Bureau of Reclamation cooperative agreement focused on improving how western reservoir operators understand and manage methylmercury (MeHg) risks. Many reservoirs across states such as California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado are dealing with MeHg contamination that drives fish consumption advisories and triggers state-level water quality standards and control programs. As those standards become enforceable, reservoir operators will need defensible, practical ways to design and justify mercury management practices that can reduce methylmercury formation and bioaccumulation without wasting money on approaches that do not work in a particular reservoir.

A central problem the opportunity is trying to solve is that there is no universal, one-size-fits-all reservoir standard or blueprint for reducing methylmercury. Research has shown that certain management actions can reduce MeHg in some places, but similar-looking reservoirs can still behave very differently in terms of mercury methylation and food-web bioaccumulation. Those differences often come from waterbody-specific factors such as watershed inputs, sediment conditions, hydrodynamics, oxygen dynamics, organic carbon availability, and biological uptake pathways. Because of that site specificity, the opportunity emphasizes evaluating management practices on an individual reservoir basis. The intent is to avoid untested or poorly matched interventions that might be ineffective and expensive, especially for large operators managing complex systems.

The project described is a three-year effort centered on developing and applying a reliable modeling tool to assess methylmercury processes and support reservoir-specific decision-making. The planned work begins with a review of existing scientific theories and mechanisms for watershed-scale mercury and methylmercury contamination, along with an assessment of available models and decision-support tools and how they have been used. From there, the project calls for selecting a candidate reservoir and its upstream contributing watershed for a modeling study, then building a conceptual model/tool shaped by the literature review, management needs, available monitoring data, budget constraints, and the time capacity of partners. Practical data assembly is a major component: for the selected reservoir and watershed, the team will compile existing maps, GIS layers, water quality datasets, and sediment quality datasets to support model development and testing. The later stages focus on calibration and beta-testing of the mercury management model, plus developing and analyzing management scenarios so the model can be used to compare mitigation options and their likely outcomes.

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, which signals substantial federal involvement rather than a hands-off grant. Reclamation anticipates active participation through a Grants Officer Technical Representative (GOTR) who will collaborate closely with the recipient and supporting personnel such as students, technicians, and other scientists. The description specifically references collaboration with the University of California, Merced, and indicates the GOTR will help facilitate cooperative work with additional partners as needed to meet project goals. In other words, the government is not only funding the work but also expects to be directly engaged in technical coordination and progress toward deliverables.

The posting also includes a single-source justification based on unique qualifications. Reclamation states it did not solicit full and open competition because the activity is necessary for completing a real-time water quality management program, and because Dr. Nigel W.T. Quinn is identified as a key person with specialized expertise. The justification highlights that Dr. Quinn was among the original developers of the real-time water quality management concept and authored many of the core technical publications underlying that approach, making this recipient uniquely positioned to carry out the work.

Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary award under the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, categorized under Natural Resources, with CFDA number 15.533. Eligible applicants are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The expected award count is one, with an award ceiling of $60,778. The opportunity record shows a creation date of March 6, 2017, and an original closing date of March 20, 2017, indicating it was a time-limited announcement.

The statutory authority cited is Public Law 108-361, Section 103(c)(1)(d)(2)(D), part of the Water Supply, Reliability, and Environmental Improvement Act, within the Bay-Delta Program authorities. The cited section frames federal responsibility to develop and implement a program to meet applicable water quality standards and objectives associated with Central Valley Project responsibilities, particularly in contexts where exports or conveyance operations might change. In practice, that authority aligns with the project’s goal: giving Reclamation and reservoir operators a more defensible, science-based modeling capability to evaluate methylmercury dynamics and assess management actions needed to meet water quality standards.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrated Modeling Tool" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.533.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 20, 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 $60,778.00 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 N010

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