2021 WUDR Program Announcement_20210223.pdf

FY 20 WUDR Program Announcement – G21AS00258

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United States Geological Survey

Water Availability and Use Science Program

Water Use Data and Research

Proposals for Cooperative Agreements – Fiscal Year 2021

Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity G21AS00258

Closing Date: May 13, 2021

4 pm, Eastern Time

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: The Paperwork Reduction Act says that the agency must tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether you have to give it to us. This information is being collected to determine the eligibility of the applicant and as a basis for approval or disapproval of the proposed project. The

USGS is authorized under SECURE Water Act Section 9508 to assist state water resource agencies with improving their water use data collection activities. USGS has implemented the Water Use Data and Research program (WUDR), to work with state water agencies in gathering and analyzing their data, and assists this effort via cooperative agreements. WUDR supports State water resource agencies in developing water use and availability datasets and improving the collection and reporting frequency of water use categories, including the inclusion of categories that have been discontinued in the past due to limited resources. Response to this request is required to obtain and retain a cooperative agreement under the Water

Use Data and Research program. Public report burden for this collection is estimated to average 40 hours per agreement and 28 hours to prepare both interim progress reports and final technical report. The OMB Control Number is 1028-0118 for this information collection; the expiration date is Dec. 31, 2023. Direct comments regarding this collection of information may be sent to the Bureau Clearance Officer, gs-info_collections@usgs.gov.

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: Authority: This information is solicited under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 10361-10368.

Purpose: The primary purpose for collecting this information is to facilitate communication with primary investigators that submit and/or receive cooperative agreements through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Use Data and Research

Program. Routine Uses: Contact information will be used to communicate with primary investigators and other project or agency staff regarding notification of awards, progress reports, final technical reports and (or) other ad-hoc communication regarding the USGS Water Use Data and Research Program. USGS Water Use Data and Research Program administrators will have access to the information. Technical review panel members will also have access to contact information during the evaluation of project applications.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY VIA

http://www.grants.gov

SEE INSTRUCTIONS

mailto:gs-info_collections@usgs.gov http://www.grants.gov/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 2

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT CHANGES 3

POINTS TO REMEMBER 3

1. Application Submission Closing Date 5

2. Electronic Application Requirement 5

3. Award Description 7

4. Eligibility Information 7

A. Applicant Eligibility 7

B. Topic Eligibility 8

5. USGS Data Goals for Major Water Use Categories 9

6. Unsuitable Proposals 10

7. Application Preparation Instructions 10

A. Proposal Information Summary 10

B. Proposal 11

C. Budget Summary 12

D. Detailed Budget 12

E. Principal Investigator Resume 14

F. Data Management Plan 14

8. Rejection of Applications after Initial Review 15

9. Application Evaluation Procedure and Criteria 15

10. Reporting Requirements and Instructions 18

11. Involvement of Federal Employees 18

12. Award Terms and Conditions 18

List of Attachments Attachment A – Data Goals for Major Water-Use Categories 19

Attachment B – Proposal Information Summary Template 24

Attachment C – Budget Summary and Detailed Budget Templates 25

Attachment D – Data Management Plan – Example Templates 26

Attachment E – Water Use Data and Research Program Terms and Conditions 28

Attachment F – Secretarial Priorities 45

Attachment G – Budget Examples 47

Attachment H – Reminders and Suggestions 56

Attachment I – Proposal Template 58

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PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT CHANGES

Priorities in the Topic Eligibility Section have been updated.

In section 9.2.b Application Evaluation Procedure and Criteria, evaluation criteria was added that the proposed work will provide water-use data that complements the missions of the USGS

Water Use Program, and state, local, and other federal agencies to estimate water use in the

United States.

In Attachment A, included text regarding USGS models that are being built. Also, Tier 3 for

Public Supply, Industrial, Irrigation-crop, and Thermoelectric were updated to include site-specific daily withdrawals (added June 2020).

Change in order of Attachment C and D.

Attachment E: Reporting requirements have been revised.

Attachment G: Added a Budget Example 2 that includes supplies, equipment, travel, and contractor examples. Also, included a cost in living increase example.

Attachment H: Added a few reminders and suggestions.

Attachment I: Added Attachment I, a template, to assist applicants use the proper format when applying for financial assistance.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

DESCRIBE the project and the process you expect to follow to complete the project including scope and methods. If you are proposing multiple activities to complete the project, clearly state the work you will be doing for each activity.

CHECK the math on all budget components of the application package. Inconsistencies in budget details cause award delays and can result in reduced funding. Entries must be consistent in Box

18 of SF-424, Section B of SF-424A, Budget Summary in Attachment D, Item 6 of Attachment

B, and workplan budget tables.

PROVIDE specifics for any travel costs including number of days, per diem, conference name, etc. Provide all details for contract work in budget tables and text.

ALWAYS contact us if you have questions, we are here to help. Questions specific to your proposal as to what will or will not be funded cannot be addressed.

START submitting your proposal to Grants.gov well in advance of the due date. Do not wait until the due date to begin the submission process.

INCLUDE all required sections of the application and use current templates in this program announcement. Templates might have changed from previous years.

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COMMUNICATE with USGS Water-Science Center personnel where appropriate but federal employees may not assist in the development of proposals or review the proposals.

Cooperative Funding Agreements for the

USGS Water Use Data and Research Program

Announcement for Fiscal Year 2021

CFDA 15.981

The Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a two-year cooperative agreement opportunity to State water resource agencies that collect water-use data to participate in the Water Use Data and Research (WUDR) program. This funding opportunity is to support State Water Resource agencies in the collection and reporting of water-use data for the WUDR program, and to address the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities.

Legal authority for this opportunity is provided under Public Law 111-11, Subtitle F—SECURE

Water: Section 9508 “National Water Availability and Use Assessment Program.” The USGS WUDR program will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements with State Water Resource agencies, to improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water-use data that is collected and/or estimated by States. The Act requires that these State Water Resource agencies make water-use or availability datasets resulting from this funding opportunity available in a machine-readable open format that the USGS can integrate with appropriate datasets maintained by the USGS.

The USGS National Water Use Science Project uses various scientific approaches to understand the

Nation's water use. USGS has produced national estimates of the use of water since 1950, in five-year reports. These water-use estimates provide a historical and current account of how water is used for various water-use categories by applying statistical and scientific methods. This work is critical for a full understanding of the availability, quality, timing, and use of the water resources that are needed to meet the water demands of the Nation. The WUDR cooperative agreements provide financial assistance to State Agencies to assemble various water-use information. The water-use information is needed by all water managers and the general public to develop a complete understanding of how water is used for different categories of use (such as irrigation, or public supply). The WUDR program also supports the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial priorities by enabling water managers, primarily State Water Resource Agencies, to monitor current conditions, and be able to plan and avoid future water conflicts that may result from changes in the environment.

The USGS National Water Use Science Project is operated in Water Science Centers located in all 50

States, Territories and District of Columbia. Water-use data are collected in each of these areas via collaboration with State and other Federal Agencies, Tribes, water authorities, county and local communities, corporations, academic and the private sector. The USGS builds relationships through data collection, collaborations on scientific studies, and interpretive reports via collaboration and communication between water-use scientists in USGS offices throughout the U.S. WUDR cooperative agreements address the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Priorities to enhance the collection, availability, quality and distribution of important water-use data, as well as improve communication between the U.S. Department of the Interior and State natural resource offices and water authorities.

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1. Application Submission Closing Date: May 13, 2021, at 4 pm, Eastern Time

2. Electronic Application Requirement

For the FY 2021 funding cycle, all proposals shall be submitted electronically via Grants.gov

(https://www.grants.gov). Hard/paper submissions will NOT be accepted. Electronic copies submitted via e-mail will NOT be accepted under any circumstances. All proposals shall be submitted electronically through Grants.gov on or before:

May 13, 2021 at 4 pm, Eastern Time

Please be aware that the electronic submission process requires first-time users to register using an e-Authentication process. This registration process can be somewhat complex and can take up to 3 weeks to complete. Be advised that it is virtually impossible to begin the process of electronic submission for the first time if you start just a few days before the due date.

If you have any questions or problems with the registration process, or the completion of the application package, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov

Briefly, when you submit a grant application package to Grants.gov, you will receive a confirmation screen, as well as three additional emails over two business days from Grants.gov informing you of your application processing status:

1. Confirmation Screen

2. Submission Receipt (with a “Track My Application” link)

3. Submission Validation (or Rejection with Errors)

4. Agency Retrieval

CONFIRMATION: Submission Confirmation Screen.

After you submit your grant application package, a confirmation screen will appear on your computer screen. This screen confirms that you have submitted an application to Grants.gov.

NOTIFICATION 1: Submission Receipt Email

Within two business days after your application package has been received by the Grants.gov system, you will receive a submission receipt email which indicates that your submission has entered the

Grants.gov system and is ready for validation. This email also contains a tracking number for use while tracking the status of the submission as well as a “Track My Application” link, to use to see the progress of your submission.

NOTIFICATION 2: Submission Validation Receipt Email – This is the important one!

After you receive the submission receipt email, the next email you will receive will be a message validating or rejecting your submitted application package with errors. The Grants.gov system is designed to check for technical errors within the submitted application package, but does not review application content for award determination. Grants.gov will not post the application if there are errors. Failure to correct errors and re-submit by the posted Application Submission Deadline will result in the application being rejected for incomplete and late submission.

https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support

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NOTIFICATION 3: Grantor Agency Retrieval Email

Once your application package has passed validation it is delivered to the grantor for award determination and further approval. After the grantor has confirmed receipt of your application, you will be sent a third and final email from Grants.gov. The grantor may also assign your application package an agency specific tracking number for use within their internal system. IF YOU HAVE NOT

RECEIVED THIS E-MAIL WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THE CLOSING DATE, PLEASE CONTACT

Sara Roser, at (703) 648-7357, sroser@usgs.gov.

If you need help entering your proposal, you can reach the Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726 or email support@grants.gov. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, and they are closed on Federal Holidays.

During the application period, an applicant may submit a revised or corrected proposal through

Grants.gov. Include a cover letter as the first page of the proposal stating that the proposal is revised and indicating that the previous submittal is to be withdrawn from consideration. Such submissions must be completed by May 13, 2021 at 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

For more information, see Section 7 of this document, Application Preparation Instructions, which describes requirements for the proposal and other application components.

Please allow sufficient time for the proposal to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov and allow time for possible computer delays. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute for submission. A proposal received after the closing date and time will not be considered for award. If the USGS determines that a proposal will not be considered for award due to lateness, the applicant will be notified immediately.

A question at the top of the grant opportunity in Grants.gov will ask if you would like to receive email notifications of changes to this opportunity. Providing your email address at the prompt ensures you will be notified if changes are made to this program announcement after the original posting.

Questions?

For Grants.gov issues, see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or contact:

Laura Mahoney, (703) 648-7344, lmahoney@usgs.gov

For grant issues, contact:

Sara Roser

(703) 648-7357 sroser@usgs.gov

For Water Use Data and Research program issues, contact:

Kimberly Shaffer, Coordinator, USGS WUDR Program

614-937-9798 wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov mailto:sroser@usgs.gov mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support http://www.grants.gov/aboutgrants/federal_holidays.jsp https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:lmahoney@usgs.gov

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Information Sessions

To facilitate the financial assistance application process, two conference calls will be conducted to accommodate inquiries from Applicants about the WUDR program and the proposal review, evaluation, and selection process. These calls will be held on:

Thursday, March 4, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET; and https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6334758590981945360

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 from 1:00-2:00 pm ET https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3987014293145376528

There will also be a reminders and budgets conference call on Apr. 21, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/552498408763832592

3. Award Description

The total amount of funding available for this Program Announcement is expected to be up to a total of $1,500,000 for Federal FY2021. Applications are restricted to a minimum federal funding level of $24,000 and a maximum federal funding level of $125,000 for work to improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and transfer of water use data that is collected and/or estimated by States. Additionally, federal funding per State is also restricted by the SECURE Water Act: total cumulative funds from the WUDR program to each State cannot exceed $250,000. Please email wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov for your respective State’s balance. These estimates do not bind the

USGS to a specific number of awards or to the amount of any award. Work performance under these awards must be completed within the two-year cycle from the start date. The start date will be determined by the timing of funds availability and the issuance of the award. Substantial involvement of the USGS (local USGS Water Science Centers and/or the USGS National Water

Use Team) is expected to aid state collaborators with refining existing water use databases, development of new techniques for estimating water use, and establishing data management policies for sharing of water use data that adhere to data goals for major water-use categories

(Attachment A) previously developed by the USGS for all water use categories nationally;

therefore, these awards will be in the form of cooperative agreements.

All projects must propose start dates between September 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021.

4. Eligibility Information

A. Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be State Water Resource Agencies which collect or manage water-use data.

Collaboration with existing projects conducted by USGS Water Science Centers is encouraged;

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6334758590981945360 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3987014293145376528 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/552498408763832592 mailto:wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov

Page | 8 however, USGS personnel are prohibited from helping prepare any application materials for competitive funding and are ineligible to receive WUDR funds.

Applicants can include a cost-share contribution in the form of in-kind services.

A set cost-sharing percentage for the recipient is not mandated, but a match of in-kind services is encouraged and should be denoted within the budget as cost sharing.

In order to receive an award under this FY2021 Program Announcement, applicants must have submitted a FINAL (WUDR reviewed and approved) Workplan to the USGS WUDR Program

Management (Kimberly Shaffer, wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov). If an applicant's proposal is recommended for funding but the WUDR Program Management has not approved the FINAL

Workplan, the project will not be awarded funding.

(Most states received $26,000 through the WUDR non-competitive financial assistance program to complete their Workplan. For those States that did not receive $26,000 through the WUDR non-competitive financial assistance program, but are now interested in receiving the funds, they may contact the WUDR Program Office to express their interest. A non-competitive award outside of this Program Announcement would be made to provide the funds. A State may submit a Workplan on their own, i.e. without any federal funding assistance. Instructions on what is required in the

Workplan can be found at http://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/grant-application.html.)

Application announcement date: February 26, 2021

Applications must be submitted by the closing date of May 13, 2021 at 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

B. Topic Eligibility

Water managers across the United States require more complete, timely, and accurate water-availability information to support policy and decision-making, specifically data associated with water withdrawals and consumptive use that are used to establish local and regional water budgets.

State Water Resource Agencies are the primary authorities responsible for regulating and collecting data on water supplies, allocations, uses, and/or rights. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP), is the only Federal agency that explicitly collects water-use data as a part of its mission. The WAUSP works with State, local, and

Federal partners to consolidate dozens of disparate datasets to create comprehensive reports of water use in the United States every five years. Because of differences in methodology and data quality, USGS water-use compilations require significant effort to standardize (to the extent possible) such data between States. The WAUSP products form the basis of the water-use component of the National Water Census as called for by the SECURE Water Act (Section 9508, Public Law 111–11).

In addition to the national compilation of water-use data, WAUSP is seeking to estimate daily water use nationally for HUC12 watersheds. Water-use measurements at a daily time-step at specific sites would enhance the WAUSP efforts.

Recognizing the limitations of current water-use data, the USGS Water Use Data and Research program will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements with State Water

Resource Agencies, to improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and transfer of water-use mailto:%20wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov mailto:%20wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov http://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/grant-application.html

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Agencies make water-use or availability datasets resulting from this funding opportunity available in a machine-readable open format that the USGS can integrate with appropriate datasets maintained by the USGS.

The USGS has identified priority topics for the FY2021 WUDR Program Announcement.

Proposals that address one or more of these priority topics will be given funding preference.

The priority topics for the FY2021 WUDR Program Announcement are:

● IMPROVE THE COLLECTION PROCESS OR QUALITY ASSURANCE OF WATER-

USE DATA, OR IMPROVE THE TRANSFER OF WATER-USE DATA TO THE USGS

and other data users. Improving the collection process or quality assurance includes more frequent time steps (for example, daily or monthly), improving the spatial unit (site specific), producing machine readable digital data, and improving any data and metadata review methods that evaluate and ensure the quality of the information including statistical analyses, interpretative material for anomalous values, and explanations for trends. Improving the transfer of water-use data to the USGS and other data users including the development of data services, having data fully compatible to the USGS National Water Information System, or providing data (and metadata) in a machine-readable open format.

● IMPROVE SITE-SPECIFIC WATER-USE DATA FOR IRRIGATION, PUBLIC

SUPPLY, OR INDUSTRIAL use categories. This should be accomplished by increasing the “TIER LEVEL” for a category of use (see Attachment A, Data Goals for Major Water-

Use Categories). This includes improvements to either estimated or reported data. Some examples include the collection of daily or monthly rather than annual withdrawals, acquiring source of water (groundwater with aquifer designation, surface water with water body or stream name), reporting public-supply deliveries to other categories (commercial, industrial, domestic), estimating consumptive use, improving methods for computing domestic per capita use, or developing or acquiring ancillary data such as physical boundaries and counts of population served by public-supply systems and by source of water. Additionally, digital boundary maps of irrigated lands with information about the sources of water and irrigation system types are desirable.

● Conduct studies that DEVELOP METHODS AND/OR COEFFICIENTS to improve water-use estimates for categories of use where measured or reported data are not available. These methods should include model descriptions and plans for an uncertainty analysis. For example, socioeconomic data, regional planning data, satellite-based evapotranspiration data could be used to develop water-use estimates.

Proposals that address additional topics will be considered but may be given a lower funding preference than proposals that address the priority topics listed above.

5. USGS Data Goals for Major Water-Use Categories

More information on the USGS Water Use Data and Research (WUDR) Program can be found at:

http://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/index.html. Attachment A provides a table outlining three tiers for major categories of water use. Within the table, the USGS has identified baseline goals (Tier 1), http://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/index.html

Page | 10 and additional levels (Tiers 2 and 3) of data, for all major categories of water use, most of which have been estimated by the USGS and published every 5 years since 1985

(https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/changes-water-use-categories).

These standards are provided to assist State water-resource agencies in determining areas in which to focus proposed work.

6. Unsuitable Proposals

The following proposals are ineligible for consideration under this Announcement at this time:

● Proposals from U.S. Government Agencies or U.S. Government employees.

● Proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC).

● Work that was previously funded though the WUDR program, or other federal grant programs.

7. Application Preparation Instructions

Your electronic submission shall consist of forms SF-424, SF-424a, and SF-424b, plus the items described below. No additional documents or materials may be submitted. Failure to comply with the required application components listed below may result in the proposal being rejected.

Items A through F, as described below, shall be combined in one document, in the order noted below, and submitted through Grants.gov in either MS Word or Adobe PDF format. Items A-D shall not exceed a total of 15 single-spaced pages (including figures, tables, references, appendices, etc.), and the type size shall not be smaller than 12 point. All pages of the application shall be numbered. All text, figures, and tables shall be sized to fit on 8½” by 11” paper with 1-inch margins. The resume (Item E), Data Management Plan (Item F), SF forms, and negotiated rate agreement required tables do not count toward the 15-page limit.

In the Grants.gov forms, floating your mouse over a field will provide instructions for completing that field. You can also click on the ‘Check Package for Errors’ button to check the entire application for validation errors (incomplete fields, etc.)

The application submitted through Grants.gov as the ‘Project Narrative Attachment Form’ (in MS

Word or Adobe PDF format) shall be assembled in the following order:

A. Proposal Information Summary

B. Proposal

C. Budget Summary

D. Detailed Budget

E. Principal Investigator Resume

F. Data Management Plan

A. Proposal Information Summary.

Provide a summary for the proposal using the format shown in Attachment B.

https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/changes-water-use-categories

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B. Proposal

Please include the following sections:

1) Project Summary. Provide an overall summary of the project including a brief description of work to be accomplished, USGS category(ies) of water use data collection or methodology development, how the proposed work increases the “TIER LEVEL” for a category of use (see Attachment A, Data Goals for Major Water-Use Categories), and geographic and temporal scale of data activity.

2) Project Description.

a) Problem Statement. Describe the problem and the state agency’s role relevant to the problem.

b) Project Objectives. Describe the objectives of the proposed work.

c) Approach. Proposals should thoroughly address how the proposed work will accomplish project objectives.

• Describe specific methods that will be used to complete the project tasks.

• Describe the significance of each task relative to the project objectives. If work is not being performed by the applicant agency, explain the role relative to water use of the party conducting the work.

• Describe work being done by contractors.

• Describe how science will be used to identify best practices to manage land and water resources and adapt to changes in the environment (U.S. Department of Interior

Secretarial Priority 1a, see Attachment F).

d) Project Timeline and Milestones. Include a detailed timeline for the proposed work, relating tasks and subtasks described in the Approach section to completion dates. An example table is provided below. Please list project objectives and describe specific, quantifiable and/or qualitative milestones and deliverables over the duration of the project to show how the project is successful, and what benefits/products (i.e. data) will be accrued if the project is successful. Products or deliverables may include reports, datasets, maps, electronic data services, data portals, etc., that will be produced as part of the project. Please indicate if objectives or milestones relate to improving a tier level for a category of water use.

Objectives Milestone/Output/Deliverable Target

Date

1.

1.

2.

3.

2.

1.

2.

3.

3.

1.

2.

3.

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e) Previous WUDR competitive awards. Briefly describe how this proposed work is different from any previously funded WUDR projects from FY16 through FY20

Competitive Awards.

f) Transfer of data to the USGS or other entities. Specifically describe how data will be transferred to the USGS. Data transfer guidance is available on the USGS WUDR website: https://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/. Describe how data will be made available to the USGS in a machine-readable open format, such that the data can be easily integrated (by the USGS) into USGS databases in compliance with the SECURE Water

Act. If data will be made available to other entities, describe how the data will be made available.

g) Relevance to State Priorities. Describe how the proposed tasks meet the priorities of the

State water use program as described in the “Workplan.”

h) Science and Technology Transferability. Describe how the methods, or technical components developed under the proposed project will be applicable to other states, agencies, and/or the USGS.

i) Collaboration. Describe meetings, communication, and collaboration with other state and/or local agencies that collect water-use data that occurred in the development of this proposal. Describe collaboration with the USGS, including Water Science Center contacts. Describe collaboration that will be ongoing through the proposed project period with local, state, federal agencies (including USGS), or educational institutions.

j) Team Experience. Succinctly describe the relevant experience of the project team members.

k) IT Infrastructure

i) Describe databases that are used to store data.

ii) Briefly describe any current data sharing applications or web sites.

iii) Describe IT staff experience and availability.

iv) Discuss any security requirements or limitations.

C. Budget Summary

Provide a budget summary using the format shown in Attachment C. The budget items should correlate with the detailed budget below.

D. Detailed Budget

A budget sheet for each year is required that provides more detail than what is entered under the SF-424A form. In this budget breakdown sheet please separate federal funds from cost-sharing funds (see ‘In-kind Resource Match’ section below). A set cost-sharing percentage for the recipient is not mandated, but a match of in-kind services is encouraged and should be denoted within the budget as cost sharing. The cost for the project should include both the agency in-kind services and the work to be funded by the WUDR funding opportunity. Please provide the following information for each objective or major task. Applicants should include the following categories for both federal and in-kind services:

https://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/

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a. Salaries

● Please provide a list of staff that will work on each objective listed in the proposal.

If staff will work on more than one objective, include an entry with the hours for that employee on each objective.

● Objective Name: For each objective provide a table with the following items for each staff member that will work on the objective

1. employee name,

2. title,

3. hourly rate of compensation,

4. fringe benefit rate and hourly rate of fringe benefit,

5. the total hourly rate (item 3 + item 4),

6. the number of hours planned,

7. the cost (item 5 times item 6),

8. the percent of the cost that is Federally funded, and

9. the percent of cost that is agency in-kind services. (item 8 and item 9 should add to 100%)

b. Supplies. For each major type of supply, enter a description and the cost for supplies needed for the project (include percent of cost that is Federally funded and/or provided as in-kind);

c. Equipment: Enter a description and the cost for each piece of equipment needed for the project. Please list any computer purchases separately. If possible, computer purchases should be as in-kind services to avoid property ownership issues;

d. Contractors: Provide the following detailed breakdown for each contractor needed for the project:

1. hourly rate of compensation,

2. fringe benefit rate and hourly rate of fringe benefit,

3. the total hourly rate (item 1 + item 2),

4. the number of hours planned,

5. the cost (item 5 times item 6),

6. the percent of the cost that is Federally funded, and

7. the percent of cost that is Agency in-kind services. (items 8 and 9 should add to

100%)

e. Travel: Provide detailed information on proposed travel, i.e. where to, why, how many, how long, per diem, mileage, anticipated conference name, if applicable, and lodging rates, etc. (include percent of cost that is Federally funded and/or provided as in-kind); and

f. Indirect Cost/General and Administrative (G&A) Cost: Show the proposed rate, cost base, and proposed amount for allowable indirect costs based on the cost principles applicable to the Applicant's organization. If the Applicant has separate rates for recovery of labor overhead and G&A costs, each charge should be shown. Explain the distinction between items included in the two cost pools. The Applicant should propose rates for evaluation purposes, which they are also willing to establish as fixed or ceiling rates in any resulting award. NOTE: A copy of the indirect negotiated cost agreement with the Federal

Government must be provided with the application package. Pursuant to the Uniform

Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal

Awards, Section 200.414, in the absences of a negotiated rate agreement, non-Federal entities may use a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC).

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In-Kind Resource Match

Examples of in-kind resource match are: salaries, contract support, student assistance fees, travel expenses, software purchase, equipment dedicated to the project, production of outreach materials, and indirect costs or overhead charges. All contributions, including cash and third party in-kind, will be accepted as part of the recipient’s in-kind match when such contributions meet all of the following criteria:

● verifiable from the recipients’ records,

● not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted project or program,

● necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient accomplishment of project or program objectives,

● allowable under the applicable cost principles,

● not paid by the Federal Government under another award, except where authorized by Federal statute to be used for cost matching,

● provided for in the approved budget when required by the Federal awarding agency, and

● conform to the provision of the appropriate OMB Circular, as applicable.

Volunteer services furnished by professional and technical personnel, consultants, and other skilled and unskilled labor may be counted as in-kind match if the service is an integral and necessary part of the project. Rates for volunteer services shall be consistent with those paid for similar work in the recipient’s organization. In those instances in which the required skills are not found in the recipient organization, rates shall be consistent with those paid for similar work in the labor market in which the recipient competes for the kind of services involved. In either case, paid fringe benefits that are reasonable, allowable, and allocable may be included in the valuation.

Match calculation: For example, with a request for an award of $5,000 of Federal assistance, a 50-50 cost share contribution by the applicant would be $5,000 in value for a total of $10,000 value committed to the project ($5,000 and $5,000 Federal and applicant, respectively).

Applicant must document the amount and type of in-kind resource that will be contributed to the fulfillment of the project and include this information in the detail budget breakdown.

E. Principal Investigator Resume

Please include a resume for the technical lead for the proposed project. The resume should only include relevant professional experience. Do not include personal address, phone number, or e-mail.

F. Data Management Plan

Proposals submitted to USGS must include a supplementary document of no more than four pages labeled "Data Management Plan" (DMP). This supplementary document should describe

Page | 15 how the proposal will conform to USGS policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results and associated data. Please see section 9 (b)(2) Data Availability, found on page 36 in the program announcement that states that data collected under a federal grant must be made available to the USGS. In rare cases, a DMP may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed (e.g. “No data are expected to be produced from this project”), if the statement is accompanied by a clear justification.

DMPs should include the following. Two examples of data management plans are included in

Attachment D, and the use of one of these formats is strongly encouraged. Additional examples are available at https://www.usgs.gov/products/data-and-tools/data-management/data-management-plans.

1) The types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced during the project;

2) The standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);

3) Policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;

4) Provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and

5) Plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of free public access to them.

Additional guidance on data management plans is available from the USGS Data Management web site (https://www2.usgs.gov/datamanagement/plan/dmplans.php).

Note: The DMP does not count toward the 15-page limit.

8. Rejection of Applications after Initial Review

If an application does not meet all requirements specified in the Announcement, as determined by the Contracting Officer in consultation with the USGS WUDR Program Coordinator, the institution and principal investigator will be promptly notified that the proposal will not be reviewed, indicating the reason for its rejection. States may make revisions and apply for funding again during later years, if funding for the WUDR program continues.

9. Application Evaluation Procedure and Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by the USGS WUDR Technical Committee and will be considered in accordance with the criteria written below: The weighting factor that will be applied to each criterion is shown as a percentage.

1. Technical quality of the proposal. This criterion considers the scientific merit of the proposed approach, whether the approach is innovative or employs a proven, reliable technique that is appropriate to the problem, and the probability of achieving positive results within the designated period. The proposal includes all required information listed in Section 7

(Application Preparation Instructions). The title of the proposal includes the agency name, the https://www.usgs.gov/products/data-and-tools/data-management/data-management-plans https://www.usgs.gov/products/data-and-tools/data-management/data-management-plans https://www2.usgs.gov/datamanagement/plan/dmplans.php

Page | 16 geographic area, and a brief statement of the work to be accomplished. The proposal should include a clear presentation of the project phases, milestones/deliverables, and estimated timeline for the milestones/deliverables for the proposed project duration. This criterion also considers whether the proposed budget is commensurate with the level of effort needed to accomplish the project objectives and whether the cost of the project is reasonable relative to the value of the anticipated results. (40%) Evaluation is based on the following:

a. The proposal is clearly written and has all required sections.

b. The proposal addresses Secretarial Priorities for Financial Assistance (Attachment F,

no. 1a).

c. Sufficient detail on the approach is included in the proposal.

d. The proposed approach is technically appropriate.

e. The timeline is included and appropriate.

f. Milestones are described, relevant to the approach, and included on the timeline.

g. The budget is appropriate for the scope of work and detailed by major objectives or tasks.

2. Providing water use data to the USGS. The SECURE Water Act (Section 9508, “National

Water Availability and Use Assessment Program”, Public Law 111–11) authorizes the USGS to provide financial assistance to State water resource agencies to improve the availability, quality, compatibility and transfer of water-use data that is collected and/or estimated by States.

The Act requires that these State water-use and availability datasets be integrated with appropriate datasets that are developed and/or maintained by the USGS. This criterion evaluates whether the State water resource agency proposed study fulfills this requirement of the SECURE Water Act (listed above). (20%) Evaluation is based on both of the following:

a. The proposed work will improve the accessibility, quality, compatibility and transfer of water-use data that is collected and/or estimated by States.

b. The proposed work will provide water-use data that complements the missions of the

USGS Water Use Program, and state, local, and other federal agencies to estimate water use in the United States.

c. The results of the proposed study will be provided to the USGS. Where applicable, data will be provided to the USGS in a machine-readable open format, and easily integrated by the USGS into appropriate water use and availability datasets that are developed and/or maintained by the USGS. Additional data transfer guidance is available on the

USGS WUDR website: https://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/documents.html.

d. Data are made available within 90 days of the project end date.

3. Relevance to State priorities. This criterion evaluates whether the State water resource agency proposal helps to achieve the State’s identified priorities. The proposal should demonstrate the need for the effort/activity, and how it relates to the State’s identified priorities. (10%)

Evaluation is based on both of the following:

a. The proposal identifies the relevant State priority(ies).

b. The proposal identifies how the study will address the State priority(ies).

https://water.usgs.gov/wausp/wudr/documents.html

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4. Science and Technology - Relevance to Others. This criterion evaluates the potential for the results (tools developed, methods, approaches) of the proposed study to be applied to or used by other State water resource agencies, academia, etc. This criterion also evaluates the relevance and/or usefulness of the results of the proposed study to USGS programs, databases, and/or studies. The proposal describes how the methods, or technical components developed under the proposed project will be applicable to other states, agencies and or the USGS. (10%)

Evaluation is based on both of the following:

a. The technical tools, data, methods, or products of the proposed study are useful and relevant to other States.

b. The technical tools, data, methods, or products of the proposed study are useful and relevant to USGS programs or studies.

5. Collaboration. This criterion evaluates collaboration with relevant agencies or organizations within or outside the State, and collaboration with USGS Water-Science Center personnel where appropriate. (10%) Evaluation is based on all of the following:

a. The proposal clearly describes collaboration with other State or local agencies during the development of the proposal.

b. The proposal addresses Secretarial priorities (Attachment F, 3b) to improve communication between the U.S. Department of the Interior and State natural resource offices and water authorities through collaboration opportunities with USGS personnel.

c. The proposal identifies collaboration (meetings, coordination, communication, etc.)

with other federal, State, or local agencies that is planned to occur during the project period.

6. Previous Performance and Experience of Principal Investigator and Members of State Team.

This criterion considers experience and competence of the State water resource agency principal investigator and team, and if applicable, the promptness with which the research results were disseminated to the scientific community from previous WUDR funding. When applicable, this factor includes the timely publication of project results and data in peer-reviewed scientific and technical journals or state agency publication or program related website, the impact of the results, and whether reporting requirements from previous USGS awards have been satisfied. Previous Performance includes completion of Federal awards.

(10%) Evaluation is based on all of the following:

a. A resume describing relevant professional experience for the principal investigator is attached.

b. The proposal describes the relevant experience of the team members.

c. The experience of team members is appropriate.

d. Previous projects and publications were completed on time. This includes previous

WUDR project awards, and/or other USGS awards or cooperative agreements.

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10. Reporting Requirements and Instructions

Progress Reports and Final Technical Reports shall describe in detail the work performed and results obtained during the grant period. Final Technical Reports and data are due 90 days after the conclusion of the project period. Any information contained in a previously submitted progress report shall be repeated or restated in the Final Technical Report. All reporting requirements are described in Attachment E Section 5. Reporting Requirements.

Data are to be submitted as machine readable, open format to WUDRP Program Management. All reports are to be submitted as pdf files, and submitted via e-mail attachment to WUDR Program

Management:

Kimberly Shaffer wudr-coordinator@usgs.gov

11. Involvement of Federal Employees

Federal employees, including USGS employees, are prohibited from serving in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any application submitted under this Announcement; federal employees may not assist in the development of proposals or review the proposals. Proposals that have a real or apparent conflict of interest related to Federal employees will not be processed for evaluation. This does not prohibit cooperation or collaboration between USGS and non-USGS scientists once a grant or cooperative agreement is in place; however, Federal employees are not eligible to receive funds associated with this program.

12. Award Terms and Conditions

Award Recipient must comply with award Terms and Conditions (Attachment E). Submittal of an application constitutes the applicant’s acceptance of the terms and conditions for inclusion on any award resulting from their application. Any concerns with the requirements of the Special Terms and Conditions shall be presented to the Contracting Officer at least three (3) days prior to the closing date of the Announcement.

A. No pre-award costs are authorized

B. No-Cost extensions to the project period are discouraged.

C. Project Report. A final technical report and datasets must be completed and submitted to the USGS within 90-days of the end date of the project.

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Attachment A

Data Goals for Major Water-Use Categories

Historically, the USGS has computed water use for all major categories of water use (see table below) and published every 5 years since 1985. Currently, the USGS is building models to predict and forecast water use at greater spatial and temporal scales (HUC12, daily), that are integrated into operational national hydrologic models that consider water availability and ecological and anthropogenic needs.

These guidelines are provided to assist State water resource agencies in determining areas in which to focus proposed work. States that currently meet the data goals for major water-use categories outlined in Tier 1, for a specific water-use category would focus on Tier 2 and/or Tier 3. States are not required to meet Tier 1, in all categories, before addressing Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 data needs. Data collected, and studies conducted in Tiers 1, 2, and 3 should be designed to benefit both local and national estimates and provide information for water availability studies by water managers, academia, federal, and/or local agencies. The definitions of basic water-use terms and categories as used by USGS can be found on the USGS website (https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/water-use-terminology).

In addition to the standards listed in the table, baseline goals for all categories of water use include:

1. Facility or system withdrawals for the following categories: Public Supply, Self-supplied

Industrial, Irrigation-Crop, Thermoelectric, Irrigation-Golf…