A02.12 PWS - Lake Superior Compensating Works Discharge Investigation dated 2025.08.01.docx

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Lake Superior–St Marys Compensating Works Discharge Investigation Great Lakes Adaptive Management Committee

1. BACKGROUND and PURPOSE

On January 16, 2015, the International Joint Commission (IJC) issued a Directive establishing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management (GLAM) Committee which reports to the three Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Boards (Superior, Niagara and Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence Boards). The GLAM Committee is to carry out the required monitoring, modelling and ongoing assessment of the regulation plans and address other questions that may arise due to changing conditions, in consultation with the Boards. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) serves on the GLAM committee as technical representatives.

The outflow of Lake Superior is regulated by the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The board is a binational organization consisting of members from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Canadian technical agencies. The Board of Control uses a regulation plan to determine the outflow from the lake each month. The regulation plan considers the water level on both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron to arrive at a plan discharge. The outflow of the lake is controlled through hydropower facilities, navigation locks and a structure at the head of the St. Marys Rapids referred to as the Compensating Works. This structure functions as a low head dam with 16 gates, eight on each side of the international border. When municipal and industrial, navigation, hydropower, and fisheries flow obligations are met, additional water is released through the Compensating Works until the plan discharge is achieved. The Compensating Works provide discharge to the remainder of the historic St. Marys Rapids and receive the highest priority of discharge up to a required minimum amount.

Prior to the implementation of the International Lake Superior Board of Control Plan 2012, operation of the Compensating Works required a minimum of one-half gate open. This was accomplished by partially opening the middle four gates (gates 7-10) the equivalent of a single half-gate. Additional discharge is achieved with all other gates either open and free-flowing or closed. After the implementation of Plan 2012, the middle four gates were operated the same, however, partial opening of all gates was permitted to achieve a desired discharge. This change was made without formal rating equations for partial gate operation ever being developed. Certainly, tools exist to estimate partial gate discharge, but these were developed without formal study. Information regarding previous formal full gate rating equation development and informal partial gate ratings will be provided by the government.

2. SCOPE

To support the evaluation of Plan 2012, the contractor shall develop rating curves for the Compensating Works, addressing a current gap in formal equations for partial gate operation. Currently, estimations for partial gate discharge exist, but lack the rigor of a dedicated study. This will be achieved through a multi-faceted approach combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, physical model construction, and statistical analysis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will provide essential data, including 3D drawings and historical water level measurements, to support model development and calibration. The project will involve constructing a CFD model of the Compensating Works, in collaboration with the government, to determine discharge through individual gates at varying openings and water levels. The contractor will develop a physical model that will be crucial for validating the CFD model due to the challenges of obtaining sufficient field data. Simultaneously, with technical guidance from the government, the project will focus on determining appropriate empirical equations to model continuously variable gate openings and establishing a framework for a user-friendly tool – such as a chart, lookup table, or equation – for Lake Superior regulators to easily calculate discharge based on gate configuration and water level. Additionally, the contractor will develop a methodology to compute the 95% confidence interval for discharge, ensuring the reliability of the developed rating curves. The project requires site visits for both the Principal Investigator (PI) and statistical modeler, as well as the PI and physical modeler, to facilitate data collection and collaboration. The contractor shall compile the findings and analysis into a final report and presentation.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The following sub-sections supply details of various general requirements for this effort.

3.1 Non-Personal Services

The contractor shall provide strictly non-personal services and contractor employees are not subject to direct supervision and control by the Government. The contractor shall advise and support the Government but shall not make final decisions or certifications on behalf of the Government nor perform any inherently governmental functions. The contractor and its employees shall not represent the Government nor appear to represent the Government in performance of these contract services. Contractor personnel shall clearly identify themselves as contractor employees in all interactions during contract performance.

3.2 Place of Performance

Work will be performed at the contractor’s physical site and locations near the St. Marys Rapids in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.

3.3 Period of Performance

The period of performance is from date of Notice to Proceed (NTP) through eighteen (18) months.

3.4 Materials

All materials bought by the contractor with funds from this task order and used under this task order, become, and remain the property of the Government.

3.5 Travel

Travel for site visit is authorized, no travel for meetings or presentations is anticipated.

3.6 Security and Safety

The work will be UNCLASSIFIED and network or facility access is not required. The contractor(s) will not require a Common Access Card (CAC).

4. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS (TASK AREAS)

Task 1: Project Initiation – The Contractor and the USACE Team shall hold a kickoff call to discuss the scope of work, project timelines, and direction. The Contractor shall hold regular recurring meetings (approximately every 4-6 weeks) with the USACE Team, as mutually agreed. This includes a final meeting to present the Contractor’s findings and a summary of the final report.

Additionally, the Contractor shall conduct a site visit for the co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) and physical/numerical modeler to the Compensating Works. This visit will focus on assessing the environment and gathering information necessary for the physical model construction.

Task 2: Framework Development and Physical Model Construction – The Contractor shall utilize the three-dimensional drawings in Autodesk Revit format (provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) to create the geometry files required for both the physical and CFD models, and construct a physical model of the Compensating Works, ensuring it meets similitude criteria for validating the CFD model. The physical model shall be constructed in such a way that it can be removed from the flume and used at a future date.

The Contractor shall develop a testing strategy and collect velocity and pressure data, as well as any other data necessary to validate a future CFD model.

Additionally, the Contractor shall develop the framework for a practical tool (chart, lookup table, or equations) that Lake Superior regulators can easily use to determine discharge through the Compensating Works based on gate configuration and water level at the NOAA gage S.W. Pier.

The Contractor shall also determine a methodology to compute the 95% confidence interval for discharge through the Compensating Works, based on available parameters, and develop an overarching statistical model framework to support the rating curve development and provide a basis for future updates and refinements.

Task 3: CFD Model Construction – The Contractor shall obtain and review all available data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding previous full-gate rating equation development, informal partial-gate ratings, and historical water level data.

In collaboration with the USACE Team, the Contractor shall determine the scope of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. This includes deciding how many gates will be modeled, balancing computation cost, time, and technical necessity. The Contractor shall Construct the CFD model of the Compensating Works.

Task 4: Simulation and Refinement – Using the CFD model, the Contractor shall simulate discharge through individual gates at various opening percentages and water level combinations to understand partial gate operation and repeat this process incrementally, modeling enough gates until an incremental discharge is determined and a rating for all 16 gates is determined. A minimum of 20 CFD model runs will be required. The Contractor, in coordination with the USACE Team, shall jointly agree on the number of CFD runs exceeding the minimum and the modeled scenarios.

The Contractor shall validate the CFD model using data obtained from the physical model. This will refine the accuracy of the CFD simulations.

Additionally, the Contractor, in coordination with the USACE Team, shall determine the appropriate empirical equations to model continuously variable gate openings and identify the optimal parameters for these equations.

Task 5: Final Report – The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive documentation of the work undertaken throughout the study, including background, all assumptions, methodologies, results, analysis, discussion, and conclusion, in sufficient detail to allow for independent recreation of the study without reliance on the Contractor or USACE Team personnel involved in its execution. This task also includes the development of a manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific publication. The Contractor shall work collaboratively with one to four Government employees—to be designated by the Government—as co-authors on the manuscript.

5. DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

NTP = notice to proceed (entire project is expected to be 18 months)

A testing plan for the CFD and physical models: NTP + 180 days

Framework for operational tool to be used monthly in regulation to include confidence intervals: NTP + 180 days

A physical model of a portion of the Compensating Works that can be removed from and added to the flume in the future: NTP +210 days

A CFD model of the Compensating Works: NTP + 480 days

Data collected in the physical model, especially noting the data used to calibrate the CFD model: NTP + 480 days

Detailed model report/manuscript for peer review publication. The detailed model report will have figures describing model setup, calibration/validation graphs and documentation of all assumptions and choices made: NTP + 540 days

6. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS)

Throughout the review process of the testing plan, acceptable tolerances will be defined and refined by the Government, as appropriate.

Re-perform/correct at no cost to the Government

7. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

This section details the documents that will be available for use for this task order. Many documents exist. The US Government and contractor shall discuss needs and availability. The following documents help describe current operations and data used to make decisions

7.1 Compensating Works Revit Model

With the construction of a new lock at the site that does not affect the Compensating Works footprint, a 3D Autodesk Revit model of Sault St. Marine Locks was developed to include the Compensating Works. A version of this model with the Compensating Works will be available for aid in the development of this study.

7.2 Compensating Works Operational Spreadsheet

This spreadsheet provides guidance on full and partial gate operation.

7.3 Discharge Measurements

This spreadsheet provides acoustic Doppler current profile measurements for selected gate openings.

8. CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE AND/OR TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT (TPOC)

A contracting officer representative (COR) and/or technical point of contact (TPOC) will be appointed on this task order. The COR and TPOC have no authority to direct the contractor in any way to alter the contractual obligation. The contracting officer is the only individual authorized to make changes to the contract.