Foa_Content_of_G26AS00002_v2-6-26.pdf

U.S. Geological Survey

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, National Ground-Water Monitoring Network

Funding Opportunity Number

G26AS00002

Table of Contents

BASIC INFORMATION

ELIGIBILITY

Cost Sharing Requirement

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals

Program Description

Legislative Authority

Type of Award

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Content and Format

Application Documents

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

Address to Request Application Package

Submission Dates and Times

Submission Instructions

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Eligibility Review

Merit Review

Review and Selection Process

Risk Review

AWARD NOTICES

POST AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

Administration and National Policy Requirements

Reporting

BASIC INFORMATION

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: G26AS00002

Assistance Listing Number(s): 15.980

Estimated Total Program Funding: $900,000

Expected Number of Awards: 20

Award Ceiling: $300,000

Award Floor: $5,000

Cost Sharing Required?

No Closing Date Explanation Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.

OMB Control Number:

Have Questions?

For program administration assistance, contact:

First Name:

Sara

Last Name:

Roser

Address:

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Mailstop 205, Reston, Virginia, 20192

Telephone:

703-648-7357

Email:

sroser@usgs.gov

Email contact is preferred.

For program technical assistance, contact:

First Name:

Rod

Last Name:

Caldwell

Address:

3162 Bozeman Avenue, Helena, Montana, 59601

Telephone:

406-461-6931

Email:

caldwell@usgs.gov

Email contact is preferred.

For Grants.gov technical registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages, contact:

Name:

Grants.gov Customer Support

Telephone:

1-800-518-4726

Email:

Support@grants.gov

Executive Summary The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program of the USGS is offering a cooperative agreement funding opportunity to States, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, or local water-resources agencies that collect groundwater data to participate in the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network. The USGS is working to develop and administer the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN). This funding opportunity is to support data providers for the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network.

Legal authority for this opportunity is provided under Public Law 111-11, Subtitle F—Secure Water: Section 9507 “Water Data Enhancement by the United States Geological Survey,” as amended in 2024 by Public Law 118-174. Funds will be used to support connecting new data providers to the Network and to support existing data providers to maintain persistent data service and to enhance the NGWMN.

The funding available for this Program Announcement is expected to be up to $900,000 for Federal FY2026. This estimate does not bind the USGS to a specific number of awards or to the amount of any individual award. Congress has not yet provided full-year FY2026 funding for USGS, so awards cannot be made until that funding is appropriated. Work performance under these awards must be completed within the two-year cycle from the start date. The timing of funds availability and the signing of the award will determine the start date. Individual applications are restricted to a funding level of $150,000 for a one-year project or $300,000 for a two-year project. Funding for routine work under Objective 2A to maintain persistent data services is limited to $20,000 per year. However, agencies serving more than 500 sites can apply for up to $40,000 per year for Objective 2A work. Substantial involvement of the USGS is anticipated to provide support to new data providers during the site selection and classification process and to establish web services that interact with the NGWMN Data Portal. USGS will provide guidance to existing data providers on techniques for collection of site information, on well maintenance activities, and on well drilling to support development of the NGWMN.

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

All projects must propose a start date between September 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026.

Please see Program Overview for more details.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible Applicants State governments

County governments

City or township governments

Special district governments

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant eligibility:

Applicants can be State, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, or local water-resource agencies which collect groundwater data. State government agencies that are part of a public university system are eligible to apply under the University authority. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply for NGWMN Cooperative Agreements funding. Funds from the projects cannot be distributed to Federal agencies to act as a contractor. Agencies that are partnering with the local USGS Water Science Center to collect water-level or water-quality data as part of a Cooperative Matching Funds project are considered current data providers and are eligible for funding under Objectives 3-6 to enhance the NGWMN. Discussion and coordination with USGS NGWMN staff are encouraged; however, USGS personnel are prohibited from helping an organization directly prepare its application for competitive funding.

Agencies cannot propose work under Objectives 4, 5, or 6 in a proposal to become a new data provider (Objective 1).

Proposal eligibility:

The following items will result in a proposal or work under the related objective being deemed ineligible:

• Objectives that are missing detailed budgets

• Proposals from data providers working with a local USGS Cooperative Matching Funds project to collect groundwater data that are missing a letter of support from the local USGS Water Science Center

• Proposals with a funding request that exceeds award limits

• Objectives that contract with U.S. Government agencies to perform work

Excluded Parties: USGS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. USGS cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

• The following proposals are ineligible for consideration under this Announcement:

• Proposals from U.S. Government agencies or U.S. Government employees

• Proposals from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC)

• Proposals principally involving the direct procurement of a product, equipment, or service not used for data collection

Cost Sharing Requirement Cost Sharing Required?

No In-kind services cost-share guidelines

Although not required, in-kind services cost sharing is used to create partnerships to meet the goals of building and enhancing the NGWMN. This allows agencies to contribute work they are doing at NGWMN sites to match the Federal funding provided for the NGWMN. Only work performed at NGWMN sites or potential new NGWMN sites (well drilling) can be used as in-kind services. This can include the costs of collecting water-level or water-quality data at sites that are part of the NGWMN.

In-kind services are not required for work proposed under Objectives 1, 2 or 3 because work done under these objectives is of benefit primarily to the NGWMN.

While no specific match rate is required, a match of agency in-kind services to USGS funding of at least 25% is suggested to indicate applicant’s commitment to a project by showing that it has invested its own resources. The formula for calculating the match percent is: ((match costs) / (match costs + USGS Funding)) * 100.

Proposed work on Objectives 4-6 that does not provide at least 25% match will be scored lower during proposal evaluation.

For Objective 6, in-kind match is limited to supplies and equipment only. Salary and travel are not considered as part of the in-kind match for Objective 6.

Since each objective is scored independently during review, in-kind services cost sharing must be provided separately for each objective. Include in-kind services cost sharing in the detailed budget for each objective and provide details similar to that required for work to be funded by the USGS. List the individuals or contractors who will be doing the work and each individual task they will be doing.

Examples of in-kind resource match are salaries, contracts for work supported under this proposal, contractual support, travel expenses, software purchase, equipment or supplies used for the project, and indirect costs or overhead charges. Agency activities related to operation and maintenance of NGWMN sites that are a part of their current (local agency) network can be used as in-kind services match. This can be either the collection of water-level data for a NGWMN site or water-quality sampling of a NGWMN site. Work to perform quality assurance of data at NGWMN sites can also be used as in-kind services match. Drilling work used as match can only be for wells that will be added to the NGWMN. The need for these wells should be described in the same detail required for other NGWMN sites. Their benefit to the NGWMN needs to be demonstrated. All in-kind service activities must occur during the performance period of the project.

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 the following criteria:

• Verifiable from the recipient's 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

• 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.

Third-party in-kind services can include work done by another State, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, or local agency in support of your project provided it meets the same limitations listed for applicant in-kind services.

The 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 detailed budget breakdown.

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov Registration

Before applying, all applicants except individuals applying as a natural person must be registered in SAM.gov. During the SAM.gov registration the entity will obtain their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

The SAM.gov registration process can take several months. If your organization is not already registered in SAM.gov, begin the registration process as soon as possible.

To register in SAM.gov, go to the SAM.gov website and use the available resources to complete registration.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

• Financial assistance registrants must review and certify compliance with the SAM.gov “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications”.

• Already registered? You already have a Unique Entity ID. Before applying, check that your “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications” on SAM.gov is complete. Remember to renew your registration every year to keep it active while you have an award or application in progress. You can update your registration whenever you need, including during renewal.

• Need help? For additional information and contact information on the SAM.gov Help page.

GRANTS.GOV

This program accepts applications through Grants.gov so once you receive your UEI return to Grants.gov to register with Grants.gov. Please allow 30 days to register and set up a Workspace in Grants.gov. See Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals

• The focus and goal of the Network is on long-term data collected at a sufficient frequency to determine seasonal and long-term effects. Water-level and water-quality data from both wells and springs are included in the NGWMN. The NGWMN allows water managers to share their water-level and water-quality monitoring data to help monitor current conditions and avoid future water conflicts that may result from changes in the environment.

Program Description The National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN) is designed to be a compilation of selected wells and springs from existing monitoring efforts to create a network to assess long-term water-level and water-quality trends at a national scale. The National Ground-Water Monitoring Network is presented in the document ‘A National Framework for Ground-Water Monitoring in the United States’ and is available at: https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/doc/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf

The NGWMN focuses on monitoring groundwater in the Nation’s most productive aquifers. The Network is designed primarily to help answer questions of groundwater availability at a principal or major aquifer scale. The NGWMN focuses on serving data at actively monitored sites to help answer current groundwater availability questions. To create a unified network, field and data management techniques need to be as consistent as possible and sites need to be selected and classified in a common manner. In addition, site density in the Network should be consistent at the principal and major aquifer scale. The Well Density Table has the recommended well densities for each state and principal aquifer.

The NGWMN serves data from the data providers’ databases. To accomplish this, the data providers must set up and maintain persistent web services for their databases. The data elements from these web services are mapped to the Portal elements so that data can be retrieved to answer questions at a regional scale that crosses data provider boundaries.

https://sam.gov/content/help https://sam.gov/content/help https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/doc/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/doc/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/principal-aquifers-united-states https://www.usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/learnmore.jsp#getInvolved

Network Policies, Standards and Procedures

The requirements for the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network are described in the National Ground-Water Management Framework Document, which is available online at:

https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/doc/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf.

“Tip Sheets” are available to provide guidance related to the NGWMN and can be found at:

https://www.usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/learnmore.jsp under the ‘Resources” tab. The tip sheets are a quick reference for data providers on the following topics:

Well Selection Criteria for Water Levels

Well Selection Criteria for Water Quality

Defining the Subnetwork

Defining Monitoring Categories

Populating the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry

Minimum Data Requirements for Candidate sites

Web Service Development

Water-Quality Web Services

These tip sheets should be used as guidance during all projects. For new data provider projects, they contain information on well selection and classification, minimum requirements for NGWMN sites, adding sites to the NGWMN, and guidelines on web services. For projects with existing data providers, they contain information on density guidelines and criteria for NGWMN sites.

Both Well Selection tip sheets reference a spreadsheet that lists well densities for the NGWMN by Principal Aquifer and State. Applicants should consult the Well Density Table before they propose adding new wells to the NGWMN or drilling new wells to enhance the Network.

Objectives

The NGWMN is providing financial support for six objectives described in this section. The type of work supported under each objective is described in this section. The requirements that need to be included in the proposal for each objective are described in section “Prepare Your Application” of this program announcement. Proposed work outside these objectives will not be funded.

If an agency is applying as a new data provider, then the ‘Support to become a new data provider’ objective must be completed before work can begin on any other objectives. During the second year of a new data provider project, the applicant can propose work under Objectives 2 and 3 that begins once the Objective 1 work is planned to be completed. New data provider proposals may not propose work under Objectives 4, 5, or 6.

Costs (salary, travel, chemical analysis, etc.) associated with the actual collection of water-level https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wl_criteria_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wq_criteria_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_subnetwork_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_monitoring_categories_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_monitoring_location_registry_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_minimum_data_elements_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_webservices_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wq_webservices_tipsheet.pdf or water-quality data is not supported under any objective. However, those costs can be included as in-kind services.

Equipment is defined as tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the recipient or subrecipient for financial statement purposes, or $10,000. A quote is required for any single piece of equipment that costs $10,000 or more. If an individual item is valued at less than $10,000, it is considered a supply.

Purchase of monitoring equipment or supplies is limited to continuous water-level monitoring equipment under Objectives 5 or 6. Purchase of downhole cameras, geophysical logging equipment, or GPS equipment is not supported under any objective. However, reasonable costs for renting equipment while it is used for work on NGWMN sites is allowed. Costs to purchase these items may be used as agency in-kind services.

Work under Objectives 1 and 2 is designated as work to support the NGWMN. Work under Objectives 3-6 is designated as work to enhance the NGWMN. Applicants applying for work to enhance the network under Objectives 3-6 are encouraged to either have an active Persistent Data Services project or apply for one as part of the proposal. Work under Objectives 3-6 can only be funded if data is flowing to the NGWMN.

Objective 1: Support to become a new data provider

This objective provides funding to perform work necessary to become a data provider to the NGWMN. The agency will select and classify sites from their existing networks for inclusion in the NGWMN. They will provide data from agency databases to the NGWMN Portal by creating new web services or repurposing existing web services. They will document field and data management practices specific to their agency so that users of the NGWMN data have information on the quality of data from the varied sources. A brief report summarizing the work to become a new data provider is required.

Ideally, work to become a new data provider would be completed in year one of a two-year project but may continue into a second year if necessary. Note that no other objectives may be initiated on the project until the ‘Support to become a new data provider’ objective is complete.

Web services established in this objective are how agency data are shared with the NGWMN Data Portal. Guidance for setting up the web services is available in the Web Service Development tip sheet. The web services must return the minimum data elements as described in the Minimum Data Requirements for Candidate sites Tip Sheet. The service must return the data in XML format. We encourage, but do not require the use of data standards for the XML web services that are established. These include: WaterML2 for water-levels, GWML2 for lithology and construction information, and WQX for water quality data.

For water-level network sites, separate web services are required to serve water-level, well-construction, and lithology data.

For water-quality network sites, water-quality data can be provided by either setting up new web services or by making the data available through the USEPA's Water Quality Exchange. New https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_webservices_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_webservices_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_minimum_data_elements_tip_sheet.pdf https://www.ogc.org/standards/waterml https://www.ogc.org/standards/gwml2 https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/water-quality-data https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange data providers are encouraged to provide data through the Water Quality Exchange as this makes the data available to the NWQMC Water-Quality Data Portal, which can be used to provide the data to the NGWMN. If web services are used to serve the water-quality data instead, they should follow the guidelines in the Water-Quality Web Services Tip Sheet and use of the WQX standard is encouraged. In either case, separate web services are required for water-level, well construction, lithology, and water-quality data (if not provided through the USEPA Water Quality Exchange).

If using USEPA's Water Quality Exchange, data providers would need to regularly upload their data to ensure that recent data are available.

During the site selection and classification portion of the project, providers may identify sites that would be beneficial to the NGWMN but are missing some required data elements. These sites can be added to the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry but should not yet be displayed on the Portal (Display Flag set to ‘N’). These sites will then be eligible for funding under Objective 3 to fill the site information gaps. If all sites have missing data elements, work to fill those gaps for selected wells may be proposed under Objective 3 in a project to become a new data provider. This gap filling work would be done in year two of a new data provider project.

Software purchases or license fees to support delivery of NGWMN data via web services are supported. However, software purchases or license fees related to storage of agency data, routine processing, and/or quality assurance of data are not supported.

Travel costs are not supported for work under Objective 1.

Objective 2: Support persistent data service from existing data providers

This objective provides funding to perform activities necessary to maintain persistent data services from agency databases to the NGWMN Portal and to support work to add new sites to the network and upgrade or improve web services. Work under this objective can consist of two parts that will require separate budgets and workplans and will be evaluated separately.

Part 2A: Work under Part 2A is to support data providers to keep the sites and information in the NGWMN current and to maintain the database connections (web services) to the NGWMN Data Portal. In most cases, support for this work is limited to a maximum of $20,000 per year.

Agencies that serve more than 500 sites to the NGWMN may request additional funding above this level to accommodate the additional sites. This additional funding must be explained and justified in the work plan and cannot exceed $40,000 per year.

Activities supported under Objective 2A are:

• Maintain web services that provide data to the portal

• Fix issues with the services so that data continues to flow to the NGWMN Data Portal

• Verify that data is flowing to the NGWMN Data Portal at least once every three months

• Keep the list of sites in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry up to date o Remove sites that are no longer active o Add new replacement sites to the NGWMN o Resolve issues with duplication of NGWMN sites http://www.waterqualitydata.us/ http://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf

• Expand the number of sites in the NGWMN. This may include selecting sites for a Principal Aquifer that was not part of the data provider’s original project. This can support selecting and classifying the new sites and adding the sites to the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry. Adding less than 20 new sites to the NGWMN must be done under Objective 2A. Expansion of sites under Objective 2B should be for 20 or more new sites

• Keep metadata for NGWMN sites in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry up to date

• Provide updates to the NGWMN Data Provider page

Part 2B: Work supported under Part 2B allows agencies to apply for funding to support additional work described below. There is no funding limit on this additional work beyond the annual and project limits ($150,000 for a one-year project or $300,000 for a two-year project).

This additional work may include:

• Upgrade web services in conjunction with major agency database upgrades

• Add new fields to existing services that have recently been requested by the NGWMN

Portal staff

• Upgrade existing services to provide data using established XML data standards

(WaterML2, GWML, or WQX)

• Modify existing water-quality services to meet guidelines in the Water-Quality Web

Services Tip Sheet

• Modify existing databases to store fields required as Minimum Data Elements by the

NGWMN and modify existing web services to serve these new fields

• Expand web services. This can include adding new web services that were not originally set up when the agency became a data provider. For example, an agency that currently provides only water-level data could use this objective to add a web service to serve water-quality data

• Expand the number of sites in the NGWMN. This may include selecting sites for a Principal Aquifer that was not part of the data provider’s original project. This can support selecting and classifying the new sites and adding the sites to the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry. Adding less than 20 new sites to the NGWMN must be done under Objective 2A. Expansion of sites under Objective 2B should be for 20 or more new sites

Software purchases and license fees to support delivery of NGWMN data via web services are supported. However, software purchases or license fees related to storage of agency data or routine processing of data are not supported. Quality assurance of routinely collected data is not supported.

Travel costs are not supported for work under Objective 2.

Objective 3: Filling gaps in information at NGWMN sites

This objective provides funding to perform work necessary to fill metadata gaps in the required data elements listed in the NGWMN Minimum Data Requirements for Candidate Sites tip sheet.

https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wq_criteria_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wq_criteria_tip_sheet.pdf https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_minimum_data_elements_tip_sheet.pdf

The work may include data entry from available sources or field data collection efforts that fill metadata gaps.

For existing data providers, work to fill site information gaps can only be proposed for sites that are in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry on the closing date of the funding opportunity. A table of sites for which work is proposed must be included in the proposal and should include the NGWMN ID for each site.

New data providers can propose work for year two of a two-year proposal that they know will need to be done at all sites prior to entry into the NGWMN. The specific sites do not need to be listed, since they have not been selected yet.

Examples of supported site information gap-filling activities include:

• Data collection to fill metadata gaps o Sounding wells to determine depth o Well logging to determine well construction details including screen intervals, casing diameter and depth, etc. Logging can include downhole camera surveys o Well logging to determine lithology o GPS or leveling of land surface altitude and/or measuring points at wells or springs o GPS update of latitude/longitude at wells or springs o Entry of all applicable data collected under this objective into agency databases and the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry

• Data entry to fill metadata or NGWMN data gaps

• Entry of lithologic data from paper files

• Entry of well construction data from paper files

• Entry of historical water-level or water-quality data for NGWMN sites into current agency databases

Data collection techniques and quality assurance methods for data collected under this objective should be described in the Data Management Plan submitted with the proposal.

Reasonable equipment rental and travel costs are allowed. Software purchases to analyze data collected during the project are supported.

Objective 4: Site maintenance

This objective provides funding to perform maintenance work on wells or springs in the NGWMN to ensure that data are of high quality. The work may include well redevelopment, well rehabilitation or repair, periodic pumping to ensure connection to the aquifer, or aquifer/ slug testing of the well to quantify aquifer connection. Other maintenance activities can include replacing shelters, installing protective casing, or installing fencing to protect the site. Work that helps ensure the quality of the data or helps protect the site so that data may be collected will be considered under this objective.

Site maintenance tasks can only be done at sites that are in the NGWMN Monitoring Location

Registry on the closing date of the funding opportunity. A table and map of sites for which work is proposed must be included in the proposal.

Landscaping or brush clearing to improve site access is not supported under this objective.

Construction of pathways to improve site access is also not allowed.

Examples of supported site maintenance activities include:

• Well redevelopment

• Periodic pumping of observation wells to assess/maintain connection to aquifer

• Well-integrity testing

• Borehole camera investigations to determine site status

• Well rehabilitation or repair

• Well shelter replacement or repair

• Installation of protective surface casing at wells

• Fencing or other measures to secure the site

Data collection techniques and quality assurance methods for data collected under this objective should be described in the Data Management Plan submitted with the proposal.

Reasonable equipment rental and travel costs are allowed. Software purchases to analyze data collected during the project are supported.

Objective 5: Well drilling

This objective provides funding to install wells to enhance or maintain the NGWMN. Well installation may include replacement wells for existing NGWMN sites or installation of wells at new locations that fill spatial gaps in the NGWMN Network.

Sites that are to be replaced under this objective must be an existing data collection site in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry. A table and map of the sites proposed for replacement must be included in the proposal and should include the NGWMN ID for each well. Sites that are to be drilled to fill new gaps in the NGWMN do not need to be in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry.

Drilling shall be done by qualified and licensed agency staff or by using a licensed contract driller. All state drilling requirements must be met. Well drilling activities cannot be contracted to the USGS. In addition, USGS staff cannot be contracted to serve in any role in the drilling operations using NGWMN cooperative agreement funds.

Data collection at new wells to obtain minimum data elements for the NGWMN is allowed under this objective. This can include geophysical logging, GPS surveys, and well integrity testing.

New or replacement wells that will be added to the Water-Level Subnetwork must be equipped with continuous water-level monitoring equipment and put into the 'Trend' Monitoring Frequency category. Purchase and installation of continuous water level monitoring equipment (as outlined under Objective 6) can also be done under Objective 5 for the new wells constructed under this objective.

For replacement of NGWMN sites that are owned by the agency, proper abandonment of the well being replaced is encouraged to be included as part of the project. Work to abandon the wells being replaced is eligible for funding under Objective 5. All state requirements for proper well closure and abandonment must be met.

Data collection and quality assurance techniques for data collected under this objective should be described in the Data Management Plan submitted with the proposal.

Reasonable costs for cultural surveys, supplies, equipment rental, and travel costs needed for well drilling may be included under this objective. Software purchases needed to analyze data collected during drilling are supported.

Objective 6: Purchase of equipment to support continuous water-level data collection

This objective supports the purchase and installation of water-level monitoring equipment and supplies for NGWMN continuous water-level monitoring at Trend sites. Once every five years, replacement equipment may be purchased at current NGWMN sites with continuous data collection. Equipment may also be purchased under Objective 6 to upgrade the water-level monitoring frequency at existing NGWMN sites from discrete to continuous data collection. This could be for NGWMN Trend sites with only quarterly or monthly discrete data collected or to equip an existing NGWMN Surveillance site to be a Trend monitoring site. Cellular modems and satellite telemetry equipment may also be purchased under Objective 6.

Equipment that is at least 5 years old at the time of the proposed project start date qualifies for equipment replacement funding. Sites where equipment is to be replaced under this objective must be in the NGWMN Monitoring Location Registry on the closing date of the funding opportunity.

Equipment and supplies purchases can include data loggers, pressure transducers, cables, cellular modems, telemetry systems, and other equipment required to collect continuous water-level data.

Vented cables may be purchased for each well. Alternatively, barometric pressure logging equipment may be installed at select sites to provide the barometric data needed to correct the data when using non-vented transducers. Ideally, barometric pressure logging equipment should be installed in locations where the data can be used to do corrections on multiple wells located nearby.

Funding for this objective is subject to per well limits on equipment purchases. These limits cover the total cost of the pressure transducer, datalogger, cables, telemetry systems, and related equipment. The equipment and supply limit is set at $4,000 per well before the addition of indirect costs. Costs for equipment and supplies that exceeds the limits above can be used as in-kind match. Actual costs for equipment and supplies must be justified. Any proposed equipment purchase that equals or exceeds $10,000 must include a manufacturer's quote showing the description of the item and the cost.

This objective can be used to cover equipment and supply purchase costs. Funding for cell service or satellite service fees to obtain telemetered data is not eligible under this objective but can be included as in-kind match under this objective.

Federal funds for Objective 6 can only be requested for equipment and supplies. Travel and salary costs are not supported for work under Objective 6.

Legislative Authority Legal authority for this opportunity is provided under Public Law 111-11, Subtitle F—Secure Water: Section 9507 “Water Data Enhancement by the United States Geological Survey,” as amended in 2024 by Public Law 118-174. Funds will be used to support connecting new data providers to the Network and to support existing data providers to maintain persistent data service and to enhance the NGWMN.

Type of Award Projects will be funded through CA (Cooperative Agreement).

Recipient should expect the Federal agency to have substantial involvement in the project.

Substantial involvement of the USGS is anticipated to provide support to new data providers during the site selection and classification process and to establish web services that interact with the NGWMN Data Portal. USGS will provide guidance to existing data providers on techniques for collection of site information, on well maintenance activities, and on well drilling to support development of the NGWMN.

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Content and Format

Application Documents Applicants must submit the following forms with their application as specified below.

Instructions for accessing and submitting application forms are provided in the Submission Instructions section of this document below. For instructions on completing form fields, see the form instructions on the Grants.gov Forms Repository.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

Note: For applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Representative’s signature (or electronic equivalent) on the Application for Federal Assistance form also represents their certification of the statements in Appendix A to 43 CFR 18-Certification Regarding Lobbying

Required from all applicants

SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs Required for non-construction projects https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository.html https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement

SF-424C: Budget Information – Construction Programs Required for well drilling construction projects only

SF-424D: Budget Information – Assurances for Construction Programs

Required for well drilling construction projects only

Project Abstract Summary (OMB 4040-0019). Must include, in plain language:

• Award purpose,

• Activities to be performed,

• Expected deliverables or outcomes,

• Intended beneficiaries, Subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award)

Required from all applicants

DOI Research and Development (R&D) – Current and Pending (Other) Support Note: This form is available on the DOI website. Applicants must download the form and include the completed form as an application attachment.

Required for research projects.

DOI Research and Development (R&D) – Biographical Sketch Note: This form is available on the DOI website. Applicants must download the form and include the completed form as an application attachment.

Required for research projects.

Project Narrative The items described below in items A through I should be included in the application package as the ‘Project Narrative Attachment Form.’ Failure to comply with the required application components listed below may result in the proposal being rejected.

The proposal (item B below) shall not exceed 20 single-spaced pages, and the type size shall not be smaller than 12 points. 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. Items A through I as described below shall be combined in one document, in the order noted below, and submitted through Grants.gov in Adobe PDF format. The figures, tables, required maps, overall project budget, detailed budgets for objectives, timelines for objectives, data management plan, staff qualifications, letters of support, the NGWMN proposal checklist, and the negotiated rate agreement (if required) should also be included in the combined document but do not count toward the page limit. Figures and tables should have numbers and captions.

The items described below in items A through I below should be included in the application package as the ‘Project Narrative Attachment Form.'

A. Proposal Information Summary B. Proposal C. Overall Project Budget D. Detailed Budget for each objective E. Timeline for each objective https://www.doi.gov/grants/policies-and-guidance https://www.doi.gov/grants/policies-and-guidance

F. Data Management Plan G. Staff Qualifications H. Supporting Letters I. NGWMN Proposal Checklist

A. Proposal Information Summary

Provide a summary of the proposal using the format shown in Attachment A-Proposal Information Summary Format. The project title should not exceed 80 characters. The project title should be the same as that used in the title box of Form SF-424. List a single Technical Contact/Principal Investigator for the proposed work. Provide a start date for the proposed work sometime in the period from September 1st, 2026, through September 30th, 2026.

B. Proposal

The proposal should include background information about your agency and network, a summary of your planned project, and a detailed description of the project with a separate section for each objective that is part of the project (see guidance below).

The page limit for the proposal section is 20 pages. Maps and tables in proposal should be numbered and referenced in the text. Tables and figures can appear in the proposal, at the end of the proposal, or in an appendix. Maps and tables do not count towards the page limit.

Tables of sites at which fieldwork is proposed must be included and should include the NGWMN site number, the Principal Aquifer, and the well depth. A listing of specific work proposed at each well and the estimated cost is recommended.

Maps of sites where specific work is proposed need to be included. If maps do not show the entire state, include an inset map. All maps should include a north arrow, scale bar, explanation, and figure caption. Label the sites on the map using NGWMN site number or index number if possible. Include USGS Principal Aquifers on the map(s). Data layers with the Principal Aquifers and Aquifers of Alluvial and Glacial Origin are available at:

Principal Aquifers of the United States

Aquifers of Alluvial and Glacial Origin

Do not include links to data or information on a website as part of your proposal. If the content is important, include it in the proposal. We will not consider any information from referenced websites as part of the proposal evaluation process. The only exception to this is that you may include links to references for methods you propose to use as part of your proposal.

Include references for methods used to perform work on NGWMN sites or describe the methods you will be using in detail. You may include links to the references for the methods used.

There should be a consistency between the workplan, detailed budget, and timeline for each objective. Tasks described in the workplan should be included in the detailed budget and the timeline for each objective.

The proposal should be thoroughly proofread and reviewed by a staff member other than the author to ensure the proposal is free of errors and is complete.

a. Background information https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/principal-aquifers-united-states https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquifer/principal/aquifrp025_nt00003.tar.gz https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquifer/alluv-glac/alvaqfp025_nt00171.tar.gz

Provide supporting information about your agency, monitoring networks, and your database and IT infrastructure. Because membership on the NGWMN Program Board that evaluates the proposals may change from year to year, all proposals should have this information included so that it is available during proposal review. Describe your network and your involvement with the NGWMN in enough detail so that new Board members have the necessary background to evaluate your current proposal. Each proposal should stand on its own and not rely on background information included in previous proposals. The following items should be addressed:

• Description of Agency primary purpose. Give a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) of your agency and its primary purpose.

• Description of the Agency’s existing monitoring networks. Provide a detailed description of existing monitoring networks relevant to the needs of the NGWMN. Describe how the data are used to support your agency monitoring goals. Identify the USGS principal or major aquifers that are monitored.

• Describe projects with the NGWMN. Describe recent (past 5 years) and currently active projects with the NGWMN, if any. Summarize your involvement with the Network.

Indicate the number of sites your agency is currently providing to the NGWMN. Provide a table listing funding for recent projects. Indicate if the project has been completed or will be active during the performance period of the proposed work.

Format for Recent and Active Projects table (below).

Objectives Year Award Number

1 2A 2B 3 4 5 6

Completed or Active Other Relevant Information Funding Amount

• Description of Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure. Describe the databases used to store data at your agency and the web server infrastructure if applicable. Briefly describe current data sharing applications, services, or websites. Discuss security requirements or limitations.

• Description of data provided through another agency. Agencies that provide data to the NGWMN by supplying it through another agency for delivery should provide details on:

What data is collected, the agreement for how data is shared, how the data is collected and quality assured by the providing agency, how the data is supplied to the delivering agency, and contact information for the agency providing the data. A letter of support from the providing agency is required and should include the elements listed above.

b. Project Summary

Provide a concise summary of the project that includes the following:

• Statement of the overall purpose of the project. List the objectives that are included as part of the project.

• Briefly list the work to be performed under each objective (1-2 sentences per objective)

• Briefly describe the project deliverables and expected outcomes (one paragraph)

• Describe work that will be done by contractors or performed by another agency

c. Project Description

Provide a workplan with details on each objective for which you are applying. Describe the need for the proposed work and the benefits to the NGWMN. List all tasks required to complete the work. For each task, justify the need for the work, the methods that will be used to do the work, and the staff that will be doing the work. Include either detailed descriptions of the methods that are proposed or provide references for the methods you will be using. For field work, indicate the number of staff that will be in the field each day for each task.

• Describe the need for the work

• State the benefits of the work to the NGWMN

• Provide a detailed list of tasks needed to complete the work o Describe the need for each task o Describe the work that needs to be done o Provide methods/approach to complete the work (if applicable), provide references if possible o Indicate who will be doing the work

• The list of tasks should be the same as that shown in the detailed budget and timeline for the objective

• Task descriptions should include details on staffing, travel, contracts, etc. to explain or support items in the detailed budget

The workplan should include the items listed below for each applicable objective.

Objective 1: Support to become a new data provider

Include a map of the potential sites that new NGWMN sites will be selected from. This map should include existing sites in the NGWMN (those contributed by other agencies) and the Principal Aquifers of the United States. If some of the wells are in glacial aquifers, include the ‘Aquifer of Alluvial and Glacial Origin’ as well.

The following tasks should be included in the workplan for this objective for a new data provider. For each task indicate who will be doing the work:

• Select sites for the NGWMN. Describe the available sites and why they are appropriate for the NGWMN. Select appropriate sites for the NGWMN according to criteria in the NGWMN Framework document, the Well Selection Criteria for Water Levels and Well Selection Criteria for Water Quality tip sheets, the Minimum Data Requirements tip sheet, and the Well Density Table.

• Classify sites into Subnetworks and Monitoring Categories: Classify sites as described in the NGWMN Framework document and Defining the Subnetwork and Defining Monitoring Categories tip sheets https://usgs.gov/apps/ngwmn/remote-content/content/tipsheets/ngwmn_wl_criteria_tip_sheet.pdf…