PKG00255499-instructions.pdf

FY 2020 NGWMN Program Announcement – G20AS00009

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United States Geological Survey

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program National Ground-Water Monitoring Network

Proposals for Cooperative Agreements – Fiscal Year 2020 Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity G20AS00009

Closing Date: January 17, 2020

4 pm, Eastern Standard 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 purpose of the program is to support data providers to the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network. The Network provides groundwater data from Principal Aquifers at a regional or National scale to assist in assessing ground water resources. Response to this request is required to obtain and retain a cooperative agreement under the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network. Public report burden for this collection is estimated to average 30 hours per agreement and 125 hours to prepare a final technical report. The OMB Control Number is 1028-0114 for this information collection; the expiration date is September 30, 2021. Direct comments regarding this collection of information may be sent to the Bureau Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS807, Reston VA 20192.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY VIA

http://www.grants.gov

SEE INSTRUCTIONS

http://www.grants.gov/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT CHANGES .................................................................. ii

POINTS TO REMEMBER ................................................................................................ iii

National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Cooperative Agreements

1. Application Submission Closing Date

2. Electronic Application Requirement

3. Award Description

4. National Ground-Water Monitoring Network

5. Eligibility Information

A. Applicant eligibility

B. Topic eligibility

C. Proposal eligibility

D. Unsuitable Proposals

6. Objectives

7. Network Policies, Standards and Procedures

8. Multi-year proposals

9. In-Kind Services Cost-Share Guidelines

10. Final Project Report

11. Application Preparation Instructions

A. Proposal Information Summary

B. Proposal

Objective 1: Support to become a new data provider

Objective 2: Support persistent data service from existing data providers

Objective 3: Filling gaps in information at NGWMN sites

Objective 4: Well maintenance

Objective 5: Well drilling

C. Overall Budget and Detailed Budget for each Objective

D. Timeline for each Objective

E. Data Management Plan

F. Supporting Letters

12. Rejection of Applications after Initial Review

13. Application Evaluation Procedure and Criteria

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14. Involvement of Federal Employees

15. Award Terms and Conditions

Attachment A - Proposal Information Summary Template

Attachment B – Example budgets

Attachment C - National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Terms and Conditions

Attachment D – Secretarial Priorities for Financial Assistance

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PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT CHANGES

Multiple changes have been implemented in this Program Announcement. The primary changes include:

Front Pages

• Revised Points to Remember section to emphasize the most important items

Award Description

• Increased amount allowed for routine Objective 2 work to $20,000 per year

• Removed $135,000 per year limit on work under Objectives 1, 3, 4, and 5. Still must meet $150,000 per year limit National Ground-Water Monitoring Network

• Clarified that well-density should apply at the Principal/Major aquifer level

• Included link to spreadsheet of suggested densities

Eligibility Information

• Specified that funding cannot be used to purchase land or obtain easements for site access

• Added section on Proposal eligibility

• Moved notes in Section 9 on Unsuitable Proposals into this section

Objectives

• Increased limit for basic work under Objective 2 to $20,000 per year

• Objective 1 now only applies to agencies becoming a new data provider

• Moved work to add many sites or new web services from Objective 1 to Objective

• Allows work under Objective 2 to keep agency Data Provider pages updated

Network Policies

• Added link to spreadsheet of well densities. Applicants should consult this before proposing adding new wells to the NGWMN Multi-year proposals

• Clarified that annual funding cannot exceed $150,000 and that the maximum funding for a project is $300,000. The annual limits apply to both active work under existing awards and work included in a proposal submitted for this round of funding.

In-Kind Services Cost-Share Guidelines

• Revised match requirements for Objectives 1 and 2. Match is no longer required for work under Objectives 1 or 2

• Added statement that work used as match should be done at NGWMN sites or sites that will be added to the NGWMN

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• Specified that well drilling used as match should be described in the same way as funded drilling activities and all wells drilled as match must be added to the

NGWMN

Final Project Report

• Added a section describing the Final Project Report. This was previously included in Attachment C, ‘National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Terms and Conditions’

Application Preparation Instructions

• Provided additional details on what is needed on maps

• Clarified use of links to address references for methods

• Added a request for a table showing funding for NGWMN agreements (past and current proposal) by objective

• Match is no longer required for Objectives 1 and 2

• Objective 1 is only to support new data providers

• Objective 2- Persistent Data Services o Added work to provide updates to Data Provider pages as a supported task o Moved work to add many sites or new web services by existing data providers into Objective 2

• Objective 4- Well Maintenance o Emphasized that wells need to be in the Well Registry o Added statement encouraging a quantitative approach for well integrity testing o For well repairs or redevelopment, added requirement for a paragraph for each well where work is proposed that includes the need for the work, the planned approach, and the benefit to the NGWMN

• Objective 5- Well Drilling o Added requirement to justify well drilling methods o Added statement encouraging construction diagrams for wells o Added requirement that the agency meet state drilling requirements o Clarified that all wells drilled must be added to the NGWMN o Added requirement for a paragraph that describes the need for each well, how it fills gaps in the NGWMN, and why a well needs to be drilled instead of reusing an existing well. Consider NGWMN well density guidelines when proposing new wells o Specified that wells drilled as in-kind services should be described in the same manner (summary paragraph) and added to the Well Registry

• Added statement that specifies the Data Management Plan should include all water-level or water-quality data collected by the agency for the NGWMN

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Application Evaluation Procedure and Criteria

• Added new ‘Technical Quality’ criteria to quantify the quality of the work apart from the quality of the proposal

• Clarified text for ‘Budget’ criteria

Attachments

• Revised example budgets to account for changes to match requirements for

Objectives 1 and 2

• Revised example budgets to include examples of detail needed for contract work

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POINTS TO REMEMBER

Please contact Daryll Pope if you have any questions.

Applications which show an understanding of and reference to the Framework

Document and Tip Sheets will be scored higher.

Do not include work under Objectives 4 or 5 in a proposal to become a new data provider (Objective 1).

For Objective 1, make sure you include a map with your potential sites and any existing NGWMN sites in your state (including those from other data providers) and include the Principal aquifers.

For Objectives 3-5, include a separate map for each objective that shows the sites where work is proposed and the Principal aquifers. For Objective 5, always show any existing NGWMN sites on the map in addition to any new or replacement wells.

Include a scale bar, north arrow, and an explanation for each map. If the map is zoomed in for detail, make sure to include an inset map showing the location on a statewide map.

If you are proposing work at specific sites for Objectives 3-5, make sure you include a table of the sites you will be working on. The table must include the NGWMN ID. All sites for which work is proposed (except new wells proposed for drilling) must be in the NGWMN Well Registry by January 17th, 2020.

For well rehabilitation and well drilling work, include a paragraph describing each well where work is proposed. This should include the need for the work, a description of the work planned, and how the work benefits or fills gaps in the

NGWMN.

Always include in-kind services match for each objective for any work proposed under Objectives 3, 4, or 5. Objectives that have less than 50% match will be scored lower during proposal evaluation.

Use the budget formats described in Section 11.C and depicted in the examples included in Attachment B.

Make sure the Budget Summary and the budget in the SF-424A form are consistent with the detailed budgets for each objective included in the proposal.

Make sure to proofread your proposal before submitting.

If your project involves a contract, you must provide details on the cost estimates for the work under the contract. Costs for contract work must be itemized. See the example budgets for objectives 1 and 5 for reference.

Allow enough time to hire contractors (drillers, well rehabilitation) so that the project is not delayed. This will help reduce the number of no-cost extensions. Please include this on the timeline for objectives that involve contractors.

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Cooperative funding Agreements to Support National Ground-Water

Monitoring Network Data Providers Fiscal Year 2020

CFDA 15.980

National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Cooperative Agreements

The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program of the USGS is offering a two-year cooperative agreement opportunity to state or local water-resources agencies that collect groundwater data to participate in the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network. The USGS is working with the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) and its Subcommittee on Ground Water (SOGW) to develop and administer a National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN). This funding opportunity is to support data providers for the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network and to address the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Priorities.

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.”

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.

1. Application Submission Closing Date January 17, 2020, at 4 pm, Eastern Standard Time

2. Electronic Application Requirement For the FY 2020 funding cycle all proposals shall be submitted electronically via Grants.gov (http://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 must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov on or before:

January 17, 2020, at 4 pm, Eastern Standard 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 are from a university, contact your Office of Sponsored

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Programs. They may already have completed the registration process and should work with you to submit the application.

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

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.

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 “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. Grants.gov does not review application content for award determination. Grants.gov will not post the application if there are errors. Failure to correct errors and submit by the date and time for closing shall not be a reason for accepting a late application.

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 mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support

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OF THE CLOSING DATE, PLEASE CONTACT THE GRANT SPECIALIST.

If you need help entering your proposal, you can reach the Grants.gov Contact Center at:

1-800-518-4726. 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 January 17, 2020 at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

See Section 11, 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. When the USGS determines that a proposal will not be considered for award due to lateness, the applicant will be notified immediately.

Questions:

For Grants.gov issues, see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jso or http://www.usgs.gov.contracts/grants/grantsgov.html, or contact:

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

For grant issues, contact:

Sara Roser

(703) 648-7357 sroser@usgs.gov

For National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Program issues contact:

Daryll Pope

(804) 261-2630

(609) 263-7119 (cell) dpope@usgs.gov http://www.grants.gov/aboutgrants/federal_holidays.jsp http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jso http://www.usgs.gov.contracts/grants/grantsgov.html mailto:lmahoney@usgs.gov mailto:dpope@usgs.gov

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3. Award Description The funding available for this Program Announcement is expected to be up to $1,800,000 for Federal FY2020. 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 authorized FY2020 funds for the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network, so awards cannot be made until this 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 maximum annual funding level of $150,000 and $300,000 for the total project. Funding for routine work under Objective 2 to maintain persistent data services is limited to $20,000 per year. However, additional work can also be supported under Objective 2 (as described under Objective 2 in section 6, Part B).

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 also 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. NGWMN cooperative agreements address the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Priorities to improve State and local groundwater monitoring efforts to more effectively manage groundwater resources at the regional and national scale (Secretarial Priority 1a, Attachment D) and to enhance communication and data sharing between State and local water resource agencies and the U.S. Department of the Interior (Secretarial Priority 3b, Attachment D).

All projects should propose start dates between July 15th, 2020 and September 30th, 2020.

4. National Ground-Water Monitoring Network 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 Network is a product of the Subcommittee on Ground Water (SOGW) of the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI). The design for 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:

http://acwi.gov/sogw/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf. The Network 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 (as defined by the USGS). 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. This spreadsheet has the recommended well densities for each state and Principal aquifer.

https://acwi.gov/sogw/ https://acwi.gov/ https://acwi.gov/ http://acwi.gov/sogw/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquifer/atlas.html https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/aquifer/atlas.html https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/WellDensities.xlsx

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Data from the NGWMN is served from a Network Portal that links to data from all the providers’ various 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.

The focus of the Network will be 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 program supports the Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Priorities by allowing water managers, primarily State Water Resource Agencies, 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.

5. Eligibility Information

A. Applicant eligibility

Applicants can be state or local water-resource agencies which collect groundwater data.

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 3-5 to enhance the NGWMN.

Discussion and coordination with the Subcommittee on Ground Water members and the USGS NGWMN staff is encouraged; however, USGS personnel are prohibited from helping an organization prepare its application for competitive funding.

Application announcement date: September 30, 2019 Applications must be submitted by the closing date of January 17, 2020

B. Topic eligibility

Several objectives have been identified and prioritized to meet the overall goal of building a Network that covers the Nation with data from well-defined sites and using accepted data-collection and data-management techniques. These objectives support the DOI Secretarial Priorities by enhancing communication and data sharing between State and local water resource agencies and the U.S. Department of the Interior and improving State and local groundwater monitoring efforts to more effectively manage groundwater resources at the regional and national scale.

The highest priority of the NGWMN is to support persistent data services from existing data providers to the NGWMN Portal. The next priority is to add new data providers to build a robust network. Existing data providers also may request funds for additional activities to enhance their NGWMN sites. These activities can include: filling site information gaps, performing maintenance activities at existing sites in the Network, or drilling new wells for the

NGWMN.

https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/

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The following objectives will be supported for funding by the NGWMN:

1. Support to become a new data provider

2. Support persistent data service from existing data providers

3. Filling gaps in information at NGWMN sites

4. Well maintenance

5. Well drilling

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

Funding cannot be used to:

• Purchase software or software maintenance license fees that are used for routine processing of water-level or water-quality data. Software required for setup or maintenance of the web services for new data provider projects is allowed.

Software required to analyze data collected under Objectives 3 or 4 is allowed

• Purchase or lease vehicles to be used to support routine data collection efforts

• Purchase equipment or supplies for water-level monitoring

• Purchase equipment or supplies for water-quality sampling

• Purchase equipment to support telemetry at NGWMN sites

• Purchase downhole cameras or supplies

• Purchase geophysical logging equipment or supplies

• Purchase GPS equipment

• Develop new agency databases

• Purchase land or obtain easements for site access

• Contract with USGS or other Federal agencies to perform work on the project

C. Proposal eligibility

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

• Missing budget information o Missing overall budget o Missing detailed budget for each objective o Missing details for contract costs in detailed budget for an objective

• 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

• Funding request exceeds annual or award limits

• Proposals that contract with U.S. Government Agencies to provide funding to perform work on the project

However, the NGWMN Program Board may still review the proposal after the proposal closing period to provide the applicant feedback that could be useful to the applicant in future funding rounds.

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D. Unsuitable Proposals

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

• Proposals that contract with U.S. Government Agencies to provide funding to work on the project

6. Objectives The NGWMN is providing financial support for the five objectives listed above and described below. The type of work supported under each objective is described in this section. The requirements that need to be addressed in the proposal for each objective are described in section 11.B, 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 are not permitted to propose work under Objectives 4 or 5 in their initial proposal.

Agencies who have an active project to become a new data provider or who are already a data provider may apply for any Objectives 2-5 under this Program Announcement.

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.

The expected total costs to become a new data provider commonly ranges from about $60,000 to $120,000. Costs may vary depending on Information Technology (IT) costs, Page | 8 security issues, the number of sites that need to be reviewed and classified, and indirect rates.

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 Elements 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 Water Quality Exchange. New 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 the USEPA Water Data 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 should identify sites that would be beneficial to the NGWMN but are missing some required data elements. These sites should be added to the NGWMN Well 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.

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.

Work under Part A 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. Support for this work is limited to a maximum of $20,000 per year. Activities supported under this are:

https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WebServices_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WebServices_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Minimum_Data_Elements_Tip_Sheet.pdf http://www.waterml2.org/ http://docs.opengeospatial.org/is/16-032r2/16-032r2.html https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange http://www.waterqualitydata.us/ http://www.waterqualitydata.us/ https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf

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• Maintain the web services that provide data to the portal

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

Data Portal

• Keep the list of sites in the NGWMN Well Registry up to date

• Keep metadata for NGWMN sites in the Well Registry current

• Provide updates to the NGWMN Data Provider page for their agency

Work supported under Part B allows agencies to apply for funding to support additional work. There is no funding limit on this additional work beyond the annual and project limits ($150,000 per year and $300,000 per project). This additional work may include:

• Upgrade web services in conjunction 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, or

• Add a significant number of new sites to the Network. 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 Well Registry.

Water-level monitoring or water-quality data collection is not supported under this objective. Purchase of monitoring equipment or supplies is not supported. Quality assurance of routinely collected data is not supported.

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 tip sheet.

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 Well Registry at the time of the proposal due date.

New data providers can propose work 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 https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_WebServices_TipSheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Minimum_Data_Elements_Tip_Sheet.pdf

Page | 10 have not been selected yet. Selected sites should be entered in the Well Registry but not turned on to display until the required metadata is available.

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 o GPS update of Latitude/Longitude o Entry of data collected under this objective into agency databases and the NGWMN Well Registry

• Data entry to fill metadata or NGWMN data gaps o Entry of lithologic data from paper files o Entry of well construction data from paper files o Entry of historical water-level or water-quality data for NGWMN sites into current agency databases objective. Purchase of monitoring equipment or supplies is not supported. Purchase of downhole cameras, geophysical logging equipment, or GPS equipment is not supported. Equipment rental and travel costs are allowed.

Objective 4: Well maintenance This objective provides funding to perform maintenance work on wells 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 testing of the well to ensure performance. Other routine well-maintenance activities may also be supported including replacing shelters or installing protective casing.

For existing data providers, well maintenance tasks can only be done at sites that are in the NGWMN Well Registry at the time of the proposal due date.

Examples of supported Well Maintenance activities include:

o Well redevelopment o Periodic pumping of observation wells to assess/maintain connection to aquifer o Well-integrity testing o Well rehabilitation o Well repair o Installation of protective surface casing at wells o Well camera investigations

Page | 11 objective. Purchase of monitoring equipment or supplies is not supported.

Purchase of downhole cameras, geophysical logging equipment, or GPS equipment is not supported. Equipment rental and travel costs are allowed.

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 sties and installation of wells at new locations that fill spatial gaps in the NGWMN Trend Networks. Projects with direct cost-sharing of the well drilling costs will be scored higher.

Drilling can be done by qualified and licensed agency staff or by using a 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.

Water-level monitoring or water-quality data collection is not supported under this objective. Purchase of monitoring equipment or supplies is not supported. Supplies needed for well drilling are allowed. Equipment rental and travel costs are allowed.

7. 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:

http://acwi.gov/sogw/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf

More information on the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network can be found on the web page for the Subcommittee on Ground-Water (SOGW) of the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) available at: http://acwi.gov/sogw/index.html

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

https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/learnmore.jsp under the ‘Data Provider’ 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 Well Registry

• Minimum Data Requirements for Candidate sites

• Web Service Development

• Water-Quality Web Services http://acwi.gov/sogw/ngwmn_framework_report_july2013.pdf http://acwi.gov/sogw/index.html https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/learnmore.jsp https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WL_Criteria_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WQ_Criteria_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Subnetwork_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Monitoring_Categories_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Well_Registry_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_Minimum_Data_Elements_Tip_Sheet.pdf https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/NGWMN_WebServices_Tip_Sheet.pdf

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These tip sheets should be used as guidance during a project to become a new data provider.

They contain information on well selection and classification, minimum requirements for NGWMN sites, adding sites to the NGWMN, and guidelines on web services.

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

In most cases, sites should not be added to the NGWMN (added to the Well Registry and have Display of the site turned on) until the Minimum Data Elements for the sites are available.

Work under Objective 3 to fill site-information gaps can be done on wells that are not yet active in the NGWMN, if they have been added to the Well Registry and have the Display Flag set to ‘N’.

8. Multi-year proposals All agreements will be for a maximum period of two years. The total funding to an agency for any year cannot exceed $150,000 even if the funds come from different awards. The total funding for an individual award may not exceed $300,000. All work must be completed by the end of the two-year cycle (dependent upon actual project period of performance) and final reports (Attachment C 5.b.2) generated within 90 days of completion. For two-year projects, a progress report (Attachment C 5.b.1) should be submitted 60 days prior to the end of the 1st year of the project.

9. In-Kind Services Cost-Share Guidelines 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. In-kind services are not required for work proposed under Objectives 1 or 2 because work done under these objectives is generally of benefit primarily to the NGWMN. Only work performed at NGWMN sites or potential new NGWMN sites (well drilling) can be used as in-kind services.

While no specific match rate is required, a match rate of 50-50 match of agency in-kind services to USGS funding is suggested (50% match). Agencies providing less than 50% match for work proposed on Objectives 3, 4, or 5 will be scored lower when the proposals are evaluated.

Since each objective is scored independently during review, in-kind services cost sharing should be provided separately for each objective. In-kind services cost sharing should be included in the detailed budget for each objective and have similar details like that required for work that is funded by the USGS. This should list the individuals who will be doing the work and the tasks 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 https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/doc/WellDensities.xlsx

Page | 13 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 sampling of a NGWMN site. Purchase of water-level monitoring equipment or water-quality supplies to be used at NGWMN sites can be used as match. If equipment purchases will not be exclusively used on the project or at NGWMN sites, the cost of the equipment should be pro-rated based on how much the equipment will be used for the NGWMN during the performance period of the project. Work to perform quality assurance of data at NGWMN can also be used as in-kind services match. Drilling work used to match drilling at NGWMN sites 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 shown. 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:

o Verifiable from the recipients’ records.

o Not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted project or program.

o Necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient accomplishment of project or program objectives.

o Allowable under the applicable cost principles.

o Not paid by the Federal Government under another award, except where authorized by Federal statute to be used for cost matching.

o Provided for in the approved budget when required by the Federal awarding agency.

o 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 or local agency in support of your project.

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.

10. Final Project Report A Final Technical Report is required that describes in detail the work performed and results obtained during the grant period. The report does not have to be formally published by the agency, however the report will be made available through on the agency’s Data Provider page

Page | 14 on the NGWMN Data Portal. Work proposed under each objective should be documented in the Final Project Report.

Costs for preparation of the Final Project Report should be included in the work plan for each objective in the proposal. Please check to ensure that the planned staff hours and total cost of the Final Project Report are reasonable.

The Final Technical report should include:

Cover page

The cover page should include the following information:

o Award Number o Agency Name o Title o Author(s) and Affiliation(s) with address and zip code o Author’s Telephone numbers and email address o Term covered by award (start and end dates) o Date of final report

Main body of the report

The main body of the report should include:

o Overview of work planned and accomplished during the project o Detailed description of work accomplished under each objective

For new data providers:

o Description of existing water-level and/or water-quality networks including the objectives of the networks o Description of site selection criteria and process o Description of process used to assign Subnetworks and Monitoring Categories for both water-level and water-quality networks (as appropriate for your Network) o Description or link to Field techniques for water-level measurement and water-quality sample collection (as appropriate for your network) o Description of data management procedures in place. Describe data quality and quality assurance processes o List of Minimum Data elements and how they are provided to the Data Portal (via the Well Registry or web services) o Notes on any sites that have missing required data elements o Note any sites that do not meet requirements in Table 4.5.1.1 and/or 4.5.2.1 of the Framework Document.

o A description of the web services used or installed for this project o Analyte list used for water-quality sampling networks o List of laboratories and their accreditation for analyzing properties and constituents included in the monitoring program if water-quality data are served o Describe any work done under Objectives 2 or 3 as part of the initial project

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For existing data providers:

o Description of work done to support the NGWMN as a data provider for each objective o Describe any data-collection, well-maintenance, or well-drilling activities completed during the project o Describe any methods used for data collection o Describe the procedures used to quality assure any data collected before it was entered into agency databases or the NGWMN Well Registry o Table listing any new or replacement wells added to the NGWMN. Include the

Principal Aquifer, well depth, and the NGWMN site number. If the well is a replacement well, list the site number for the previous well o Description of any updates made to web services during period of award o Description of any problems encountered in serving data to the NGWMN data portal o Well construction diagrams for any new wells

Details on deadlines and how to submit the Final Project Report are included in Attachment C Section 5.2.

11. Application Preparation Instructions Your electronic submission shall consist of forms SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, and SF- 424D (for proposals that include work under Objective 5) plus the items described below in items A through F. 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.

The application shall not exceed 20 single-spaced pages (including figures, references, 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 SF forms, negotiated rate agreement, required tables, detailed budgets for objectives, timelines for objectives, required maps, letters of support, and the Data Management Plan do not count toward the 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. Detailed Budget for each objective D. Timeline for each objective

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E. Data…