TECHNICAL EVALUATION LTRM 2024.docx

Revised Technical Evaluation Plan for Assistance Award to States Under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986

The purpose of this document is to explain the process of evaluation and award of cooperative agreements to the States of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin to accomplish the Congressional mandate of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 (P.L. 99-962) as described below. Because legislative authority established a collaborative process for conducting Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) long term resources monitoring with those states, the process is unique to this program. The primary effort of this program is field sampling combined with cooperative research efforts. The results of the sampling are analyzed, interpreted, and inventoried by the Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center (UMESC), a Federal facility of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Program:

The Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program’s Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS,) La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Authority:

WRDA of 1986, (P.L. 99-622,) inclusive of Section 1103, the Upper Mississippi River Management Act of 1986, as amended.

Background:

The Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program (formerly Environmental Management Program (EMP)) was established by Congress under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, P.L. 99-662, inclusive of Section 1103, the Upper Mississippi River Management Act of 1986, as amended.

The mission of the LTRM is to provide decision-makers with information to maintain the UMRS as a viable, multiple-use, large river ecosystem. The WRDA directs the Secretary of the Army to enter into an interagency agreement with the Secretary of the Interior and transfer funds to the Department of the Interior (originally through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), now through the USGS) for the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of the LTRM. Further, WRDA authorizes cooperation with the five states of the UMRS, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin to accomplish this goal.

The UMESC, located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is assigned the Interior Department’s responsibilities under WRDA as detailed in the Memorandum of Agreement signed in 1988 between the Interior and the Army. Funds are transferred annually from the United States Corps of Engineers (USACE) to support UMESC’s responsibilities under the LTRM and the state cooperative agreements. The USACE provides guidance and approval for annual program activities and has the responsibility to report to Congress on program achievements.

The Partnership:

As the Federal agency authorized to implant the UMRR, the USACE is accountable for management and execution of the program. As a result, the UMRR has been shaped in many ways by USACE policies and procedures. Yet the UMRR is truly a partnership program. This fact can be traced not only to the UMRR’s origins in the Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission (succeeded by the succeed the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA)), but also to the UMRR authorizing legislation, which directs the USACE to undertake the UMRR in “consultation with” the Department of the Interior and the five basin States. The region of the UMRS has a rich tradition of interagency partnership that the UMRR has been fortunate to be able to build upon and nourish.

The UMRR authorizing legislation designates the UMRBA as the “caretaker” of the Master Plan. As such, major UMRR policy and budgetary issues are often addressed in this forum. Members of the Association include governor appointees from the five basin states. Federal advisory members include the USACE, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.

For the specific purpose of providing interagency coordination for UMRR, the USACE established the UMRR Coordinating Committee (UMRR-CC) in 1987 to address Congress’ directive to the USACE to implement the UMRR in consultation with state and Federal partners. The UMRR-CC is the primary consultative body used to discuss and seek consensus on UMRR budgetary and policy issues. The USACE and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service co-chair the UMRR-CC. Membership consists of representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey, and each of the five State resource agencies, and a variety of Federal agencies that have an interest in the UMRR.

To provide more detailed scientific guidance on implementation of the LTRM, another interagency committee called the Analysis Team, or “A-Team” was formed. This team provides science and technical advice and recommendations on LTRM work priorities, annual work plans, and research activities. The team is comprised of scientists and other technical staff from Federal and State agencies.

The public participates in the UMRR through the involvement of local governments; sport, conservation, and industry non-governmental organizations; and individual participation. The public was influential in the original UMRR (EMP) authorization and has continued to influence the program by providing input and monitoring the implementation of both elements of UMRR—LTRM and Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects (HREP).

Roles and Responsibilities:

In addition to the various interagency consultative and coordination bodies associated with the UMRR, individual Federal and State agencies have their own specific responsibilities under the UMRR.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Mississippi Valley Division has overall responsibility for the UMRR and has assigned many of the program management responsibilities to the Rock Island District. The St. Paul, Rock Island, and St. Louis Districts are responsible for leading the planning, design, construction and monitoring of habitat projects.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Region Three of the Service, which encompasses almost the entire Upper Mississippi River System, coordinates responsibility for participating in the planning and design of habitat projects both on and off national wildlife refuge lands. The Service also is responsible for operation and maintenance of projects on lands it manages and for satisfying requirements of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act with respect to all habitat projects.

U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, provides science leadership for the UMRR and administers the LTRM. This includes program administration, management, and planning, as well as research, analysis, and data management planning.

States. Resource agencies in each of the five states are actively involved in planning UMRR projects in their jurisdictions. LTRM field stations are staffed and operated by state employees with funding transferred from the USACE to the states through the USGS. State agencies also contribute to the LTRM’s design and execution through activities of the UMRR-CC and the A-Team.

Operating Plan, Strategic Plan, Annual Work Plan.

In accordance with WRDA, in 1988 an initial Operating Plan for the LTRM was prepared by the USFWS to guide the early years of the program. A revised Operating Plan was prepared in 1992 by the USFWS in cooperation with the USACE and the five states of the UMRS; the plan was endorsed by the UMRR-CC and A-Team. The Operating Plan establishes a framework and schedule for the completion of a comprehensive Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (now LTRM). This program has been designed to collect scientifically valid and statistically sound data over time to detect site-specific and/or system-wide changes. The data will be helpful in evaluating various impacts on the system and will serve as a reliable information source for management agencies.

As the LTRM matured, Strategic Plans were developed in 1998, 2005, and 2010 to describe to management partners, the scientific community, and the public the strategic direction the LTRM will follow during incremental time periods. Most recently, a strategic plan was developed for the full UMRR titled: A Strategic Plan for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program, 2015 – 2025. This strategic plan articulates the UMRR partnership’s vision for the Upper Mississippi River that sets a clear direction for the program over the next decade. This 10-year plan focuses UMRR Program’s efforts to continue delivering products and services that are nationally significant, regionally relevant, internationally engaged, and technically sound. It outlines the program’s key approaches to enhancing restoration and advancing knowledge necessary for a healthier and more resilient Upper Mississippi River ecosystem that sustains the river’s multiple uses. The format of the plans is consistent with the planning guidance of the USGS and the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

Annual Performance Plans (Also called Scopes of Work; SOW). The following steps describe the LTRM annual work plan process for base monitoring and research. Step 1 commences July 1 of each year.

STEP 1 – List of recommended work activities is developed jointly with LTRM Partners (Analysis Team, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USACE, State Field Stations, and others).

STEP 2 – UMESC and USACE review work activity list and prioritize recommended activities and products.

STEP 3 – UMESC then prepares detailed SOWs that includes products, schedule and cost estimates based on final activity list proposals. At this time, the partner states provide detailed budgets for the designated work in their states.

STEP 4 – The final SOW with budgets is submitted to the UMRR-CC for concurrence and A-Team input. It is then submitted to the USACE, Mississippi Valley Division.

STEP 5 – UMESC executes the SOW and the USACE, Rock Island District and Program Partners monitor SOW execution quarterly.

STEP 6 – UMESC prepares and distributes quarterly Annual Performance Reports (Milestone Charts), which reviews the LTRM’s success in achieving the performance goals for the fiscal year.

Conclusion: This annual process results in the award of cooperative agreements totaling approximately $5,00,000.00 annually to the five participating states and state universities. This established process evaluates accomplishments and gives detailed goals and budgets for each performance year in the annual performance plan. The states are involved in this process though interaction with various committees. The USACE, as mandated in the legislation, gives final approval for the Annual Performance Plan.

Included in this file are copies of the legislation, solicitor’s opinion, memorandum and agreement, CFDA Announcement, USGS Form 9-1992, Operating Plan and Annual Performance Plan.

Recommendation: Based on the requirements of the WRDA and the process established by UMESC in conjunction with the UMRBA, awards of cooperative agreements to the five (5) participating states may be handled as follows:

l. Scopes of Work will be provided with purchase requests for award of funds to the five (5) states/state universities for the conduct of the LTRM.

2. Each state will make application through Grants.gov with submission of appropriate forms, scope of work, budgets, and assurances to indicate their commitment to conduct the work. Proposals from the states will not be required.

3. A standard technical evaluation is replaced by the Annual Performance Plan developed in the steps detailed above. All costs will be reviewed to assure conformance to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars governing grants and cooperative agreements.

4. Progress reports will be provided to ensure that the states/state universities are performing satisfactorily.

5. Board and Legal Review of each award will be waived.

USGS Grant Specialist Revised 31 October 2023