The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking insightful, expert, and cost-effective applications from eligible applicants to apply a state-of-the-science unstructured grid model to the tidal waters for two of Chesapeake’s tributaries (Choptank and Patapsco) and their embayments.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
States: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and District of Columbia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/03/2023
Size of the Grant: $250,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The management purpose of the Main Bay Model (MBM) is to assess the Chesapeake tidal water quality standards including dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, water clarity, and SAV under current and future conditions of climate change to 2035 and beyond. The MTM scenarios, as directed by Chesapeake Bay decision-makers, will provide support for management strategies to achieve water quality standards in TMDLs and assessments in the tidal Bay. The 2010 Chesapeake TMDL will be assessed by the Phase 7 MBM now under development. The MTMs and the MBM will be completed and fully operational by December 2025.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to a up to two cooperative agreements, one for each tributary. Applications must only address one tributary. Applicants interested in applying for funding to address more than one tributary must do so in separate applications.
The MBM of the entire tidal Chesapeake will be the regulatory model supporting the 2010 Chesapeake TMDL. The MTM teams will fully collaborate and augment the MBM as well as perform the following key aspects and tasks to:
- Improve the simulation and understanding of shallow water processes,
- Improve CBP estuarine science and analysis by fully integrating the MTMs into the MBM development thereby increasing the number of CBP science teams looking into Chesapeake tidal water quality,
- Assist in improving all tidal Chesapeake water quality assessments by bringing tidal TMDLs and other water quality assessments in the Chesapeake up to date and linked with the latest Phase 7 next-generation watershed, airshed, and estuary models,
- Collaborate with and support the MBM, the Chesapeake TMDL regulatory model of the entire tidal Chesapeake, and
- Provide MTM support for updating tidal TMDLs and other water quality assessments in the Chesapeake to future climate hydrologies and estimated tidal water quality under a 2035 hydrology, climate, and sea level rise.
EPA is issuing this RFA to support the CBP Partnership’s continuing mission of evaluating the effectiveness of management actions taken to reduce nutrient and sediment pollutant loads and to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality through the seven watershed jurisdictions’ watershed implementation plans (WIPs) and through local TMDLs and water quality assessments. The mission includes enhancing and maintaining the accountability of systems dependent on tracking, verifying, reporting, and quantifying the estimated pollutant load reduction potential of practices, treatments, and technologies implemented throughout the watershed and assessing their collective influence on Chesapeake Bay tidal water quality. The resultant data will be used by the CBP Partnership to:
- Assess achievement of their two-year milestones;
- Assess progress towards implementing their WIPs;
- Determine management effectiveness of locally-implemented nutrient and sediment pollutant load reduction and prevention practices, treatments, and technologies;
- Report Bay and watershed restoration actions to the public;
- Project Chesapeake Bay water quality conditions based on implemented and planned pollutant load reduction actions;
- Support establishment of target pollutant loads to address 2035 climate change risks to the Chesapeake’s water quality and living resources;
- Support adaptive management by the CBP partnership; and
- Support Executive Council directives, e.g., those related to climate change.
Applications submitted under this RFA should demonstrate:
- Experience and knowledge in development, calibration, validation, and scientific and management applications of complex, linked environmental models, particularly the SCHISM Model and ICM water quality model;
- Experience and knowledge in working with multi-institutional and multi-agency teams on collaborative development, calibration, validation, and scientific and management application of complex linked environmental models;
- Experience and knowledge in model research and model development programs focused on the productive littoral areas of estuarine and coastal ecosystems, particularly for shallow water systems;
- Knowledge and ability in using the SCHISM-ICM code;
- Full, detailed, and accurate simulation of the effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, and climate change related factors in the assessment of the DO, chlorophyll a, clarity/SAV, and other water quality standards or assessments in the Chesapeake Bay;
- Ensuring complete web-accessibility of the resultant supporting data, model code, and documentation to the partnership-oriented, implementation-focused structure of the CBP Partnership through open source and public domain products; and
- As appropriate and to the extent practicable, seeking partnership with Tribal communities.
Outputs
The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Examples of potential outputs under the Scope of Work of this announcement may include but are not limited to the following:
- Support the Modeling Workgroup, Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (WQGIT), and other technical and management/policy CBP groups as needed and as directed by the PO.
- Provide tributary level estuarine models, analysis tools, scenarios, and other materials to support Chesapeake protection and restoration efforts and address the needs and requirements of CBP decision-makers and managers for responding to water quality protection, climate change, and other challenges in the Chesapeake.
- Improve the CBP’s Main Bay Model (MBM) and CBP’s management decisions through the successful application of the applicant’s skill, knowledge, and experience in developing quantitative fine-scale SCHISM model assessments of Chesapeake tidal tributaries.
- Demonstrate feasibility and utility of using the state-of-the-science unstructured grid model SCHISM at a fine-scale level in the tributaries coupled with a MBM of the same unstructured grid type to better estimate Chesapeake water quality standards in shallow open waters under 2035 and future climate change conditions.
- Refine local tidal TMDLs and other water quality assessments with the ability to estimate future climate conditions providing CBP managers with essential information about how to respond to climate change challenges.
Outcomes
- The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature but must also be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Examples of potential outcomes under the Scope of Work of this announcement may include but are not limited to the following:
- Investment in traditional, green, or nature-based infrastructure leading to reduced nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment delivered to tidal Bay waters appropriate to respond to future climate change and other water quality challenges to achieve Bay water quality standards.
- Amount of habitat restored as represented by achievement of the Chesapeake living-resourcebased water quality standards and water quality standards of other tidal Chesapeake TMDLs and assessments.
- Increased knowledge and strategies to improve local economic, human health, and environmental goals through a restored Chesapeake Bay Improved knowledge about Chesapeake Bay critical load of nutrients under 2035 and future climate change through achievement of water quality standards in all Chesapeake tributaries.
- Improved CBP decision making and leadership in responding to climate change conditions and other future water quality challenges.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $500,000
- Award Ceiling: $250,000
Project Period
up to 2 years.
Eligibility Criteria
- Consistent with Assistance Listing No. 66.466, the Clean Water Act Section 117(d), and EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements, competition under this solicitation is available for technical and general assistance grants to nonprofit organizations, State, tribal (federally recognized) and local governments, colleges, universities, and interstate agencies. For-profit organizations are not eligible to submit applications in response to this RFA.
- Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations.
- Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.
- Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
- For an application to be considered eligible for funding, project-related work must take place within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes portions of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and all of the District of Columbia.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.