Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Central Midwest Water Science Center, under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program, is offering a cooperative agreement opportunity to a CESU-affiliated partner from the Great Rivers CESU. This funding supports research in local- and regional-scale water availability assessments for the Illinois River Basin (ILRB) as part of the USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) and Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basin projects. The ILRB, defined as the watershed upstream of the Mississippi River confluence at Grafton, Illinois, has been selected as a Midwestern Regional IWAAs basin focusing on nutrient issues and harmful algal blooms. This project will finalize and publish the MODFLOW 6 groundwater flow model for the basin and extend its use to simulate subsurface nitrate movement. The research objectives include publishing a Scientific Investigations Report (SIR) and accompanying data/model release of the MODFLOW groundwater flow model, providing quarterly progress updates and presentations including at annual meetings, and producing a draft Open-File Report (OFR) or a BAO-approved preprint of a proof-of-concept nitrate groundwater model with its data/model release. The nitrate model report will be concise, documenting incremental progress toward nitrate modeling, and will be 10–15 pages without appendices. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement with an anticipated single award for a 15-month period. Total estimated funding is $50,000, which will be fully obligated at the time of award. Funds must be budgeted for the full project period, and no pre-award costs will be supported. Applicants must be participating partners of the Great Rivers CESU Program. All proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov using Funding Opportunity Number G25AS00340. Applications must include a technical narrative with introduction, objectives, methods, planned products, dissemination plans, schedule, references, and budget narrative organized according to SF-424A categories. The proposal must also include required attachments such as a Data Management Plan, Biographical Sketches, Current and Pending Support forms, and a Project Abstract Summary. Detailed budget requirements specify personnel, fringe benefits, supplies, equipment, contractual services, travel, other direct costs, indirect costs (CESU rate 17.5%), and total project costs. The USGS emphasizes adherence to Fundamental Science Practices and open data requirements under the Geospatial Data Act of 2018. Evaluation criteria weight purpose, objectives, and relevance (25 points), technical approach (25 points), budget justification and clarity (25 points), and qualifications, experience, and past performance (25 points). Proposals must clearly demonstrate expertise in groundwater modeling, experience in similar research, and the capacity to meet project goals. Reporting requirements include annual progress and financial reports, a final technical report, and compliance with publication acknowledgment and disclaimer requirements. The USGS will manage award administration and ensure compliance with federal requirements, including conditions on data availability and recipient integrity. Questions on grants administration should be directed to Rachel Miller, Grants Management Specialist, at rachelmiller@usgs.gov, and technical questions should be directed to Jenny Murphy, Hydrologist, USGS Southeast Region, at jmurphy@usgs.gov or 217-328-9727.

USGS strongly encourages dissemination of research results to scientific, governmental, and public audiences, and adherence to USGS Fundamental Science Practices