USGS WUDR Program Information

This webpage was created by WSWC to establish a central location for information regarding the USGS’ new Water Use Data and Research (WUDR) Financial Assistance Program, and to assist its members with the process of applying for those funds – both FY2015 funding and the FY2016+ competitive awards process that will begin early next year.

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Background

The USGS first issued its WUDR Program description by email via their USGS Water Science Centers to their water use contacts within each state on June 24th, 2015. In her email, Sonya Jones mentioned the WUDR Guidelines document, which provides more detail for the technical requirements for both the FY2015 and 2016 awards, as well as the first steps needed for states to apply for the initial round of funding for FY2015  (a set amount of $26,000). This first round of funding is specifically designated for the development of a workplan for how each state’s water use data collection program may be augmented or improved such that National Water Use Information Program (NWUIP) products can also be improved. Sonya also indicated that the USGS Office of Acquisitions and Grants (OAG) will be reaching out to the states on how to apply for the FY2015 funds, which are due on July 31th. Please see below for instructions on how to apply for the initial round of funding. Sonya and her team have indicated that states will not be eligible for later competitive grants if they have not already developed and submitted an initial workplan to USGS.

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ICWP Stakeholder Meetings

As described in Sonya’s email, ICWP will be conducting three stakeholder meetings in different regions of the US this coming fall (late-August through September) in Salt Lake City, UT, Chicago, IL, and Tuscaloosa, AL. The purpose of the meetings is to receive feedback from the state agencies on the general WUDR program, and to review the Guidelines and technical requirements for applying for financial assistance. More information about these stakeholder meetings will be made available on this webpage as it is released.

NEW! Information regarding dates and hotels for the stakeholder meetings. From Ryan Mueller, Director of the ICWP:

“Salt Lake City, UT – September 17th, 2015.  I have arranged a block of hotel rooms at the Springhill Suites Marriott near the SLC airport at the Federal per diem rate of $106 per night plus tax (for September 15th, 16thand 17th).  The meeting will be held on 9/17 at the Utah Division of Water Resources, near the hotel.  Please note that you are responsible for payment of lodging and travel costs. ICWP will provide breakfast, lunch and refreshments on September 17th  at no charge to you.

Link:  Hotel Booking for Salt Lake City, UT Meeting  – PLEASE NOTE that August 30th is the deadline for booking your room at the per diem rate and any unused rooms in the block will be released at that time.

Tuscaloosa, AL – October 15th, 2015.  I have arranged a very limited block of rooms at the Capstone Hotel in Tuscaloosa at the Federal per diem rate of $83 per night plus tax (for October 14th and 15th).  The meeting will be held on 10/15 at the new National Water Center on the University of Alabama campus.  ICWP will provide breakfast, lunch and refreshments on October 15th but you will be responsible for other travel costs.

Link:  Hotel Booking for Tuscaloosa, AL Meeting – PLEASE NOTE that September 14th is the deadline for booking your room at the per diem rate and any unused rooms in the block will be released at that time.

Chicago, IL – October 27th, 2015.  I have arranged a block of hotel rooms at the Chicago O’Hare Marriott near the airport at the Federal per diem rate of $194 per night plus tax (for October 26th and 27th).  The meeting will be held within the Marriott on 10/27 and I will provide meeting room details in a follow up email.  I will provide a hotel registration link ASAP so you can book your room – please use this link to register as it will help me determine the number of attendees!  Once again, please note that you are responsible for payment of lodging and travel costs.  ICWP will provide breakfast, lunch and refreshments on October 27th at no charge to you.”

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FY2016+ Competitive WUDR Funding

USGS has indicated that the workplans that will be developed with FY2015 funds will be the basis for applying for competitive funding assistance the following year. This grant solicitation is projected to be published on Grants.gov in early 2016, with the awards in late spring/early summer of 2016. States do not necessarily need to apply for funding in FY2016, they may also apply at a later time for competitive funds as long as they have developed and submitted an initial workplan to USGS. The amounts allowed for each state for the competitive funding will be for an additional $224,000, for a total of $250,000 for each state. The competitive funding is intended to be used to implement any tasks specifically called out from the workplan, and emphasized in the funding proposal. This could include improved water use data collection techniques (including online or automated data acquisition), expansion of spatial/temporal water use data collection, an expansion of site-specific water use data collection, improved water use data modeling and/or database storage, as well as improved water use data publication and dissemination. These are just a few examples of what the funding could be used for (following the Guidelines suggested above, of course) to improve water use datasets across the nation, not just among WSWC’s member states.

Because of the compressed timeframe, it is recommended that states who are interested in submitting funding assistance proposals for FY2016 start working on a more substantial grant proposal as soon as they receive their workplan funding. They will likely have only a few to several months to develop these before the FY2016 competitive grant solicitation is released.

We hope this webpage has helped address questions you may have about the new WUDR Program steps and requirements. We will update this webpage frequently with more information as it becomes available. Please call Sara Larsen (801-685-2555) or email (saralarsen (at) wswc.utah.gov) if you have any suggestions for the webpage or new information that you think would be helpful to other states.