1. FY18 Water Use Data and Research Program Q & A Session
USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program
FY18 Water Use Data and Research Program Q & A Session
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
1:00 PM EDT
or toll free
Access code:  133036#         Webinar link: 

2. Agenda
Brief overview of the USGS Water Use Data and Research Program (WUDR)
Highlights of the 2018 Program Announcement
Common questions
Questions and answers

3. WUDR Overview
The USGS Water Use Data and Research Program (WUDR) is authorized under the SECURE Water Act Section 9508.
$12,500,000 authorized for Grants Program in 2009.
Each State can receive a maximum of $250,000, cumulatively, in grant funding.
The USGS received the first appropriation of $1,500,000 in federal FY15.
Non-competitive awards of $26K were made available to each State to write a “Workplan” to document current water-use data collection and research in each state.
As of FY16, funding is awarded competitively.

4. WUDR Overview
Goals:
Improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water use data that is collected and/or estimated by States.
Integrate State water resource agency water-use or water- availability datasets into USGS databases.

8. FY18 Program Announcement
Funding Opportunity G18AS00016
Applications must be submitted via grants.gov by 4 pm EDT on Thursday May 3, 2018.
Program announcement is available @ grants.gov, and on the WUDR website:

9. Program Announcement Changes
Changes to:
Priority topics
Technical evaluation criteria
Required information in the Project Narrative
Attachments:
Example data management plans
Department of Interior Secretarial Priorities

10. Funding Expect funding will be the same as FY17
Applications are restricted to a minimum of $24,000 and a maximum of $125,000 federal funding.
Proposed projects can be for 12 to 24 months.
Project start dates must be between September 1, 2018 and September 30,

11. Applicant Eligibility
State water resource agencies which collect water use data.
Applicants must have submitted a FINAL “Workplan” document as outlined by the WUDR FY15 Guidance in order to be eligible to receive an FY18 award.
USGS personnel cannot prepare an application for an organization.
USGS personnel cannot receive WUDR funds.

12. Application Instructions
Forms SF-424, SF-424a, SF-424b and the Project Narrative Attachment
The Project Narrative Attachment:
15 single-spaced pages (maximum) for items A-D
Font size no smaller than 12 point
Number pages
Resume, Data Management Plan, SF Forms, and negotiated rate agreement do NOT count toward the 15-page limit.

13. Application Instructions
The Project Narrative Attachment must include:
Proposal Information Summary
Proposal
Budget Summary
Detailed Budget
Principal Investigator Resume
Data Management Plan
Specifics are on pages 7-11 of the program announcement.

14. Priority Topics Three priority topics (in no particular order) :
IMPROVE water-use data for IRRIGATION, PUBLIC SUPPLY, OR INDUSTRIAL use categories. This should be accomplished by increasing the “TIER LEVEL” for a category of use (see Attachment A, Data Goals for Major Water-Use Categories).
IMPROVE THE COLLECTION PROCESS OR QUALITY ASSURANCE OF WATER USE DATA, OR IMPROVE THE TRANSFER OF WATER USE DATA TO THE USGS and other data users. Improving the transfer of water use data to the USGS and other data users includes making data and metadata available in a machine readable open format.

15. Priority Topics (cont.)
Conduct studies that DEVELOP METHODS AND/OR COEFFICIENTS to improve water use estimates for categories of use where measured or reported data are not available.
Proposals will be considered that address additional topics, but may be given a lower funding preference than proposals that address the three priority topics listed above.

16. Data Management Plan See page 11 for details No more than 2 pages
Include as part F of the Project Narrative Attachment form
Two templates are included on pages
php

17. Data Management Plan (cont.)
Include:
Types of data, software and materials to be produced in the course of the project
The standards to be used for data and metadata format and content
Policies for access and sharing
Provisions for re-use, re-distribution
Plans for archiving data, and for preservation of free public access to the data

18. Evaluation Criteria Technical quality of the proposal (40%)
Transfer of water use data to the USGS (20%)
Relevance to State priorities (10%)
Science and Technology Transferability (10%)
Collaboration (10%)
Previous Performance and Experience of Principal Investigator and Members of State Team(10%)
See pages for additional details.

19. Reporting Requirements
Progress Reports
Details on pages
Due every 6 months for the duration of the project.
Final Technical Report
Describe in detail the work performed and results obtained during the grant period. (pages 26-27)
Due 90 days after the project end date.
Annual Financial Reports (page 27)
Final Financial Report (page 28)

22. Commonly Asked Questions
Q: We currently have an active award/agreement, can we still apply for this Program Announcement?
A: Yes!
You can apply for a second award. However, please make sure that each project has different/separate/distinguishable tasks. We cannot fund the same work twice, and if work proposed in the new application seems similar to the current award, then the application or that part of the application will be rejected.

23. Commonly Asked Questions
Q: We don’t have enough staff to work on a project and have hiring constraints, can contract with another group to do the work?
A: Yes!
Many agencies have been working with universities, other state or local agencies, or contractors to work on the tasks.

24. Questions? Cheryl Dieter U.S. Geological Survey
5522 Research Park Drive Baltimore, MD 21228