ET Demands Model Enhancement, Implementation and Documentation | BOR DO 17 N030

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 17 N030

The ET Demands Model Enhancement, Implementation and Documentation opportunity is a Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Technical Service Center (TSC) cooperative agreement focused on improving and applying a numerical evapotranspiration and irrigation demand modeling tool known as ET Demands. The core purpose is to strengthen the model and use it to estimate how climate change could affect irrigation requirements for both agricultural crops and urban landscapes. In practical terms, the work supports better estimates of future water demand under changing temperature, precipitation patterns, and other climate-driven conditions, which is a key input for long-range water resources planning across the western United States.

A major feature of this effort is collaboration with the Desert Research Institute (DRI). The project is not framed as a broad open-ended research topic; it is a targeted model enhancement and implementation effort where Reclamation and DRI work together to develop, refine, and document the ET Demands modeling approach. The emphasis on "implementation and documentation" signals that the government is looking not only for technical model improvements, but also for the supporting materials and workflows needed to run the model reliably and explain the results clearly to users who were not part of the model development process.

The intended outputs extend beyond internal agency use. The climate change impact results generated through this work are expected to be published and delivered through a public-facing website so that the information is accessible outside of Reclamation. This public dissemination piece matters because it implies attention to reproducibility, transparency, and usability of the information, rather than producing results that remain in internal reports. By serving the results online, the project aims to make climate-adjusted irrigation demand estimates easier for planners and stakeholders to find and incorporate into their own analyses.

Reclamation specifically notes that the results will feed into its WaterSMART Program Basin Studies and its West-Wide Climate Risk Assessments Program Impact Assessments. Those programs are used to evaluate basin-scale vulnerabilities and identify adaptation and mitigation strategies, so improved irrigation demand projections can directly influence the identification of risks (such as heightened water shortages) and the prioritization of response options (such as conservation, efficiency improvements, operational changes, or alternative supplies). Beyond these formal Reclamation programs, the opportunity is also designed to benefit water managers throughout the West who need credible, consistent demand estimates for local and regional planning efforts aimed at reducing exposure to climate change impacts.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Bureau of Reclamation under a cooperative agreement, meaning substantial federal involvement is likely during the period of performance (for example, coordination on technical decisions, review of methods, and alignment with Reclamation planning needs). The funding activity falls under science and technology and other research and development and is listed under CFDA 15.560. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education, indicating the award is intended for a nonprofit research or technical organization rather than a university applicant.

The opportunity number is BOR DO 17 N030. Reclamation anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $90,162. The opportunity was created on June 12, 2017, and the original application closing date was July 11, 2017. Overall, the grant centers on delivering actionable, publicly accessible climate-informed irrigation demand modeling results by enhancing and documenting the ET Demands tool in partnership with DRI, with clear downstream use in federal basin studies, regional climate risk assessments, and practical water management planning across the western United States.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ET Demands Model Enhancement, Implementation and Documentation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-06-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-07-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $90,162.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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