Deer Creek Irrigation District Fish Passage Project Implementation Phase 2 | F20AS00011

Opportunity Information: Apply for F20AS00011

The Deer Creek Irrigation District Fish Passage Project Implementation Phase 2 (Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00011) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.648) focused on improving fish passage and protection at an irrigation diversion dam on Deer Creek. The diversion dam, originally built in the early 1900s to supply irrigation water to more than 1,000 acres of farm and ranch land, has long created barriers and risks for fish movement. This phase of funding supports implementation work tied to constructing an upstream fish passage solution (commonly described as a fish ladder or similar passage structure) along with a fish screen component to reduce fish entrainment at the diversion.

The project has been in development for many years, with collaboration dating back to 2008 among Service staff, local landowners and water diverters, engineers, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Over that period, the partners worked through design, coordination, and permitting needs. Key regulatory and project permits were completed in August 2019, setting the stage for construction. A major portion of construction funding is already committed through CDFW, which is providing approximately $2.4 million, meaning the federal award described here is intended to complement, not replace, the core state investment.

A notable driver for this supplemental federal support is the need to address unforeseen cultural and environmental constraints identified during compliance work. In an earlier related award (F19AP00377), the Service provided $130,000 to realign project construction access roads after cultural resource surveys conducted under the National Historic Preservation Act identified unanticipated Native American village sites, along with concerns about impacts to endangered species habitat. Adjusting the construction footprint and access routes helps avoid damaging sensitive cultural resources and important habitat, and it reflects the project partners' emphasis on responsible implementation and maintaining trust with the local community.

The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $900,000 with an expected number of awards of one, and eligibility was described as unrestricted (open broadly to different entity types, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full notice). The posting was created on October 16, 2019, with an original closing date of October 23, 2019, and it indicates that a recipient has already been selected. In practical terms, that means this announcement functioned less like an open competition and more like a documented funding action tied to an identified project partner to keep the multi-agency effort on schedule and aligned with permit conditions and community commitments.

Overall, Phase 2 is about bridging final funding and coordination needs so construction can proceed in a way that achieves fish passage benefits while honoring cultural resource protections and minimizing environmental harm. The grant supports a long-planned infrastructure upgrade at an existing irrigation facility, leveraging substantial state funding and years of interagency and stakeholder collaboration to deliver a passage-and-screen solution that improves aquatic connectivity and reduces fish impacts in Deer Creek.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Deer Creek Irrigation District Fish Passage Project Implementation Phase 2" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.648.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 23, 2019 The recipient has been selected.. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F20AS00011

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