Engineering Design for the Arroyo Canal Fish Screen and Sack Dam Fish Passage Project | BOR MP 18 N010

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 18 N010

The Bureau of Reclamation, within the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced its intent to make a single discretionary grant award for engineering design work tied to fish protection and fish passage improvements at the Arroyo Canal and Sack Dam. The opportunity is titled "Engineering Design for the Arroyo Canal Fish Screen and Sack Dam Fish Passage Project" and is listed under Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 18 N010. It falls under CFDA 15.555 and is connected to federal authorities that include the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11) and specific requirements stemming from the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement (Stipulation of Settlement, CIV No. S-88-1658-LKK/GGH), including referenced settlement provisions. In other words, this is not a generic conservation grant; it is a targeted action tied to an established legal and programmatic framework for restoring and managing fisheries and river conditions in the San Joaquin River system.

The planned recipient identified in the notice is Henry Miller Reclamation District #2131, and the notice makes clear that the government is not seeking competing applications. Although the listing includes a range of eligible applicant types (such as county and city governments, special districts, private institutions of higher education, and individuals), this particular announcement functions as a Notice of Intent to Award to a specific entity. The agency also states that any decision not to compete the award is solely at the government’s discretion under Departmental Manual 505 DM 2, paragraph 2.14(B)(4). Practically, that means there is no competitive proposal process attached to this posting, and it should be read as a transparency and compliance notice rather than an open solicitation.

Funding for the agreement is substantial and fully federally funded as described in the announcement. The estimated total agreement amount is $2,903,366.51, and Reclamation indicates it will provide $2,903,366.51 in Fiscal Year 2018. The award ceiling listed is $2,903,366, expected awards are listed as 1, and the instrument type is a grant. The activity category is Natural Resources, reflecting the fish protection and passage focus.

The work itself is framed as Phase 1 improvements associated with two closely related objectives at the Arroyo Canal diversion and Sack Dam. First, the project will design and advance screening at the Arroyo Canal water diversion immediately upstream of Sack Dam. The stated purpose of that screen is to prevent entrainment of anadromous fish, meaning it is intended to keep migratory fish (such as salmonids that move between ocean and freshwater) from being drawn into the diversion where they can be injured, killed, or displaced from migration routes. Second, the project will support modifications at Sack Dam to ensure fish passage, which typically involves designing measures that allow fish to move upstream and downstream past a barrier in a way that meets biological performance needs and regulatory or settlement commitments. Together, these elements are aimed at reducing fish losses at the diversion and restoring or improving connectivity past the dam structure, both of which are common requirements in river restoration and fisheries recovery programs.

Key administrative details include the posting date (CreationDate: July 18, 2018) and an original closing date of August 6, 2018, although in this context the "closing date" functions more like the end of the public notice window than a deadline for applicants, since proposals are not being requested. The announcement directs questions to Christina Munoz, Grants Management Specialist, at cmunoz@usbr.gov, and it references a Notice of Intent to Award (BOR-MP-18-N010) for additional information. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a designated, non-competitive federal grant supporting the engineering design phase of fish screen and fish passage improvements at a specific diversion and dam location under the San Joaquin River Restoration-related authorities and commitments.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering Design for the Arroyo Canal Fish Screen and Sack Dam Fish Passage Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.555.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 06, 2018. (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 $2,903,366.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for BOR MP 18 N010

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