Ecosystem Function Model Analysis on the Roanoke River | W9126G 21 2 SOI 4749

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 21 2 SOI 4749

The Ecosystem Function Model Analysis on the Roanoke River is a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Sustainable Rivers Program funding opportunity intended to identify a qualified investigator or team to support research on how managed river flows affect floodplain inundation patterns and, in turn, floodplain forest health in the lower Roanoke River. Rather than requesting a full proposal up front, the Corps is first requesting Statements of Interest (SOIs) to screen for organizations and investigators with the right mix of technical skills, field capability, and familiarity with the Roanoke River system. The anticipated award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, and the work is framed as research and development under federal authority (10 U.S.C. 2358).

The project is motivated by a major operational change implemented in 2016 at Kerr Reservoir. Historically, releases were around 20,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), but the Corps shifted to a Quasi-Run-of-River (QRR) approach that can reach roughly 35,000 cfs during flood stage. This change was made in large part to improve ecological conditions, especially the health and sustainability of bottomland hardwood floodplain forests across a very large floodplain corridor (described as up to about 5 miles wide in places, among the largest bottomland hardwood expanses on the US East Coast). Existing long-term vegetation monitoring conducted by partners such as The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and academic researchers has revealed concerning trends, including declining numbers of some key species (the example given is Laurel Oak). Even where trees are surviving, growth appears to slow in years or seasons with prolonged inundation. At the same time, USACE has been developing detailed hydraulic models for parts of the river using HEC-RAS 2D, including areas where vegetation plots are located. This grant opportunity is essentially about bringing these strands together so managers can better understand whether the new flow regime is achieving the intended ecological outcomes and what adjustments, monitoring, or follow-on research might be needed.

The anticipated work has four main technical objectives. First, the selected team will use remote sensing imagery, paired with a partner’s peer-reviewed model, to map and quantify the extent and distribution of flooding across the landscape under reservoir releases in the 20,000 to 35,000 cfs range. The goal here is to translate changes in dam releases into real, spatially explicit inundation patterns that floodplain vegetation actually experiences. Second, the team will update and strengthen the existing vegetation analysis by integrating the remote sensing results, incorporating the Corps’ HEC-RAS 2D hydraulic outputs, and collecting additional field data, including tree-ring sampling (dendrochronology), to refine how inundation timing, depth, duration, and frequency relate to tree growth and overall forest condition. Third, the project will use these refined relationships as inputs to the Corps’ Ecosystem Function Model, allowing findings from plot-scale studies to be applied more broadly across the lower Roanoke River watershed and to evaluate how QRR operations may influence floodplain vegetation at a basin-wide scale rather than only at monitored plots. Fourth, the work is expected to end with practical recommendations for what additional research or long-term monitoring is necessary to capture delayed or cumulative impacts of QRR, recognizing that forest responses can unfold over many years.

A notable feature of the SOI review is that USACE is emphasizing qualifications and readiness over a detailed technical proposal at this stage. Preference is given to respondents who can demonstrate access to field technicians with direct working knowledge of the Roanoke River, strong familiarity with local species and floodplain ecology, and established working relationships with key basin partners. The notice also flags environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling as potentially part of the work, with the practical constraint that sampling may depend on weather and event timing, so teams need to be mobile, able to respond quickly, and capable of collecting samples and conducting or coordinating required laboratory analyses using baseline data and appropriate methods. In other words, the Corps is looking for teams that can combine modeling and remote sensing expertise with real field capacity and lab capability.

In terms of funding and schedule, about $30,000 was expected to be available for the base period, with the possibility of additional funding for follow-on work in later fiscal years if the project performs well and funds are available. The broader posting lists an award ceiling of $160,000 and indicates an expectation of a single award, which suggests the Corps may be planning a phased effort that could grow through options. The base period of performance is anticipated to be 12 months from the date of award, with up to four additional 12-month option periods subject to funding availability. The opportunity was posted to Grants.gov for a 30-day response window, with SOIs due by 5:00 PM Central Time on July 27, 2021. Points of contact included a grants specialist at the USACE Fort Worth District and the project manager supporting the effort.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as applied ecohydrology and decision-support work: integrating hydraulic modeling (HEC-RAS 2D), remote sensing inundation mapping, groundwater and vegetation datasets, and field-based growth evidence (tree rings) to calibrate and run an ecosystem function model that can inform how dam release strategies affect bottomland hardwood floodplain forests on the lower Roanoke River. The intended outcome is not just scientific publication, but management-relevant insight into whether the QRR operational shift is producing healthier floodplain vegetation, what tradeoffs may exist, and what monitoring and modeling improvements are needed to guide future reservoir operations.

• The Department of Defense, Fort Worth District in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ecosystem Function Model Analysis on the Roanoke River" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 28, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2021. (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 $160,000.00 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.

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