Identifying and Evaluating Impacts to Wetlands from the Savannah River Estuary | W81EWF 24 SOI 0010

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?

The opportunity is titled "Identifying and Evaluating Impacts to Wetlands from the Savannah River Estuary" and the Funding Opportunity Number is W81EWF 24 SOI 0010.

2) Which agency is offering this opportunity, and what kind of award is it?

This is a discretionary opportunity from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and it is being offered as a cooperative agreement.

3) What program or project is this research supporting?

The work supports science and technology research tied to the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), specifically USACE's Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan (MAMP) that tracks environmental effects associated with harbor deepening and related coastal infrastructure changes.

4) What is the main purpose of the funded work?

The core purpose is to continue long-term, field-based monitoring of tidal marshes in the Savannah River Estuary to confirm whether impacts predicted in the SHEP Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) remain within expected bounds during and after construction, and to inform adaptive management if observed conditions trend beyond anticipated limits.

5) What specific environmental concern is highlighted in the FEIS?

A major concern is marsh "conversion" driven by changes in salinity and hydrology, including the potential shift of some freshwater marsh to brackish marsh, and some salt marsh to brackish marsh.

6) Where will fieldwork take place?

Fieldwork will be conducted at 12 marsh sites within the Savannah River Estuary, which spans areas along Georgia and South Carolina.

7) How long is the monitoring effort expected to last?

The award is described as launching the next monitoring commitment spanning the during- and post-construction phases, characterized as another five-year effort, enabling comparison to the completed pre-construction baseline.

8) What is the relationship to prior monitoring work and timelines?

The opportunity builds on an existing monitoring timeline. Earlier work began in 2013, and a pre-construction monitoring phase has already been completed to establish a baseline. The methods to be used must replicate procedures implemented from 2014 through 2023 under SHEP monitoring, which were aligned with approaches used by the USGS Florida Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit during wetlands monitoring in 2000 and 2001.

9) Are applicants allowed to change or modernize the monitoring methods?

The opportunity is explicit about methodological continuity. The recipient must replicate the field procedures used by Clemson University's Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science (Department of Forestry and Natural Resources) from 2014 through 2023 under SHEP monitoring. The stated priority is comparability across decades so detected changes can be interpreted as real environmental trends rather than artifacts of changing protocols.

10) What are the two main technical tasks under this opportunity?

The monitoring is organized around two main technical tasks: (1) documenting impacts of hydrologic change on tidal marshes resulting from harbor deepening, including tidal flooding patterns and salinity measurements; and (2) documenting vegetation change in tidal marshes associated with hydrologic modifications, focusing on plant community diversity and abundance across freshwater, brackish, and salt marsh types.

11) What hydrology-related measurements and analyses are expected?

The project is expected to evaluate tidal flooding patterns across different marsh types and measure salinity in both surface waters and within the marsh root zone. The resulting datasets must be analyzed for patterns and trends over time (including differences under varying flow conditions), explore relationships between hydrologic variables and ecological responses, and be integrated into detailed maps showing sampling locations along with observed values and interpreted results.

12) Why is root-zone salinity specifically mentioned?

Root-zone salinity is described as tightly linked to plant stress, plant community shifts, and long-term marsh stability. Measuring it helps interpret how hydrologic and salinity changes may drive marsh conversion and ecological change.

13) What vegetation-related measurements and outputs are expected?

The project must document vegetation change by tracking the diversity and abundance of plant species across the estuary's marsh communities, including freshwater marsh, brackish marsh, and salt marsh. The intent is to detect and quantify plant community shifts consistent with salinity-driven conversion and to support comparison against the established pre-construction baseline and previous monitoring cycles.

14) Are mapping products required?

Yes. The opportunity states that results must be integrated into detailed maps showing sampling locations alongside observed values and interpreted results.

15) What reporting is required during the period of performance?

The recipient must submit monthly and quarterly progress reports, plus annual report(s) documenting the methods used and analyses conducted throughout the period of performance.

16) Will the awardee need to present results to stakeholders?

Yes. The awardee may be asked to present findings and monitoring results to natural resource agencies and to the public when appropriate, reflecting the public-interest nature of SHEP and the role of monitoring in accountability and environmental management decisions.

17) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to non-federal partners of the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).

18) Can religious organizations apply?

Yes. The notice states that religious organizations may compete on equal footing with secular organizations for federal financial assistance, consistent with Executive Order 13798.

19) Are there special compliance or disclosure requirements that can affect eligibility or funding?

Yes. The opportunity emphasizes compliance and disclosure requirements related to current and pending support. Disclosures in the application can affect eligibility. ERDC may request updated information before award and throughout the project, and funding could be discontinued based on those reviews.

20) How many awards are expected?

The opportunity anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).

21) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $302,500.

22) What is the application closing date and when was the opportunity created?

The original closing date listed is 2024-02-02, and the opportunity was created on 2023-12-01.

23) What CFDA number and activity category are referenced?

The opportunity references CFDA 12.630. The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development, matching the required mix of field monitoring, data analysis, mapping, and applied ecological interpretation under the MAMP.

24) What is the geographic focus and why is it important?

The geographic focus is the Savannah River Estuary along Georgia and South Carolina. The monitoring is meant to evaluate environmental effects associated with SHEP harbor deepening and related coastal infrastructure changes in this estuary, using consistent methods so observed changes can be compared to a pre-construction baseline.