Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR UC 17 N009
The CESU Study Agriculture Consumptive Use grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR UC 17 N009) is a Bureau of Reclamation initiative focused on improving how consumptive water use from irrigated agriculture is estimated across the Upper Colorado River Basin. In this context, consumptive use is primarily defined as evapotranspiration (ET), meaning the water actually used by crops and lost to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration. The overall purpose is to strengthen crop ET modeling and remote sensing workflows so Reclamation and partners can produce more reliable, basin-wide estimates of agricultural water demand and use, along with supporting metrics like growing season timing and effective precipitation.
The work is organized around building, calibrating, and validating an ET demands modeling framework for all subareas of the Upper Basin. A major emphasis is on the practical setup steps that determine whether an ET model behaves realistically at large scales, including processing crop type datasets, developing accurate crop masks, and incorporating soil data clipped specifically to cropped lands. The project also calls for calibration of basal crop coefficient (Kcb) curves so that modeled crop development aligns with historical conditions, such as planting dates, canopy full-cover timing, and harvest dates. In addition, the opportunity highlights the need for strong post-processing and visualization routines to flag questionable model runs, evaluate calibration quality, and compare outputs (season start/end, ET rates, effective precipitation estimates) against findings from previous studies.
Another core component is the climate data foundation required for ET calculations. The scope explicitly includes extracting gridded climate datasets for areas of interest, computing reference evapotranspiration (ETo), and then applying bias correction so that the historical climate and ETo inputs represent agricultural conditions rather than broader regional averages. Because gridded datasets can deviate from field conditions, especially in irrigated valleys and agricultural microclimates, the project relies on agricultural weather station data both as a quality benchmark and as the basis for deriving correction factors that can be applied to the gridded inputs.
To support that, the opportunity requires quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for agricultural station datasets and the processing steps needed to compute station-based ETo. The intent is to compare station-derived ETo to gridded climate/ETo estimates, quantify systematic differences, and translate those differences into bias correction factors that improve the ET demands modeling inputs. This creates a consistent and defensible climate-to-ETo pipeline across the basin.
The scope also includes land classification and mapping tasks aimed at reducing uncertainty in what is being modeled. One task is to develop decision rules for assigning certain crop classes (for example, pasture-high and pasture-low) into a broader grassland class, which reportedly makes up roughly 70 percent of agricultural land in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Because grassland and pasture categories can be inconsistently mapped and can vary in management intensity, establishing consistent assignment rules is important for coherent basin-scale ET estimates. Another task is to evaluate whether new maps of potentially irrigated lands can be developed, or whether existing datasets can be improved or validated, since errors in identifying irrigated acreage directly translate into errors in consumptive use estimates.
Method development and intercomparison are also central to the project. The scope asks for recommendations on methods to estimate shortages (situations where water supply constraints reduce actual use below potential demand), wintertime crop ET, and effective precipitation (the portion of precipitation that is actually available to meet crop water needs). It also calls for comparing potential crop ET estimates generated by common approaches such as Penman-Monteith based ET demands modeling and Blaney-Criddle against eddy covariance measurements, which are often treated as a high-quality observational standard for surface energy balance and ET. These comparisons are meant to reveal biases, seasonal patterns of error, and conditions where specific methods perform better or worse.
A final technical emphasis is the recommendation of a unified approach that links remote sensing of actual crop ET with methods for estimating potential crop ET and consumptive use. In practice, this means advising on how best to combine model-based demand estimates, station and gridded climate inputs, and satellite-derived ET products into a consistent framework that stakeholders can use for planning and analysis across jurisdictions and subbasins. The work concludes with the production of draft and final reports summarizing findings, documenting methods, and providing recommendations, along with participation in stakeholder meetings and workshops to communicate results, gather feedback, and align technical choices with management needs.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, categorized under Natural Resources (CFDA 15.541). Eligible applicants are state governments. The opportunity was posted June 12, 2017, with an original closing date of June 26, 2017. Reclamation anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $71,921.Apply for BOR UC 17 N009
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CESU Study Agriculture Consumptive Use" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.541.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 12, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 2017. (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 $71,921.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the CESU Study Agriculture Consumptive Use grant opportunity?
The CESU Study Agriculture Consumptive Use opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR UC 17 N009) is a Bureau of Reclamation discretionary grant focused on improving how consumptive water use from irrigated agriculture is estimated across the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Which federal agency is offering this grant?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The purpose is to strengthen crop evapotranspiration (ET) modeling and remote sensing workflows so Reclamation and partners can produce more reliable, basin-wide estimates of agricultural water demand and use, along with related metrics such as growing season timing and effective precipitation.
In this opportunity, what does "consumptive use" mean?
Consumptive use is primarily defined as evapotranspiration (ET), meaning the water actually used by crops and lost to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration.
What geographic area does the project cover?
The work is focused on the Upper Colorado River Basin, and the modeling framework is intended to cover all subareas of the Upper Basin.
What are the core technical outcomes the project is trying to improve?
The project aims to improve basin-wide estimates of agricultural water demand and use by improving ET demands modeling, remote sensing workflows, and supporting datasets (crop type, soil data, climate inputs), as well as producing supporting metrics such as season start/end timing and effective precipitation.
What kind of modeling framework is expected?
The scope calls for building, calibrating, and validating an ET demands modeling framework that can be applied across all subareas of the Upper Basin.
What practical model setup steps are emphasized?
The opportunity highlights several setup steps that influence whether an ET model behaves realistically at large scales, including processing crop type datasets, developing accurate crop masks, and incorporating soil data clipped specifically to cropped lands.
What is meant by processing crop type datasets and developing crop masks?
These tasks refer to preparing crop classification information and creating spatial masks that identify where specific crops (or agricultural lands) exist, so ET modeling is applied to the correct areas and crop categories at basin scale.
Why does the scope mention clipping soil data to cropped lands?
Because the project seeks realistic large-scale ET behavior, it explicitly calls for incorporating soil data that is clipped specifically to cropped lands, helping ensure soil-related inputs represent agricultural areas rather than broader landscapes.
What calibration activities are required for crop development?
The project calls for calibration of basal crop coefficient (Kcb) curves so modeled crop development aligns with historical conditions, including planting dates, canopy full-cover timing, and harvest dates.
What is the basal crop coefficient (Kcb) used for in this project?
Kcb curves are used to help represent crop development and water use behavior in ET demands modeling. The opportunity specifically emphasizes calibrating these curves to match historical crop timing characteristics (planting through harvest).
What kinds of post-processing and visualization are expected?
The scope highlights the need for strong post-processing and visualization routines to flag questionable model runs, evaluate calibration quality, and compare outputs such as season start/end, ET rates, and effective precipitation estimates against findings from previous studies.
What outputs does the opportunity expect to be checked during post-processing?
Examples named in the scope include season start and season end timing, ET rates, and effective precipitation estimates, along with checks that identify questionable model runs and assess calibration quality.
What climate data work is included in the scope?
The opportunity explicitly includes extracting gridded climate datasets for areas of interest, computing reference evapotranspiration (ETo), and applying bias correction so historical climate and ETo inputs better represent agricultural conditions rather than broader regional averages.
What is reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and why is it part of the project?
ETo is a reference measure used in ET calculations. The project includes computing ETo from gridded climate datasets and from agricultural station data, then using comparisons between them to bias-correct gridded inputs for agricultural conditions.
Why is bias correction needed for gridded climate datasets and gridded ETo?
The scope notes that gridded datasets can deviate from field conditions, particularly in irrigated valleys and agricultural microclimates. Bias correction is intended to make historical climate and ETo inputs more representative of agricultural conditions.
What data are used as a benchmark for bias correction?
Agricultural weather station data are used both as a quality benchmark and as the basis for deriving correction factors that can be applied to gridded climate and ETo inputs.
What QA/QC requirements are included for station datasets?
The opportunity requires quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for agricultural station datasets and the processing steps needed to compute station-based ETo.
How are station-derived ETo and gridded ETo used together in the project?
The project intends to compare station-derived ETo to gridded climate/ETo estimates, quantify systematic differences, and translate those differences into bias correction factors that improve the ET demands modeling inputs.
What does the opportunity mean by a "consistent and defensible climate-to-ETo pipeline"?
It refers to a standardized approach for taking climate data (gridded and station-based), computing ETo, performing QA/QC, and applying bias corrections in a way that is consistent across the basin and can be justified technically.
What land classification and mapping tasks are included?
The scope includes developing decision rules for assigning certain crop classes (for example, pasture-high and pasture-low) into a broader grassland class, and evaluating whether new maps of potentially irrigated lands can be developed or whether existing datasets can be improved or validated.
Why does the project focus on pasture and grassland classification?
The opportunity states that grassland reportedly makes up roughly 70 percent of agricultural land in the Upper Colorado River Basin and that pasture/grassland categories can be inconsistently mapped and vary in management intensity. Consistent assignment rules are important for coherent basin-scale ET estimates.
What is the relevance of mapping potentially irrigated lands?
The scope highlights that errors in identifying irrigated acreage directly translate into errors in consumptive use estimates. The project therefore includes evaluating whether new maps can be developed and/or whether existing datasets can be improved or validated.
What method development topics does the scope ask for recommendations on?
The opportunity requests recommendations on methods to estimate shortages (when water supply constraints reduce actual use below potential demand), wintertime crop ET, and effective precipitation (the portion of precipitation actually available to meet crop water needs).
What does the opportunity mean by "shortages"?
Shortages are described as situations where water supply constraints reduce actual use below potential demand.
What is "effective precipitation" in the context of this project?
Effective precipitation is defined here as the portion of precipitation that is actually available to meet crop water needs, and the project includes work to estimate it and evaluate effective precipitation outputs.
What intercomparison activities are included?
The scope calls for comparing potential crop ET estimates from common approaches, including Penman-Monteith based ET demands modeling and Blaney-Criddle, against eddy covariance measurements.
Why does the scope mention eddy covariance measurements?
Eddy covariance measurements are described as often being treated as a high-quality observational standard for surface energy balance and ET. Comparisons are intended to reveal biases, seasonal error patterns, and conditions where specific methods perform better or worse.
Which ET estimation approaches are explicitly named for comparison?
The opportunity explicitly names Penman-Monteith based ET demands modeling and Blaney-Criddle as approaches to compare against eddy covariance measurements.
What is meant by linking remote sensing of actual crop ET with potential crop ET methods?
The opportunity emphasizes recommending a unified approach that combines remote sensing of actual crop ET with methods used to estimate potential crop ET and consumptive use, bringing together model-based demand estimates, station and gridded climate inputs, and satellite-derived ET products.
What are the main categories of data and tools the project is expected to integrate?
Based on the scope, key components include ET demands modeling, remote sensing/satellite-derived ET products, gridded climate datasets, agricultural weather station datasets, crop type and crop mask datasets, and soil data clipped to cropped lands.
How will the project handle questionable model results?
The scope calls for post-processing and visualization routines designed to flag questionable model runs and to evaluate calibration quality.
Does the scope reference comparisons to prior work?
Yes. It calls for comparing outputs (including season timing, ET rates, and effective precipitation estimates) against findings from previous studies.
What deliverables are expected at the end of the work?
The opportunity states that the work concludes with draft and final reports that summarize findings, document methods, and provide recommendations.
Are meetings or workshops part of the scope?
Yes. The scope includes participation in stakeholder meetings and workshops to communicate results, gather feedback, and align technical choices with management needs.
What is the assistance listing/category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized under Natural Resources with CFDA 15.541.
What type of grant is this?
It is described as a discretionary grant opportunity under the Bureau of Reclamation.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are state governments.
How many awards were anticipated?
Reclamation anticipated a single award.
What is the maximum funding amount for this opportunity?
The funding ceiling is $71,921.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on June 12, 2017, and the original closing date was June 26, 2017.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is BOR UC 17 N009.
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