Month: March 2023

MWRRC Invites FY 2023 104(b) Proposals

by Kaye L. Brubaker

The MWRRC invites proposals from Principal Investigators (PIs) at institutions of higher education in Maryland to be considered for support under the FY 2023 104(b)  Water Resources Research Act program (US Geological Survey).

The FY23 USGS WRRA 104b Annual Base Grant funding announcement (#G23AS00486) was posted April 4 (USGS WRRI website ). Only Water Resources Institutes and Centers may submit proposals to the USGS. Investigators at any institution of higher education in Maryland may submit proposals to the MWRRC.

Proposals should be submitted to the MWRRC by 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 28, 2023 Friday, May 5, following the guidelines in the Maryland 2023 RFP

The following documents are provided for use in preparing proposals:

We expect that funding will be awarded Sept. 1, 2023. Projects will be funded for at most one year.

Note that the matching requirement for the 104(b) program is now 1:1 — one non-federal dollar offered as match for each federal dollar requested. Under this program, federal funds may not be used to pay indirect costs. Matching funds may include the forgone indirect costs, as well as non-federal salaries and benefits. Investigators may contact the Center Director if they have questions about matching funds.

Proposals may address any water resources topic important to Maryland and to the education of water scientists, engineers, and other professionals in Maryland. The Center particularly invites proposals on the following topics:

  • Climate change mitigation and/or adaptation in the context of water resources
  • Justice and equity in water resources
  • Building a diverse water resources workforce for Maryland
  • Public and preK-12 education about water, watersheds, and water resources

The Center also welcomes proposals for Summer 2024 Graduate Student Fellowships (see https://blog.umd.edu/mwrrc/grad-fellowships/ ). The timing of this year’s awards does not allow us to support summer fellowships in 2023.

Call for Microcystin Data from Freshwater Lakes and Reservoirs

by Kaye L. Brubaker

The Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech is seeking microcystin data from freshwater lakes and reservoirs in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Microcystin is a class of toxins produced by certain freshwater cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae.

If you have microcystin data from freshwater lakes and reservoirs in Maryland, Virginia, and/or North Carolina or know of someone who may, please contact Jane Walker with the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at janewalk@vt.edu or (540) 231-4159 by April 15, 2023.

Submitted datasets need to contain all of the following information:

  • Microcystin concentrations with any combination of concurrent chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total nitrogen (TN), and/or total phosphorus (TP) concentrations
  • Sample site coordinates (lat. & long.) and sample depth
  • Sample date

We are also requesting other information associated with the dataset including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Methodologies used for analyses
  • Detection limits
  • Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) flags
  • Waterbody characteristics: name, size (e.g., surface area), location, EPA Level III ecoregion (if known), etc.
  • Waterbody management: uses (e.g., public drinking water supply), treatments (e.g., addition of fertilizer, algaecide applications)
  • Other concurrently collected data (e.g., dissolved oxygen, temperature)

Purpose of this Request: The Virginia Water Resources Research Center (“Water Center”) is assisting the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in obtaining datasets containing microcystin concentrations from freshwater lakes and reservoirs in Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. The requested datasets will be used by the Water Quality Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) to help determine if Virginia’s current nutrient criteria for lakes/reservoirs adequately protect the recreation use, as defined through microcystin concentrations.

About Virginia Department of Environmental Quality: Virginia DEQ is responsible for administering laws and regulations related to air quality, water quality, water supply, renewable energy and land protection in Virginia.  The agency manages the water quality of Virginia’s streams, lakes, reservoirs and tidal waters.  To learn more about DEQ, see its website at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/.

About Virginia Water Resources Research Center: The Water Center offers resources and support to researchers, educators, and decision makers throughout the state of Virginia. The Water Center organizes and coordinates the AAC to serve as an independent advisory body to DEQ to review and evaluate the scientific merits of DEQ’s existing and evolving water quality assessment procedures. The Water Center resides within the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech. To learn more about the Water Center, see its website at https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/.