Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications for: Leverage High Resolution Watershed Data for Water Quality Modeling using Machine Learning Techniques | EPA I R3 CBP 23 12

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA I R3 CBP 23 12

This funding opportunity is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program Office request for applications for Fiscal Year 2023 focused on improving water quality modeling in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by leveraging high-resolution watershed data and applying machine learning techniques. The core purpose is to strengthen the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership's ability to evaluate how well implemented and proposed management actions are working to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, and to translate those actions into expected improvements in Chesapeake Bay tidal water quality. In practical terms, the grant is aimed at sharpening the tools used to estimate, track, and explain pollutant load reductions associated with different practices, treatments, and technologies used across the watershed, and to do so in a way that supports accountability and decision-making across the region.

The opportunity sits directly within the CBP partnership's long-running mission of supporting the seven Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions as they carry out their Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). Those plans are the main framework states and the District of Columbia use to meet pollution reduction goals for the Bay. EPA is emphasizing that evaluations should reflect both current conditions and future pressures, specifically climate change and growth, which can alter runoff patterns, pollutant transport, and overall watershed behavior. The intent is not just to build a model for its own sake, but to improve the credibility and usefulness of modeling and assessment systems that underpin reporting, verification, and quantification of pollution reductions across a very large and complex watershed.

From an applicant's perspective, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means EPA expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordinating on technical direction, milestones, data needs, review points, or integration with CBP systems). The funding opportunity number is EPA I R3 CBP 23 12, and it is associated with CFDA 66.466. It is categorized under Environment and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) as the funding activity category, indicating it aligns with broader federal investments in environmental data, infrastructure-related outcomes, and improved resilience and performance of environmental programs.

The scale of the award is relatively focused: EPA anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $450,000. That structure suggests EPA was looking for a single lead applicant or team capable of delivering a cohesive technical effort rather than distributing smaller awards across multiple organizations. The eligible applicant category is listed as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which is a common way of signaling that eligibility may include a mix of entities (often universities, nonprofits, interstate organizations, local or state-affiliated entities, or other specialized institutions), but that applicants must rely on the full announcement for the exact rules.

Timing details indicate the opportunity was created on August 8, 2023, with an original closing date of September 22, 2023, while also noting that Section IV of the announcement governs the official close date information. That note matters because federal RFAs sometimes include specific submission deadlines by time zone, or allow amendments that adjust dates, and EPA wants applicants to follow the authoritative section in the full notice.

Overall, the grant can be summarized as a targeted investment to modernize and enhance Chesapeake Bay watershed water quality modeling by integrating high-resolution data and machine learning approaches, with the ultimate goal of improving accountability and confidence in estimates of nutrient and sediment reductions tied to management actions. The work is meant to support the Bay jurisdictions' planning and reporting under the WIPs and to ensure modeling frameworks remain robust under changing climate and land use conditions, helping the partnership better understand and communicate how collective restoration actions influence tidal water quality outcomes in the Chesapeake Bay.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment, infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications for: Leverage High Resolution Watershed Data for Water Quality Modeling using Machine Learning Techniques" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.466.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 08, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 22, 2023 See Section IV of the funding opportunity announcement for close date information.. (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 $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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