Commissioner's Offce News Releases

The 50th Annual Colorado High School Bridge Building Contest is Right around the Corner!

The 50th Annual Colorado High School Bridge Building Contest will take place in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Technical Services Center laboratory facilities in Denver, Colorado on February 18, 2017. Winners from this event will have a chance to compete in the National Bridge Building Competition.

High school students from across Colorado will be putting their physics and engineering skills to the test to try and construct the most efficient bridge. Students can participate individually, or on teams that consist of their classmates. The winners will receive cool prizes like scholarships, treasury bonds, and technology gadgets.

Students test their bridges with the help of volunteers

The event is co-sponsored by Reclamation, Professional Engineers of Colorado and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado. Reclamation’s Technical Service Center’s Concrete, Geotechnical and Structural lab will host this event for Reclamation. Students and teachers alike find value in this event, because it provides practical reinforcement of physics and engineering principles and allows the participants an opportunity to meet career engineers. Participants also get to tour Reclamation’s laboratory facilities.

Bridges are tested by applying increased weight loads to determine which bridge has the highest efficiency.

The winners who move on to compete in the National Bridge Building Competition may also have the chance to participate in the International Bridge Building Competition. To participate in this event students must construct model bridges using the specifications provided by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Students can either bring their bridges to the lab in person, or they can mail them.

Each bridge will be tested at the event by applying increasing weight loads until the bridge breaks. The winning bridge will have the highest efficiency number (the maximum weight the bridge is able to hold, divided by the bridge’s weight). In the past, bridges have held up to 20,000 times their weight, and up to 2,500 pounds!

To register, students must visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/50th-annual-colorado-high-school-bridge-building-contest-registration-29831365417 by February 10, 2017. To find out more about this event, visit http://nspe-co.org/events_bridge_building.php

Bureau of Reclamation Initiates Basin Study Selection Process

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking letters of interest from eligible non-federal entities interested in participating in a new basin study. A short letter of interest is due to the respective regional office by January 20, 2017.

Through basin studies, Reclamation works with state and local partners to conduct comprehensive water supply and demand studies of river basins in the Western United States. Since establishment of this program in 2009, Reclamation has started 25 basin studies and completed 15 of them. Learn more about basin studies at https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/bsp/.

Basin studies include four main elements:

Projections of water supply and demand, including the risks of climate change.
Analysis of how existing water and power infrastructure will perform in response to changing water realities.
Development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to improve operations and infrastructure to supply adequate water in the future.
Trade-off analysis of the strategies identified and findings.

Entities must contribute at least half of the total cost as cash or in-kind services. This is not a financial assistance program and Reclamation's share of the study costs will only be used to support the work done by Reclamation or its contractors.

Reclamation’s regional office staff will review all letters of interest. Those selected for consideration will then work with Reclamation to develop a joint study proposal for evaluation and prioritization by a Reclamation review committee.

WaterSMART is the U.S. Department of the Interior’s sustainable water initiative that uses the best available science to improve water conservation and help water resource managers identify strategies to narrow the gap between supply and demand. To learn more about WaterSMART, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.

Bureau of Reclamation Launches Prize Challenge to Seek Solutions for Improving Weather Forecast Predictions

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is launching a new prize challenge, Sub-Seasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo, to ask solvers to improve existing sub-seasonal forecasts and to develop systems that perform demonstratively better than the existing baseline forecast for predicting temperature and precipitation over a 15 to 42-day time frame. If there are winners of this prize challenge, they will share up to $800,000 in prize money.

Solvers of this prize challenge will have three months to develop their system, at which point they are asked to provide forecasts every two weeks over a 13-month period, with the first month being a "pre-season" to become familiar with the submission and evaluation processes.

Improved sub-seasonal forecasts for temperature and precipitation, lead-times ranging from 15 to 45 days and beyond, would allow water managers to better prepare for shifts in hydrologic regimes, such as the onset of drought or occurrence of wet weather extremes.

Skillful sub-seasonal forecasting 15 to 45 days in the future has proven difficult to accomplish, because it bridges short-term forecasting, where initial conditions primarily determine upcoming weather, and long-term forecasting in which slowly varying factors such as sea surface temperatures and soil moisture become more important.

Reclamation is collaborating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, to design and judge this challenge. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contributed subject matter experts to review and assist with the design of this prize challenge.

To register and learn more about this prize challenge, visit http://www.challenge.gov. To learn more about Reclamation's Water Prize Challenge Center, visit https://www.usbr.gov/research/challenges/.

Secretary Jewell Celebrates Milestones for Smart Western Water Management

LAS VEGAS – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor today celebrated milestones for two collaborative efforts the Interior Department has spearheaded to help secure sustainable water supplies for future generations. They made the announcements at the Colorado River Water Users Association meeting in Las Vegas.

First, Secretary Jewell finalized the framework to adaptively manage the Glen Canyon Dam over the next 20 years, with the goal of creating certainty and predictability for water and power users while protecting environmental and cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park and the Colorado River ecosystem.

“The Colorado River is foundational to the Western economy, and the issues facing it are complex,” said Secretary Jewell. “I applaud the diverse set of partners that came together to develop a plan that will deliver water and power from Glen Canyon Dam, while also protecting the incredible natural and cultural resources that call the Colorado River Basin home.”

Second, the Interior Department released a report showing that projects initiated from 2010-2016 under the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program are expected to result in savings of 1.14 million acre-feet of water per year upon completion, the annual household usage of 4.6 million people.

“The WaterSMART program is about collaboration on new ideas and creative solutions to stretch finite water supplies, increase drought resilience, improve environmental conditions, and address the effects of climate change,” said Deputy Secretary Connor. “Through the water conservation and reuse projects funded by WaterSMART across the West, we expect to save enough water to meet the needs of Phoenix annually.”

To develop the Long-term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) for Glen Canyon, the Interior Department conducted a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement involving the Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service, along with 15 cooperating agencies, the Navajo Nation and all seven Colorado River Basin States. The Department carefully weighed economic, technical, social and environmental considerations among seven possible alternatives evaluated by the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

The final plan also includes a number of important improvements to enable successful dam operations in compliance with the Grand Canyon Protection Act and other federal statutes and regulations. The plan provides more even monthly volume releases and continues protocols for the High Flow Experiments. As was seen last month, these experimental releases are designed to restore sand features and associated backwater habitats to provide key fish and wildlife habitat, potentially reduce erosion of archaeological sites, restore and enhance riparian vegetation, increase beaches and enhance wilderness values along the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park.

The LTEMP will not affect the amount of water available annually for communities and agriculture based on the annual water flow between Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Colorado River Basin water allocations are unchanged by the LTEMP Record of Decision. Those allocations and annual deliveries will continue consistent with the Colorado River Compact and other existing statutes, treaties, regulations and agreements governing Colorado River water allocation, appropriation, development and exportation.

The Colorado River Basin is just one area where the Department is working with its partners to address water conservation and other water-saving strategies. Today’s WaterSMART report and data visualization tool details progress made since 2010 to improve water conservation and help water-resource managers narrow the gap between water supply and demand. The WaterSMART Progress Report illustrates in detail how WaterSMART provides a framework through which water managers can develop and adopt innovative solutions that provide a more reliable water supply in a changing climate.

“Reclamation has more than 100 years of experience addressing the water supply and demand needs of the Western United States," Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López said. "Through collaboration with our partners under WaterSMART, we hope to help ensure water sustainability for another 100 years and beyond.”

As part of WaterSMART, Reclamation provides funding for projects and studies that increase water and energy efficiency, plan for and mitigate drought, develop scientific information and tools to plan for future water needs, and facilitate the creation and advancement of watershed groups.

You can find a fact sheet with accomplishments under the WaterSMART program here.

WaterSMART Funding Opportunity Available from Bureau of Reclamation for On-the-Ground Watershed Management Projects

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation has released a funding opportunity for the Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase II grants, which provides funding to watershed groups for on-the-ground watershed management projects. The funding opportunity announcement is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity BOR-DO-17-F013. Applications are due on February 15, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. MST.

Funding will be provided on a cost-share basis for projects that improve the ecological resiliency of rivers, streams and riparian areas, conserve water for multiple uses, and reduce conflicts over water through collaborative management efforts within the watershed. Eligible project types include, but are not limited to, projects to improve stream channel structure and complexity, water conservation or management activities that improve ecological resilience, and projects to address water quality issues.

The President's budget request includes $1.75 million for the Cooperative Watershed Management Program. It is anticipated that 14 to 16 awards will be made under this funding opportunity.

To be eligible, applicants must be a grassroots, nonregulatory watershed group that addresses water availability and quality issues within the relevant watershed, represent a diverse group of stakeholders, and can promote the sustainable use of water resources within the watershed. The applicant must also have approved articles of incorporation and bylaws and have developed a restoration plan and project concepts for the watershed.

Learn more about the WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program and this new funding opportunity at https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp.

Bureau of Reclamation Launches Two Prize Challenges Seeking Solutions to Expand Usable Water Supplies

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is launching two new prize challenges, Arsenic Sensor Challenge and More Water, Less Concentrate. This is the first stage for each challenge. Subsequent stages with larger prize purses are planned for testing and demonstrating the most promising technologies.

The Arsenic Sensor Challenge seeks to identify new or improved sensors, devices or test kits to measure arsenic in water in natural and engineered systems. Current analytical methods are suitable for ensuring regulatory compliance. However, Reclamation and its collaborators identified a need for rapid, low-cost monitoring of arsenic that would benefit water treatment plant operations, wastewater monitoring, contaminated site remediation, private well owners, scientific research, and other interested parties.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contributed significant efforts to the design of this prize competition, and Xylem Inc., a global water technology company, became a co-sponsor through its contribution to the prize purse. The Indian Health Service, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Agricultural Research Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated on various aspects of the development of this challenge.

The More Water, Less Concentrate prize challenge seeks innovative solutions to expand usable water supplies by maximizing fresh water production from inland desalination systems in a cost effective and environmentally sound manner. Many inland communities are exploring desalination as a method to provide a new source of water. This challenge may help them by minimizing the concentrate stream volume and associated handling costs while maximizing the usable water produced by the process.

The Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, and Water Research Foundation are collaborating with Reclamation on various aspects of this challenge.

To register and learn more about these prize challenges and the visions for the future stages of competition, visit www.challenge.gov. To learn more about Reclamation’s Water Prize Challenge Center, visit www.usbr.gov/research/challenges/.

Bureau of Reclamation Releases Water Markets Report

WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation released a report this week reviewing the role of Reclamation in water markets. For decades, water users in the West have used many different approaches to address water needs particular to their location. In some instances, these approaches have created market conditions in which buyers and sellers voluntarily trade water rights. Such water market transactions can often involve Reclamation facilities.

This new report, “Water marketing activities within the Bureau of Reclamation,” highlights the ways Reclamation has partnered with water users to enable such transactions. The report reviews a series of case studies which illustrate a tremendous amount of locally-led innovation. The cases also illustrate how locally-led transactions have created collaborations and programs that enable greater flexibility in the use of project water or facilities.

Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López said, “States and local water users are quietly solving water resource challenges in the West through market-based agreements. This report will help us identify ways that Reclamation can enable and support continued innovation in the face of increasing pressures on scarce water supplies.”

Reclamation is continuing its role in supporting locally led water markets through a new grant program. Starting in Fiscal Year 2017, the WaterSMART grant program will provide grants to conduct planning activities to develop water marketing strategies to establish or expand water markets and water marketing transactions. Reclamation will make available $3 million for this program. This new funding opportunity is expected to be posted in February 2017.

Going forward, Reclamation will continue to work with states and local water users to promote innovation through water markets in order to provide flexibility, promote conservation and stretch scarce water supplies.

Reclamation Releases Progress Report on Meeting Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

WASHINGTON - Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López released a report today that provides a status update on the actions Reclamation is undertaking to meet the challenges of climate change on Western water supplies. This includes meeting the four goals established in the strategy, increasing water management flexibility, enhancing climate adaptation planning, improving infrastructure resiliency, and expanding information sharing.

"Climate change poses clear risks to our ability to deliver water and power," Commissioner López said. "In light of those risks, Reclamation and our partners will take key steps that line up with the goals of this strategy, helping to ensure a sustainable water supply across the West."

The strategy identifies four primary goals to improve Reclamation's ability to consider climate change information in its decision making:

Goal 1 - Increase Water Management Flexibility
Goal 2 - Enhance Climate Adaptation Planning
Goal 3 - Improve Infrastructure Resiliency
Goal 4 - Expand Information Sharing

Reclamation is making progress on the activities identified in the four goals of the strategy. These activities include:

five reservoir operation pilot studies that are evaluating how weather, hydrology and climate change information can better inform reservoir operations;
implementing hydropower optimizations that could increase generation by 410,000 to 1.2 million megawatt hours per year, enough electricity for between 37,000 to 109,000 households;
Reclamation is supporting integration of climate change information across planning activities through approaches developed through the basin studies and the drought response program;
the Western Watershed Enhancement Program that has provided nearly $1.2 million to cost-share seven wildfire resiliency projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho and Washington; and
Reclamation working with its partners to offer climate change training courses for technical water resource professionals and for general audience on integrating climate change considerations into water resources planning.

The actions identified in the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy are part of the Department of the Interior's implementation of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the strategy provides a framework in which Reclamation managers can develop and adopt innovative solutions that provide a more reliable water supply in a changing climate. It also supports the Nov. 1, 2013, Executive Order, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change.

To view the progress report and learn more about how Reclamation is incorporating climate change into its efforts, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/climate.

Reclamation Seeks Comments on Draft Criteria for New WaterSMART Water Marketing Funding Opportunity

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking comments on eligible activities and evaluation criteria for a new WaterSMART water marketing funding opportunity. Through this funding opportunity Reclamation will provide grants to conduct planning activities in developing a water marketing strategy to establish or expand water markets or water marketing transactions.

Reclamation is seeking comments on the types of activities that will be eligible in this funding opportunity. In the draft funding opportunity, the types of eligible activities defined are outreach and partnership building, scoping and planning activities, and the development of a water marketing framework. Applicants will have some flexibility to define appropriate tasks within these three elements to allow them to design a water marketing strategy that meets their needs.

Comments are also being sought on the draft evaluation criteria that will be used to prioritize proposals in this funding opportunity. The draft criteria currently provide some priority for strategies supporting larger water markets, with more transactions, and strategies supporting a small number or even a single transaction if that strategy is likely to lead to immediate implementation of a water marketing project. The draft criteria also give weight to proposed strategies that will provide significant benefits, such as meeting an important water supply need or decreasing the likelihood of conflicts over water. Other priorities in this draft criteria are proposals with stakeholder support, detailed descriptions of milestones, schedules and budgets.

For this new funding opportunity, water marketing refers to water rights transactions, include the lease, sale or exchange of water rights, undertaken in accordance with state and federal laws, between willing buyers and sellers. A water market refers to a formal arrangement, based on a set of rules and/or water management agreements, to allow for water rights transactions within a specific geographic area. A “water marketing strategy” consists of planning activities including engineering, hydrologic, legal, economic, and other types of analysis, and the development of rules, legal agreements, software and logistical arrangements for water marketing.

The water marketing funding opportunity is expected to be posted in February 2017. It will require a minimum 50 percent non-federal cost share contribution and Reclamation will be separating proposals in to two funding groups, one for proposals seeking up to $200,000 in federal funds and another for proposals seeking up to $400,000.

Send your comments on water marketing evaluation criteria and project types to Avra Morgan at aomorgan@usbr.gov. Comments on the draft criteria will be accepted through Jan. 6, 2017, at 4 p.m. MST.

WaterSMART is the Department of the Interior's sustainable water initiative that uses the best available science to improve water conservation and help water resource managers identify strategies to narrow the gap between supply and demand. For more information on the WaterSMART program or download the draft criteria please visit https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart.

The Bureau of Reclamation Releases Two WaterSMART Grants Funding Opportunities for Water Conservation and Energy Efficiency Projects

WASHINGTON - Today, the Bureau of Reclamation released two WaterSMART Grants funding opportunities including the water and energy efficiency grants funding opportunity and the new small-scale water efficiency projects funding opportunity. These two funding opportunities will help move the West towards resilience in the face of drought and ongoing imbalances between water supply and demand.

The new small-scale water efficiency projects funding opportunity is for small improvements that have been identified through previous planning efforts. Projects eligible for funding include installation of flow measurement or automation in a specific part of a water delivery system, lining of a section of a canal to address seepage, small rebate programs that result in reduced residential water use, or other similar projects that are limited in scope. These projects are eligible to receive up to $75,000 in federal funding. For this funding opportunity, Reclamation has developed a streamlined selection and review process to reflect the small-scale nature of these projects.

Previously, small-scale water efficiency projects were funded through Reclamation’s Water Conservation Field Services Program, which beginning this year will focus on planning and design activities to help lay the groundwork for future improvements. Proposals for this new category of WaterSMART Grants will be accepted, evaluated and selected on a rolling basis with the final application submission deadline on April 27, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. MDT. This funding opportunity is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity BOR-DO-17-F011.

Water and energy efficiency grants focus on larger scale projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings and that may have several components intended to address a significant water management concern. Projects include canal lining and piping, more comprehensive installation of irrigation flow measurement or canal automation improvements, installation of water meters and other similar projects. Projects may also include components that increase renewable energy use and improve energy efficiency, and projects that result in instream flows for endangered species and other fish and wildlife or support water sustainability in other ways.

Applications may be submitted to one of two funding groups:

Funding Group I: Up to $300,000 will be available for smaller projects that may take up to two years to complete.
Funding Group II: Up to $1,000,000 will be available for larger, phased projects that will take up to three years to complete. No more than $500,000 in federal funds will be provided within a given year to complete each phase.

Proposals must be submitted by January 18, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. MST. The funding opportunity is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity number BOR-DO-17-F012.

Those eligible to apply for both grants are states, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts or other organizations with water or power delivery authority located in the western United States or United States territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902. Another WaterSMART Grants funding opportunity, for water marketing activities, is expected to be released this winter.

WaterSMART aims to improve water conservation and sustainability, helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use. The program identifies strategies to ensure this generation and future ones will have sufficient amounts of clean water for drinking, economic activities, recreation and ecosystem health. The program also identifies adaptive measures to address climate change and its impact on future water demands. To learn more, please visit www.usbr.gov/watersmart.

Stormwater Management Importance Underscored in Los Angeles Basin Study Released by Bureau of Reclamation

WASHINGTON - Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López has released the Los Angeles Basin Study that looks at the changing demographics, climate change and competing interests for available water supplies and identifies options to meet the water needs of the Los Angeles area into the future. The study found that there is a potential water supply deficit for the region of approximately 160,000 acre-feet-per year by 2035 and 440,000 acre-feet-per-year or 25-percent less water than the region is projected to need in 2095.

"Reclamation and our partners in the Los Angeles area are working to assure a sustainable water supply now and into the future," Commissioner López said. "The basin study provides our partners the information that they need to further study the various alternatives for future water supplies while reducing their reliance on the state water project and the Colorado River Aqueduct."

The study compiled and assessed the potential impacts of climate change in the Los Angeles area. These impacts include possible variations in precipitation and changes in the timing and intensity of storms through 2095, temperature increases of 3.5 degrees to 4 degrees Fahrenheit along the coast and 4.5 degrees to 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the mountains and desert, an increase in sea-level of 5-24 inches by 2050 and 17-66 inches by 2100, and an increased wildfire risk.

The Los Angeles area relies on imported water from the state water project and the Colorado River for about 57 percent of its current water supply. These imported supplies may be negatively impacted in the future by climate change, drought, and increasing demands. To address this increased uncertainty, the study focused on local water supply sources such as groundwater, which is an important component of the area’s overall water supply portfolio.

The Los Angeles County Flood Control District, a partner in this study with Reclamation, placed a strong emphasis on stormwater capture for groundwater recharge. In addition, recycled water and other local supplies were studied to assist with groundwater recharge. These adaptive concepts were divided among local, regional, storage solutions and management solutions.

The Los Angeles Basin covers approximately 2,040 square miles and features a population of 9.9 million people that is projected to increase to more than 11 million through the next several decades. Nearly 92 percent of Los Angeles County's population resides within the basin, more than one-fourth of the State of California's 38.8 million residents.

This basin study was conducted as part of Reclamation's WaterSMART Program and was cost-shared between Reclamation, Los Angeles County Flood Control District and 20 local project partners. It is available on Reclamation's Basin Study Program website at http://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/bsp/.

Bureau of Reclamation Supports Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong in Laos and Vietnam

Bureau of Reclamation engineers are using their expertise to support environmental safeguards for infrastructure projects in the Lower Mekong region—through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP). Reclamation is contributing to a multi-year Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong (SIM) initiative in both Laos and Vietnam. These projects began in fall 2014 and will run through 2016. SIM is funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

There are two projects in Laos. One provides the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) with dam safety training, capacity building, and helps develop dam-safety guidelines to safeguard the health and safety of downstream communities. The other focuses on sediment analysis, developing the professional skillsets of MEM to review sediment analyses, and provides guidance documents for sediment analysis in a series of dam feasibility studies. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have partnered to field multi-agency teams of technical experts in Laos. There are also two projects in Vietnam. One assists the Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in completing a “Study of the Impacts of Mainstream Hydropower on the Mekong River - Mekong Delta Study (MDS),” and the second assists the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Water Resources Division, by improving reservoir safety and climate resilience through technical assistance.

The Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong initiative is an example of how the United States government collaborates across agency lines to encourage sustainable development and water resources management abroad. The initiative provides the United States federal agencies working on this initiative with an opportunity to work together and learn from each other in a unique setting, enhancing the United States’ reputation abroad and providing United States government participants with new insight of how other nations are dealing with water resources management.

United States’ rivers have long been the site of many hydropower installations built decades ago. But the Mekong River is a highly valuable case study for United States government experts who work on hydropower and river basin management, because it allows them to experience hydropower development on a river in real time and the challenges that accompany such development. Competing uses of water, environmental quality, fisheries management, and the intricacies of the water-food-energy nexus are just a few of the challenges United States government representatives can experience up close and in real time.

Dam Safety Inspections and Monitoring Workshop in Laos

Recent SIM activities conducted by DOI-ITAP with Reclamation team members include two engineers from Reclamation’s Instrumentation and Inspections Group, Chris Danley and Jay Stateler, who traveled to Laos from January 14 to 24, 2016, with counterparts from USACE to conduct a five-day workshop for Laos MEM personnel on Dam Safety Inspections and Monitoring. The training assisted MEM with developing technical capabilities to regulate the design, construction and operations of reservoirs, with respect to dam safety in Laos.

Training occurred in Vientiane and Thalat. In Thalat, Reclamation and USACE engineers also inspected Nam Ngum Dam. Reclamation employees detailed in their trip report that the workshop was well-received by MEM, and participants asked questions and held discussions. Workshop participants thought unanimously that carrying out an actual comprehensive dam safety evaluation, assisted by USACE and Reclamation training personnel, is the best next step for this program. Reclamation and USACE members also met with U.S. embassy officials during this trip.

Sedimentation in Rivers and Reservoirs in Laos Training

Reclamation’s Blair Greimann and Kent Collins, both hydraulic engineers with Reclamation, worked with USACE from March 2 to 20, 2015, to conduct three workshops on Basic Sediment Analysis in Laos. Greimann and Collins, along with USACE, provided four days of classroom instruction coupled with a site visit to a hydroelectric dam. The class instruction was followed by two advanced workshops that happened from February 1 to 12, 2016, that focused on advanced analysis of sedimentation in rivers and reservoirs at two locations within Laos. About 50 to 60 people attended the basic and advanced classes.

Reclamation and USACE also collaborated on Reservoir Sedimentation Guidelines for use in the design and management of reservoirs within Laos. The draft guidelines were presented to MEM on February 16, 2016, with the final version transmitted in June 2016. MEM indicated that the guidelines will improve the management of more than 400 dams and reservoirs in Laos.

"There are many challenges faced by Lao Engineers that are different than what we face here,” said Greimann, reflecting on his time in Laos. “The temperate climate combined with steep terrain creates extreme flow and sediment conditions, but even more challenging and different is the speed at which the hydropower development is occurring and opacity of their government policy and the decision making process. I only hope the Lao engineers learned as much from us as we did from them."

Mekong Delta Study Report for Vietnam

At the request of the Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, DOI-ITAP convened a Mekong Delta Study (MDS) review team to review consultant studies of impacts to the Mekong Delta from proposed hydropower development. The Department of the Interior team, which included Reclamation’s Tim Randle, manager of the Sedimentation and Hydraulics Group, worked concurrently with a World Bank review team.

Both the Department of the Interior (DOI) and World Bank teams participated in three workshops that were convened in Vietnam in November 2014, August 2015, and December 2015. The DOI team learned a great deal about the Mekong River and Delta, the linked complexities of resources, and the impacts of hydropower development through participation at the workshops and by reviewing the various draft reports.

Improving Reservoir Safety and Climate Resilience in Vietnam

The Improving Reservoir Safety and Climate Resilience in Vietnam activity provides technical assistance to the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Water Resources Division, to improve the safety and climate resilience of the national system of small- and medium-sized reservoirs it oversees. These workshops included understanding the concept of potential failure modes; understanding classification of dams by hazard potential; utilizing modeling tools to evaluate hydrologic hazards; and understanding tools and techniques for integrated dam safety decision making.

A DOI-ITAP team traveled to Vietnam in July 2016 to conduct two Rapid Dam Safety workshops, one management workshop on July 12 in Hanoi, and one technical workshop from July 14 to 16 in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam. Both workshops had more than 70 participants from more than 20 provinces. According to Reclamation and USACE’s trip report, the workshops were well-received and the participants saw the value in implementing workshop topics within their dam safety program.

“My experience assisting the Vietnamese government has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” said Dam Safety Officer Todd Hill of the Mid-Pacific Region, adding that he’s made some very good friends among his Vietnamese counterparts. MARD will shortly submit an additional proposal to the SIM program to continue the dam safety effort through 2018.

For more information about the Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong Initiative, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/asia-regional/fact-sheets/smart-infrastructure-mekong

Salinity control dam on the Mekong River delta channels in Vietnam. This dam was constructed to prevent ocean high tides from introducing salinity upstream. Reclamation photo, November 22, 2014.

Bureau of Reclamation Selects Three Projects to Receive Nearly $300,000 for Innovative Water Treatment Research Projects

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation has selected three projects to receive $299,685 under an innovative pilot-scale water treatment technologies and process for inland desalination. The selected projects will receive funding through cooperative agreements and will include a period of pilot testing at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

"Reclamation and its partners are working to assure sustainable water supplies and provide clean and reliable water supplies for the Western United States," Commissioner Estevan López said. "Through the development of new water treatment technologies, such as the ones announced today, impaired waters will become a new and reliable source of water for communities throughout the country and specifically in the West."

This innovative program began in 2016 when Reclamations solicited and received 12 proposals. These proposals were reviewed and six projects were invited to interact with the Applications Review Committee in-person and pitch their proposal. This interactive event was hosted at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility on October 19-20, 2016.

The three projects selected for funding are:

Enhanced Recovery from Impaired Water Resources: Field-Scale Validation of Hybrid Ion Exchange-Membrane (HIX-M) Desalination Process from Lehigh University. They will receive $99,726 in federal funding. This project will focus on testing at a pilot-scale a hybrid ion exchange membrane (HIX-M) system to validate a robust solution for water pretreatment prior to desalination that prevents membrane scaling and fouling due to sulfates and silica and therefore enables 1) higher fresh water production; 2) decreased energy requirements; 3) reduced concentrate disposal, and; 4) reduce/eliminate the need for antiscalant chemicals which will reduce environmental impacts.

Development of Novel Photobiological Process to Improve Water Recovery in Brackish Groundwater Desalination from Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering, Inc. They will receive $100,000 in federal funding. This project will test a novel photobiological process utilizing selectively cultured diatoms to efficiently remove these inorganic scalants from reverse osmosis concentrate. The approach to be tested will help reduce environmental impacts of water reuse and brackish water desalination by harnessing the natural capacity of microalgae with the goal to reduce the volume of concentrate being disposed by more than 50%.

Pilot Evaluation of a Sustainable Autonomous Brackish Groundwater Desalination System from the University of North Texas. They will receive $99,959 in federal funding. This project will evaluate a pilot scale system to treat brackish groundwater to produce potable and agricultural water using proven water treatment technologies, smart use of available water, and powered by renewable energy.

A full description of the projects is available at www.usbr.gov/research. The funding provided today supports the White House’s Water Innovation Strategy to address Water Resource Challenges and Opportunities for Water Technology Innovation. Reclamation's Desalination and Water Purification Research Program works with researchers and partners to develop more innovative, cost-effective, and technologically efficient ways to desalinate water. Learn more at: http://www.usbr.gov/research/st/pitchtopilot.html.

Lehigh University, one of the three awardees for the Pitch to Pilot event, was selected for their Enhanced Recovery from Impaired Water Resources: Field Scale Validation of Hybrid Ion Exchange Membrane (HIX-M) Desalination Process project. Mike German accepts the Crowd Favorite award from the public event from Reclamation's Research and Development Office Advanced Water Treatment Research Coordinator, Yuliana Porras-Mendoza

Miguel Acevedo of the University of North Texas, pitches to the public the joint project with New Mexico State University Pilot Evaluation of a Sustainable Autonomous Brackish Groundwater Desalination System

Bureau of Reclamation Releases Funding Opportunities for Drought Contingency Planning and Drought Resiliency Projects

WASHINGTON - Two funding opportunities are now available from the Bureau of Reclamation for entities to develop drought contingency plans and build long-term solutions to drought. These two funding opportunities are part of Reclamation's Drought Response Program.

The drought contingency planning funding opportunity is for applicants to request up to $200,000 to develop a new drought plan or to update an existing drought plan. Applicants may also request technical assistance from Reclamation for the development of elements of the Drought Contingency Plan. States, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority located in the 17 Western United States and Hawaii are eligible for this funding opportunity. It is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity number BOR-DO-17-F009.

The drought resiliency projects funding opportunity is for projects that will increase the reliability of water supply; improve water management; implement systems to facilitate the voluntary sale, transfer, or exchange of water; and provide benefits for fish, wildlife, and the environment to mitigate impacts caused by drought.

Applications may be submitted under one of two funding groups for resiliency projects:

Funding Group I: up to $300,000 for projects that can be completed within two years
Funding Group II: up to $750,000 for larger projects that can be completed within three years.

For drought resiliency projects, states, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority in the 17 Western United States or United States Territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, are invited to leverage their resources by cost sharing with Reclamation. Applicants must also provide a 50 percent non-Federal cost-share. It is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity number BOR-DO-17-F010.

The fiscal year 2017 budget request includes $4 million for the Drought Response Program. Applications are due on February 14, 2017, by 4 p.m. MST as indicated in the funding opportunities.

For more than 100 years, Reclamation and its partners have worked to develop a sustainable water and power future for the West. This program is part of the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART Program, which focuses on improving water conservation and sustainability, while helping water resource managers make sound decisions about water use.

To find out more information about Reclamation's WaterSMART program, visit http://www.usbr.gov/watersmart, or visit the Drought Response Program at http://www.usbr.gov/drought.

Reclamation Commissioner Names Max Spiker as Senior Advisor for Hydropower and Electric Reliability Officer

WASHINGTON - Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López announced today the selection of Max Spiker as Senior Advisor for Hydropower and Electric Reliability Officer. Reclamation is the second largest generator of hydropower in the country; its 53 power plants annually generate an average of 40 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to meet the demand of 3.5 million homes.

"The availability of hydropower from Reclamation facilities is key to the stability of the electric transmission system in the Western United States and supports the development of renewable energy throughout the West," Commissioner López said. "Max’s extensive experience from all levels of power operations and management, including working collaboratively with Reclamation’s customers, stakeholders and industry, will be a great asset to Reclamation as it ensures the reliable generation of clean renewable electricity into the future."

As senior advisor, Spiker will coordinate implementation of corporate partnership efforts involving Reclamation's power functions and serve as the liaison on intergovernmental initiatives associated with hydropower delivery and be responsible for Reclamation's overall compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Mandatory Bulk Electric System Reliability Standards. He will also coordinate activities in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration, Western Area Power Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Since 2013 Spiker has been the power resources manager where he worked with Reclamation offices in managing Reclamation's hydropower operation and maintenance program, reliability compliance program and renewable energy program. He joined Reclamation's Power Resources Office in 2010 as the operation and maintenance program manager where he provided policy direction and oversight.

He previously held multiple positions including mechanical journeyman at Hoover Dam, facility manager at Green Mountain Dam, Estes Lake and Marys Lake power plants, facility manager of the Colorado - Big Thompson Project and power manager of the Upper Colorado Region where he managed the power program on the upper Colorado River and its tributaries, including Glen Canyon Dam, Flaming Gorge Dam and the facilities on the Gunnison River.

Spiker has more than 28 years of experience with Reclamation. He graduated from Weber State University in 1988 with an Associate of Science degree in Construction Technology.

He begins his new responsibilities this week.