Regional Geomorphic Parameters to Support Bank Stabilization | W81EWF 22 SOI 0035

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0035

The Regional Geomorphic Parameters to Support Bank Stabilization opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF-22-SOI-0035) is a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) cooperative agreement aimed at tackling a long-running problem in the Missouri Ozarks: gravel-bed rivers that are highly unstable and prone to simultaneously dumping sediment in the middle of widened channels while chewing away at both banks. For years, many landowners responded by bulldozing mid-channel gravel and pushing it onto the eroding banks, but those actions were typically unpermitted and, more importantly, tended to make the instability worse by disrupting channel form and sediment movement. After enforcement actions (including at least one fine), many landowners have been hesitant to do anything at all, even when erosion threatens property and infrastructure. USACE is trying to break that stalemate by pairing better, simpler stabilization designs with a more streamlined permitting pathway.

At the core of the project is the Engineering With Nature approach, which tries to achieve traditional engineering goals (like stabilizing banks) while also improving ecological conditions rather than stripping them away. Instead of relying on expensive, full-slope rock revetments that can be out of reach for individual landowners and provide limited habitat value, USACE is working toward nature-based stabilization concepts such as a rock toe combined with a floodplain bench. The key idea is to create parametric, simplified designs where dimensions (for example, riprap sizing and bench geometry) can be selected conservatively from region-specific ranges of stream types found in the Ozarks. To make that possible, USACE needs defensible regional geomorphic and hydrologic parameters that describe what these streams look like, how they behave, and how quickly they are changing.

The funded work focuses on deriving and quantifying those regional parameters from selected sub-watersheds in the Missouri Ozarks. The opportunity calls for extracting the specific measurements needed to design a rock toe and floodplain bench, including channel slope, bank height, wetted perimeter, bankfull area, and bankfull width. In addition to describing “what the channels are,” the study also needs to document “how they are changing,” especially erosion rates and geomorphic adjustments at sites where bank stabilization has been attempted or where gravel manipulation occurred. This change detection may require new field data collection using modern surveying approaches such as drone-based LiDAR and/or Structure from Motion photogrammetry, which can produce repeatable, high-resolution elevation models for comparing channel and bank geometry over time. The announcement also lists optional future work elements: tracking geomorphic change at pilot stabilization projects on Crider Creek and the Maries River after implementation, and quantifying geomorphic change and bank instability in and near Pershing State Park, Missouri.

The public benefit argument is straightforward: streambank erosion in the Ozarks is widespread, landowners often lack affordable and effective options, and the historical “do-it-yourself” gravel pushing approach is both risky from a regulatory standpoint and counterproductive for channel stability. By developing a simplified, conservative design method tied to a streamlined permitting process, USACE aims to make it easier for landowners to pursue solutions that stabilize banks while delivering “ecosystem lift,” meaning measurable improvements in ecological function such as habitat complexity, floodplain connectivity, and more natural channel-floodplain processes. This CESU project is positioned as an early, foundational step because it produces the regional parameter ranges and erosion benchmarks that the later design guidance will depend on.

Funding is estimated at about $120,000 in FY22 for work performed over two years, with the possibility of additional funding of about $75,000 per year for four more years. If all options are exercised, the total potential funding is approximately $420,000 over five years. USACE expects to use responses to identify potential investigators for geomorphic analysis and coding that support the broader goal of using local material in bank stabilization. The announcement indicates an expectation of up to two awards.

USACE will stay actively involved rather than simply handing off a research task. The agency will participate in selecting the bank stabilization sites to be assessed, and it will review and co-author a journal paper documenting the geomorphic parameters developed through the work. USACE also plans to use the resulting geomorphic values to write a separate paper on the parametric design analysis and to develop training materials so the method can be applied consistently in practice.

Eligibility is limited to CESU non-federal partners in the Great Rivers region, and the action is described as 100% funded by USACE (no cost share required). The application process is explicitly two-phased. Phase I requires a concise Statement of Interest/Qualifications (maximum two pages, single-spaced, 12-point font) submitted by email with the opportunity number W81EWF-22-SOI-0035 in the subject line to chl-ct-quotes@usace.army.mil. The Phase I package is meant to establish who you are and why you are qualified, including contact information, a brief statement of qualifications, biosketch materials, examples of relevant past projects and clients, identification of staff/faculty/students who would work on the project and their expertise, and a summary of capabilities such as equipment and facilities. A budget is not requested at Phase I. The Phase I deadline listed is 5:00 pm Central time on August 1, 2022, with Angela Holcomb as the administrative contact.

After reviewing Phase I submissions, selected investigators are invited to Phase II, which is the full proposal stage. Phase II requires standard federal application forms (including SF 424 R&R) plus a full technical proposal describing the research scope and technical approach, documentation of relevant prior work and available equipment/data/facilities, resumes for key personnel, and a detailed cost proposal with clear justification and cost element breakdowns. The budget guidance is specific, calling out direct labor by hours and rates, fringe rates, travel details by trip, materials/equipment with supporting quotes or pricing, subrecipient proposals and selection method, tuition (if any), indirect costs (noting a CESU negotiated indirect rate of 17.5%), and verification for other costs. The Phase II submission deadline listed is August 15, 2022. Proposals can be submitted by mail, email, or Grants.gov, but applicants are asked to choose only one submission method and are responsible for ensuring completeness, especially if using Grants.gov (which can require weeks to register).

Proposals are reviewed through an impartial peer/scientific review process consistent with DoD grants regulations. The evaluation factors are dominated by technical merit and the relationship of the work to Department of Defense missions (those two are of equal weight within the technical criterion), followed by cost/price realism. Based on the review, proposals are categorized as Selectable or Not Selectable, and final award decisions also depend on program importance and funding availability. USACE reserves the right to fund some, all, or none of the proposed work, and partial awards are possible. If selected, the recipient receives a written award in the form of a cooperative agreement signed by a Grants Officer, and work cannot begin until that authorization is in place. Reporting and administrative requirements follow the relevant federal and DoD regulations (including 2 CFR reporting standards).

The main practical takeaway is that USACE is seeking a qualified CESU partner to build a defensible regional dataset of Ozarks stream geomorphic parameters and documented erosion/change rates, using methods that may include drone-based topographic surveys, so USACE can translate that information into simplified, conservative bank stabilization designs and training materials that are more affordable for landowners and better for river ecosystems than past ad hoc gravel-moving practices.

• The Department of Defense, CEERD-CERL in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Geomorphic Parameters to Support Bank Stabilization" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 01, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 01, 2022. (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 $420,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0035

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