“Delivering Scalable Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Prevention and Management Technologies for Freshwater Ecosystems for the Ohio River” | W81EWF 22 SOI 0021

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0021

The grant opportunity titled "Delivering Scalable Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Prevention and Management Technologies for Freshwater Ecosystems for the Ohio River" is a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) science and technology research effort aimed at reducing the growing impacts of harmful algal blooms and other aquatic nuisance species in US waterways. USACE frames HABs as a national-scale problem affecting waterways it maintains, nearby infrastructure, and public resources, with major economic consequences such as an estimated $1 billion per year in lost tourism revenue. The opportunity is motivated by the fact that HABs are becoming more frequent and longer-lasting, creating environmental damage as well as serious human, wildlife, and economic health concerns. While the Ohio River is a focal system for this effort, the agency is clearly looking for research and practical tools that can be applied broadly across the country in both still-water (lentic) and flowing-water (lotic) freshwater ecosystems.

From a program design standpoint, this is a cooperative agreement (not a standard procurement contract), meaning the government anticipates active collaboration during the project rather than simply receiving a final product at the end. The project is set up under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) framework and specifically requires an interdisciplinary collaboration between USACE and a member institution of either the Southern Appalachian Mountains CESU Network or the North Atlantic Coast CESU Network. A key theme is acceleration: the collaboration is expected to leverage existing resources, identify the highest-value research opportunities, and move promising technologies closer to real-world deployment. The announcement also emphasizes that proposed work should build on and expand current HAB research in the Ohio River and North Atlantic regions without duplicating what is already underway, with an eye toward stronger technology transfer and practical adoption.

The core objective is to develop and demonstrate scalable solutions that measurably minimize the frequency and effects of HABs in US waterways. The agency is not asking for purely theoretical studies; it is looking for prevention and management technologies that can be deployed at large scale in freshwater systems. Proposals can focus on physical, chemical, and/or biological approaches, and the expected outcome is reduction of HAB impacts in one or more concrete ways: (1) decreasing bloom size, duration, and frequency; (2) decreasing bloom biomass and toxicity; or (3) reducing biomass and toxins during or after an event. In other words, projects may target prevention, suppression, mitigation, or post-event reduction, but they must connect clearly to real reductions in bloom magnitude, persistence, or harmfulness.

Two special topic areas are highlighted as especially relevant. The first is the development or demonstration of scalable technologies to manage, control, and/or mitigate HABs in either lentic or lotic freshwater systems. The second is the development of approaches to identify priority areas for proactive HAB management in large lotic systems, such as locating cyanobacteria "seed beds" or identifying HAB onset "hot spots" in mainstem river reaches, tributaries, or backwaters, and then pairing those priority areas with effective treatments. This signals that USACE is interested not only in treatment tools, but also in decision-support methods for where and when to apply those tools in complex river networks so that management actions are strategic and cost-effective.

The announcement is explicit about what a strong proposal should look like. Applicants are expected to have demonstrated experience with HABs and aquatic nuisance species control techniques. The proposal should clearly state the main questions the project will answer (technical objectives) and the tasks and data needed to answer them (data quality objectives). It must directly address scalability, meaning it should explain how and why the proposed management measure or technology could work at the large spatial scales relevant to major freshwater systems like the Ohio River, rather than only in small test plots or laboratory settings. The proposal should also include well-defined deliverables organized by task and by year, along with both quantitative and qualitative success criteria for each task and objective. USACE also encourages proposers to include go/no-go decision points at the end of each year, which signals a preference for phased development with clear evaluation milestones and the ability to stop or pivot if results are not strong enough.

Another important preference is integration with existing programs and data. Proposals that maximize the use of existing federal and state HAB programs, ongoing activities, and available datasets are encouraged, which suggests USACE wants applicants to avoid reinventing monitoring networks or duplicating baseline assessments when those resources already exist. Overall, the opportunity is designed to move beyond incremental HAB research and toward actionable, transferable, and scalable management technologies and planning approaches that can be demonstrated in real freshwater systems, starting with the Ohio River but with nationwide applicability as a longer-term goal.

Key administrative details included in the source information are: the funding opportunity number is W81EWF 22 SOI 0021; the agency is the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers; the activity category is science and technology and other research and development; the CFDA number listed is 12.630; the anticipated award count is 1; and the award ceiling is $500,000. The original posting date was June 1, 2022, with an original closing date of August 1, 2022. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with further clarification referenced in the full eligibility text, and the work is intended to be executed through the CESU partnership structure with the specified network constraint.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "“Delivering Scalable Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Prevention and Management Technologies for Freshwater Ecosystems for the Ohio River”" 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 Jun 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 $500,000.00 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).

Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0021

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