Log Boom Installation | BOR MP 18 N004

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR MP 18 N004

The "Log Boom Installation" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR MP 18 N004) is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation focused on protecting critical water-supply infrastructure at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County, California. Lake Cachuma is a central storage and delivery point for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water on the South Coast, and it supplies the primary drinking-water source for the City of Santa Barbara, Goleta Water District, Carpinteria Valley Water District, and Montecito Water District. Water is diverted from the lake through the North Portal Intake Tower of the Tecolote Tunnel and then conveyed via the South Coast Conduit. Because the region has a historically dry climate and the Santa Ynez River inflows can be highly variable, the reliability of this intake and conveyance system is especially important to meeting local water demand.

The project is rooted in post-wildfire risk reduction following the Whittier Fire, which began July 8, 2017 on Reclamation land and burned roughly 18,500 acres across federal and private lands in the Santa Ynez Watershed adjacent to Lake Cachuma. After the fire, Reclamation worked with state, local, private, and other federal partners to develop the "Lake Cachuma Post-Fire Action Plan," identifying practical actions to reduce threats to the lake and watershed from post-fire impacts like erosion, sediment pulses, and debris flows. Funding for post-fire work was obtained through the 2017 Western Watershed Enhancement Program (WWEP), and one of the specific actions supported by that effort is installing log boom barriers designed to intercept and manage floating debris and debris-flow material before it can damage or clog the Intake Tower. In parallel with this planned log boom work, the local recipient had already implemented shorter-term protective measures such as fiber rolls and hay bale barriers near vulnerable areas by the intake, and also coordinated with Santa Barbara County to use an existing county-owned log boom that was originally acquired after the 2007 Zaca Fire.

The grant’s scope centers on implementation by the recipient rather than heavy federal direction. The recipient is responsible for carrying out the stated scope of work, complying with applicable federal, state, and local laws and codes, and obtaining any required permits and approvals. Reclamation’s expected role is limited to normal oversight and stewardship functions typical of federal financial assistance, such as monitoring progress and providing technical assistance if requested, rather than day-to-day project execution. The practical intent is straightforward: reduce the likelihood that post-fire runoff events deliver large debris loads that could impair the Intake Tower, disrupt diversion through the Tecolote Tunnel, or threaten the broader South Coast water delivery system.

A notable feature of this opportunity is that it was not competed as a full and open solicitation. Reclamation justified a single-source approach based on "unique qualifications" tied to the existing operational arrangement for the facilities being protected. Specifically, since March 1, 2003, the recipient has held Operation and Maintenance Contract No. 14-06-200-5222R for operating and maintaining the Tecolote Tunnel and South Coast Conduit System, including the Intake Tower. Because the recipient is the established operations and maintenance partner and has the institutional knowledge and hands-on experience with these assets, Reclamation determined the recipient was uniquely positioned to perform the work effectively and consistently with ongoing facility responsibilities.

From an eligibility and funding perspective, the opportunity lists eligible applicants as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education). The posted award ceiling is $35,000, with one expected award. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number provided is 15.554. The notice was created on April 2, 2018, with an original closing date of April 23, 2018, reflecting a short application window typical of targeted or sole-source oriented awards.

The statutory authority cited is Public Law 111-11, Section 9504(a) of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, which authorizes the Secretary to provide grants or enter agreements to plan, design, or construct water management improvements. While the authority is broad (covering conservation, efficiency, water markets, water management enhancements, advanced treatment, and certain species-related objectives), the notice points to the clause allowing activities that address climate-related impacts to U.S. water supplies by increasing ecological resiliency, or that prevent water-related crises or conflicts in watersheds connected to federal reclamation projects. In this case, the connection is the federal Cachuma Project and the immediate post-fire hazard to an essential intake structure. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted infrastructure-protection measure: a relatively small, focused grant meant to fund installation of log boom barriers to keep post-wildfire debris from compromising a key drinking-water diversion point for multiple South Coast communities.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Log Boom Installation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.554.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 02, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2018. (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 $35,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for BOR MP 18 N004

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: