Reclamation allocates an additional $2.8 million to develop innovative solutions for water and power management issues

Written by: Jesselyn Hamilton

Reclamation projects throughout the West will benefit from the solutions produced by this research.The Bureau of Reclamation is providing a total of $2.8 million in additional funds to 30 new research projects through its Science and Technology Program. This additional funding builds on the previously announced award of a total of $8.9 million for 27 new and 114 continuing projects.

“We are pleased with the variety of research projects submitted in this competition,” said Levi Brekke, Research and Development Program Manager. “These projects will lead to innovative solutions for water and power challenges in the Western United States.”

The type of projects selected include using new methods to support sub-seasonal forecasting improvements, evaluating new fire suppression methods for generators to improve safety, identifying life cycle costs for prestressed concrete cylinder pipe, and studying the impacts of new sources of water on existing supply projects. The findings that result from this research will be applied throughout Reclamation for the benefit of its water and power facility managers, customers and stakeholders.

Reclamation identified these research projects through an internal competitive call for proposals throughout the organization. The proposals were reviewed and ranked based on technical merit and relevance to Reclamation's mission. Many of these research projects partner with internal and/or external entities to produce robust and comprehensive solutions to water and power management issues. Partners include entities from federal and state government, tribes, universities, private and local organizations.

These new projects address research needs identified in the Science and Technology Program’s Science Strategy Implementation Plan that is published annually. This includes needs identified by Reclamation's regional directors, which informs the development and selection of research projects to meet those needs.

This research supports the President's Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West through improved use of technology to increase water reliability and improve forecasts of water availability.

For a list of the 30 new 2020 Science and Technology Research Projects, visit https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/docs/2020/2020-03-03S&TProjectDescriptions.pdf

For a list of the previously announced 2020 Science and Technology Research Projects, visit https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/docs/2019/sandt-funded-projects.pdf

Learn more about Reclamation's Science and Technology Program at https://www.usbr.gov/research/st/index.html

Published on March 02, 2020