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Request for ProposalsGreat Lakes Plankton and Benthos: Support for Monitoring and Surveillance ProgramBackground The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been conducting annual
biological monitoring of the Great Lakes since 1983.
The main purpose of the biological program is to monitor and
interpret trends in Great
Lakes water quality. The
monitoring effort is focused on whole lake responses to changes in
loadings of anthropogenic substances, so sampling is largely restricted to
the relatively homogeneous offshore waters of each lake.
Phytoplankton and zooplankton have been an integral part of the
program since 1983, while benthos was added to the program in 1997.
The community structure of the biota has been rapidly changing in
many areas of the Great Lakes in recent years. GLNPO is requesting proposals for the development and implementation of a "research-monitoring" program to adequately track changes in the biotic community and to understand the underlying causes of the changes, and for providing field sampling support, sample analysis, data interpretation, statistical analysis, and report writing to support its biological monitoring program. The award recipient will work with GLNPO on five selected elements of the biological monitoring program:
Element 1 of this program entails the collection of
samples using the USEPA
Research Vessel Lake Guardian. Samples
will be collected on all five Great Lakes, with approximately 70 station
locations sampled. Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sample collection and preservation will be
developed by the award recipient in
cooperation with GLNPO scientists. Two
surveys are conducted annually: an "ice out"
spring survey during isothermal conditions, typically conducted in
April; and a summer survey during stratified conditions in August.
The award recipient will
be expected to provide trained staff to participate in the survey to
assist in sample collection activities. A map delineating the sample
locations and type of sample collected at each station can be viewed on
the GLNPO web site. Phytoplankton samples at each station are collected
as a composite sample for the upper 20 meters in the spring and from the
epilimnion on the summer survey. Additionally,
during summer stratification, a sample from the deep chlorophyll layer, if
present, is collected. Two
zooplankton samples are collected from each station: 0-20 meter tow and a
0-100 meter tow. For benthos,
three ponar grabs are collected for each benthos station.
Benthos sampling occurs during the summer survey, except for five
stations sampled in the spring for Hexagenia. Element 2 includes the sample analysis part of the
program. This element
includes the identification, enumeration and biovolume determination for
phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic communities.
Additionally, samples will be analyzed for chlorophyll
concentrations. The number of
samples collected per lake that require
analysis is outlined in the table below.
An additional 10% sample analysis will be required
for QA/QC purposes. Standard
Operating Procedures for sample analysis will be developed by the award
recipient in cooperation with GLNPO.
It is intended that in order to retain comparability to the
historic data, that for the most part similar analytical and counting
techniques be employed. Modifications
to, or improvements upon existing methodologies can be developed in
cooperation with GLNPO. Existing methodologies are as follows: Phytoplankton are identified and enumerated using the
Utermohl technique at a magnification of 500x.
Diatoms are identified and enumerated separately from permanent
slide mounts of digested material at 1250x.
Biovolumes are determined from measurements of at least 10
individuals of each taxon–and cell volumes computed using appropriate
geometrical formulae. Zooplankton samples are split in the lab using a
Folsom plankton splitter, and four stratified aliquots examined per sample
using a stereoscopic (crustaceans) or compound (rotifers) microscope.
Length measurements are made on the first twenty individuals of
each species encountered per sample (crustaceans) or per lake (rotifers). Benthos samples are picked under low magnification using a dissecting microscope. Oligochaetes and chironomids are mounted on slides and identified under a compound microscope at 63x, other organisms are identified under a dissecting microscope. Element 3 includes the data management component of
the program. With large
quantities of data being generated, a comprehensive and efficient data
management system will be needed.
GLNPO has a "Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA) that
incorporates much of the station, location, physical and limnological
data. Further, our historical
biological data resides in a Foxpro database.
Details of or existing data system will be provided. The system used by the grantee should allow for entry
of the data as well as quick and easy access to the data by GLNPO and
should be consistent with GLNPO’s existing data systems.
An electronic copy of all final verified data will be transferred
to GLNPO for entry into its environmental data management system.
Data should also be managed so that it can be accessed by Great
Lakes stakeholders through GLNPO’s monitoring web site. Element 4 includes data interpretation, statistical
analysis, graphical representation of the data, report writing and the
development of web based products. A
key monitoring component is to ensure the surveillance
information generated is made available to the Great Lakes
community in a wide variety of formats.
Additionally, it is important that any new information generated be
placed in a historical perspective so that
determinations may be made of how the plankton and benthic
communities are changing over time. Element 5 incorporates the ability to make sure that the biological monitoring program stays current with the rapidly changing conditions in the Great Lakes. With new species invading regularly, with the benthic community in a state of flux, with the appearance of tumor-like anomalies found in the zooplankton community in Lake Michigan, a monitoring program has to be flexible enough to ensure that such new conditions are adequately tracked and monitored. Expectations of the Award Recipient The recipient of the award will be expected to
furnish all data from a given year’s surveys by March 31 of the
following year. The data will
be provided to the GLNPO Project Officer in a database format agreed to
between the grantee and GLNPO. By
September of the following year, the grantee, working with the GLNPO
Project Officer, shall produce an annual report summarizing all the
findings of prior years results. This
report shall be provided to GLNPO for publication as well as for release
on GLNPOs monitoring web site. Additionally,
following data analysis and interpretation, manuscripts
shall be submitted to journals for publication.
Data and reports will be widely disseminated as government reports,
journal articles and postings on the Internet. It is expected that the recipient will have adequate
facilities to conduct the work being proposed.
Microscopes may be made available for loan by USEPA if needed. We expect the applicants will only submit
non-confidential information, since external reviewers assist in
evaluations. 40 CFR Part 2
discusses "public information" including procedures for claiming
confidentiality (40 CFR Sections 2.203 and 2.204).
Note that under Public Law No. 105-277, data produced under an
award is subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Funding Level This project will have a two year project period beginning on January 8, 2001.
The maximum amount of funding is expected to be $600,000 a year.
However USEPA reserves the right to decrease this amount or to
eliminate funding entirely. The
term of the agreement may be extended through 2005 depending on Agency
needs and resources. If such an extension is offered by USEPA, extensions of the
Project and Budget Periods, as well as additional funding, would be
negotiated. A 5% non-federal
match of the total project cost is required; and may be provided in cash
or by in-kind services. Quality Assurance A Quality Management Plan (QMP) or sufficient
documentation that describes the system, such as a Quality Assurance
Project Plan (QAPP), must be submitted within 90 days of the grant award
AND 30 days prior to commencement of any environmental data collection. The Recipient will adjust its implementation schedule
accordingly. Costs associated
with data collection are not allowable costs until the QMP or QAAPP is
approved by the GLNPO QA Manager. Contact
GLNPO’s QA Manager, Louis Blume
(312) 353-2317 with questions or to request a sample QMP or QAPP. Selection Criteria Proposals will be evaluated according to the
following criteria:
Eligibility Assistance (through grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements) is available pursuant to Clean water Act Section 104(b)(3) for activities in the Great lakes Basin and in support of the Great Lakes Quality Agreement. State pollution control agencies, federal agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals are eligible; "for-profit" organizations are not. The deadline for receipt of proposals is October 27, 2000. All proposals will be reviewed, and the successful applicant notified by December 20, 2000. Proposals (5 copies) should be submitted to:
Proposals should not exceed 20 pages in length and will be evaluated against the above criteria. Applicants seeking additional information regarding the project may contact:
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