Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
The U.S. Geological Survey offers funding to a Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit partner for water quality modeling research on the Colorado River from Lake Powell to the delta.
Funder: U.S. Geological Survey
Due Dates: December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET (Application)
Funding Amounts: One anticipated award totaling $150,000 over three years; $50,000 estimated for Year 1
Summary: Supports remote sensing and machine-learning models of chlorophyll-a to improve harmful algal bloom prediction in the Colorado River system.
Key Information: Applicants must be participating partners of the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Arizona Water Science Center offers this cooperative agreement for water-quality modeling in reservoirs and free-flowing Colorado River reaches from Lake Powell to the delta. The research responds to harmful algal blooms in the Lower Colorado River, including cyanobacterial events with microcystin concentrations exceeding safe recreational exposure limits.
The project will use AquaMatch to compile Landsat imagery at chlorophyll-a sampling locations and develop spatially explicit, machine-learning predictive models. Target waters include Lakes Powell, Mead, Mohave, and Havasu, plus river reaches wider than 90 meters. Expected work includes software supporting public-facing web maps and reusable code, alongside publications developed with USGS scientists. The goal is to give resource managers better information for reservoir monitoring and early warning of potential harmful algal blooms.
