U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

GCMRC FY 2021-23 Triennial 

Workplan and Budget – 3rd Draft

Technical Work Group Meeting

June 23-24, 2020

Scott VanderKooi

Southwest Biological Science Center

Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
LTEMP Implementation

Resource Areas to be Evaluated and 

Considered Before Any Experiment

Objectives And Resource Goals Of The 

LTEMP

Water Quality and Water Delivery Archaeological and Cultural Resources

Humpback Chub Natural Processes

Sediment Humpback Chub

Riparian Ecosystems Hydropower and Energy

Historic Properties and Traditional Cultural 

Properties Other Native Fish

Hydropower Production and WAPA’s Assessment 

of the Status of the Basin Fund Recreational Experience

Rainbow Trout Fishery Sediment

Recreation Tribal Resources

Other Resources Rainbow Trout Fishery

Nonnative Invasive Species

Tribal Concerns/Resources Riparian Vegetation
Streamflow, Water Quality, and Sediment Transport and 

Budgeting in the Colorado River Ecosystem

Project Elements

1. Stream gaging** and hydrologic analyses

2. Water quality

3. Sediment transport and budgeting

4. HFE monitoring (Experimental Fund)

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Water Quality and 

Water Delivery

• Sediment

• Natural Processes

FY18: $1,230,000

FY19: $1,201,000

FY20: $1,280,000

FY21: $1,208,000*

FY22: $1,126,000*

FY23: $1,188,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)

(**Funding for LCR or Havasu gage included in 3rd draft)
Sandbar and Sediment Storage 

Monitoring and Research

Project Elements

1. Monitoring sandbars using topographic surveys 

and remote cameras

2. Bathymetric and topographic mapping for 

monitoring long-term trends in sediment storage

3. Control network and survey support

4. Bank erosion, bed sedimentation, and channel 

change in the Colorado R. arm of the Lake Mead 

Delta in Grand Canyon**

5. Streamflow modeling***

6-9. Sandbar and riverbed response to experimental 

actions (Experimental Fund)

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Sediment

• Archaeological and 

Cultural Resources

• Natural Processes

• Recreational Experience

FY18: $1,039,000

FY19: $1,050,000

FY20: $1,015,000

FY21: $1,023,000*

FY22: $907,000*

FY23: $994,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)

(**Modeling not funded in 3rd draft, field work 

proposed for Experimental Fund)

(***Not funded in 3rd draft)
Riparian Vegetation 

Monitoring and Research

Project Elements

1. Ground-based riparian vegetation monitoring

2. Mechanistic experiments with plant species 

of interest

3. Predictive modeling of vegetation responses 

to dam operations

4. Vegetation management decision support

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Riparian Vegetation

• Natural Processes

• Recreational Experience

FY18: $585,000

FY19: $515,000

FY20: $515,000

FY21: $326,000*

FY22: $333,000*

FY23: $342,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Effects of Dam Operations and Vegetation 

Management for Archaeological Sites

Project Elements

1. Dam operations, vegetation management, archaeological sites

2. Monitoring landscape-scale ecosystem change with repeat photography

3. Cultural program history

4. Geomorphic research in support of NHPA compliance**

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Sediment

• Riparian Vegetation

• Archaeological and Cultural 

Resources

• Natural Processes

FY18: $262,000

FY19: $269,000

FY20: $284,000

FY21: $325,000*

FY22: $314,000*

FY23: $320,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision) (**Not funded in 3rd draft)
Controls on Ecosystem Productivity: 

Nutrients, Flow, and Temperature

Project Elements

1. Phosphorus budgeting in the Colorado River

Identify the relative importance of different phosphorus sources to the 

productivity of the Colorado River system

2. Rates and composition of primary producers in the Colorado River

Identify patterns and controls on primary productivity in the Colorado River

3. Productivity at higher trophic levels

Fish metabolism and ecosystem modeling

4. Mapping Vegetation Response to Experimental Flows (Experimental Fund)

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Water Quality and Water Delivery

• Other Resources (Food Base)

• Natural Processes

FY18: $343,000

FY19: $254,000

FY20: $284,000

FY21: $408,000*

FY22: $294,000*

FY23: $287,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology 

(Food Base)

Project Elements

1. Aquatic invertebrate monitoring in Marble and Grand Canyons

2. Aquatic invertebrate monitoring in Glen Canyon

3. Aquatic invertebrate monitoring of Grand Canyon tributaries 

4. Fish diet studies

5. Spring powerplant capacity flow (Experimental Fund)

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Other Resources (Food Base)

• Natural Processes

FY18: $771,000

FY19: $746,000

FY20: $718,000

FY21: $767,000*

FY22: $709,000*

FY23: $700,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Humpback Chub Population Dynamics 

Throughout the Colorado River

Project Elements

1. Humpback chub population monitoring

2. Annual spring/fall abundance estimates of humpback chub 

in the lower 13.6 km of the LCR

3. Juvenile Chub Monitoring near the LCR Confluence

4. Remote PIT Tag Array Monitoring in the LCR

5. Monitoring Humpback Chub Aggregation Relative 

Abundance and Distribution

6. Juvenile Humpback Chub Monitoring – West

7. Chute Falls Translocations

8. Backwater Seining**

9. Assessing yearly variability in humpback chub hatch dates**

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Humpback Chub

• Natural Processes

FY18: $1,506,000

FY19: $1,637,000

FY20: $1,632,000

FY21: $1,661,000*

FY22: $1,835,000*

FY23: $1,598,000*

(**Not funded in 3rd (*Provisional estimates, subject to revision) draft)
Salmonid Research and Monitoring

Project Elements

1. Rainbow Trout Monitoring in Glen Canyon 

2. Trout Reproductive and Growth Dynamics

3. Brown Trout early life history stages in Glen Canyon

4. Salmonid modelling

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Rainbow Trout Fishery

• Humpback Chub

• Nonnative Invasive 

Species

• Recreational Experience

• Natural Processes

FY18: $683,000

FY19: $717,000

FY20: $667,000

FY21: $748,000*

FY22: $512,000*

FY23: $498,000* (*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Warm-water Native and Non-Native 

Fish Monitoring and Research

Project Elements

1. System-wide native fish and invasive 

aquatic species monitoring

2. Invasion and colonization dynamics of 

warm-water invasive fishes

3. Impacts of channel catfish on native fish 

in the Little Colorado River

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Other Native Fish

• Nonnative Invasive 

Species

• Recreational Experience

• Natural Processes FY18: $557,000

FY19: $581,000

FY20: $598,000

FY21: $553,000*

FY22: $671,000*

FY23: $658,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Socioeconomic Research

Project Elements

1. Predictive models for adaptive management 

2. Brown trout incentivized harvest 

3. Recreation monitoring and research

a. Recreational surveys during flow 

experiments (Experimental Fund)

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Humpback Chub

• Sediment

• Nonnative Invasive Species

• Recreational Experience

FY18: $281,000

FY19: $237,000

FY20: $243,000

FY21: $208,000*

FY22: $204,000*

FY23: $193,000* (*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Hydropower Monitoring and Research

LTEMP Resource Areas:

• Hydropower and Energy

Project Elements

1. Hydropower monitoring and research

FY18: $11,000

FY19: $12,000

FY20: $13,000

FY21: $27,000*

FY22: $25,000*

FY23: $26,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Geospatial Science, Data 

Management and Technology

Project Elements

1. Enterprise GIS, geospatial analysis and processing

2. Data management and database administration 

3. Remote monitoring and advanced technology support

FY18: $302,000

FY19: $274,000

FY20: $320,000

FY21: $424,000*

FY22: $464,000*

FY23: $511,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Remote Sensing Overflight in Support of 

Long Term Monitoring and LTEMP

Project Elements

1. Overflight remote sensing

FY18: $75,000

FY19: $75,000

FY20: $75,000

FY21: $897,000*

FY22: $284,000*

FY23: $316,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Leadership, Management, 

and Support

Project Elements

1. Salaries

Leadership

Program manager

Support staff

Logistics staff

2. Travel and training

3. Vehicle costs

4. IT supplies and support

FY18: $1,375,000

FY19: $1,356,000

FY20: $1,444,000

FY21: $1,406,000*

FY22: $1,427,000*

FY23: $1,492,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Lake Powell Water Quality

(Not Funded by the GCDAMP)

Project Elements

1. Description of water-quality 

status and trends in Lake 

Powell and Glen Canyon Dam 

releases

2. Documentation of historical 

record of Lake Powell waterquality conditions

FY18: $197,000

FY19: $208,000

FY20: $212,000

FY21: $216,000*

FY22: $219,000*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Stakeholder Feedback and Science 

Advisor Reviews

• Feedback on second draft of TWP distributed on 

May 19, 2020 received from stakeholders during 

BAHG calls and in writing 

• Reviews from Science Advisors received in writing

• All comments and suggestion were thoroughly 

reviewed and considered and incorporated into third 

draft as deemed appropriate by PIs

• Written responses to feedback and reviews 

distributed to stakeholders and Science Advisors
FY2020

Funding $9,088,000

Geophysical sciences 25%

Vegetation & effects of 

management

9%

Aquatic and fish science 43%

Socioeconomics 3%

GIS and remote sensing 4%

Leadership, management, 

and support 16%
Potential allocation of FY2021 funding based on 

GCMRC/agency assessment of stakeholder interests 

and feedback, scientific issues, and monitoring 

mandates in support of LTEMP implementation

Geophysical sciences 22%*

Vegetation & effects of 

management

7%*

Aquatic and fish science 42%*

Socioeconomics 2%*

GIS and remote sensing 13%*

Leadership, management, 

and support 14%*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Proportions remain relatively 

unchanged for potential allocations in 

FY2022 and FY2023 (FY2023 shown)

Geophysical sciences 24%*

Vegetation & effects of 

management

7%*

Aquatic and fish science 41%*

Socioeconomics 3%*

GIS and remote sensing 9%*

Leadership, management, 

and support 16%*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision)
Potential Allocation of 

FY2021 budget 

proportions by general 

categories

Categories

Salaries 45%*

Travel & Training 1%*

Operating Expenses 11%*

Logistics 12%*

Cooperators (non-USGS) 17%*

USGS Cooperators 4%*

USGS Burden 10%*

Burden rates:

USGS – 14%*

Pass through – 3%*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision) Sub-allocation – 0%*
Potential Allocation of 

FY2023 budget 

proportions by general 

categories

Proportions are relatively similar for 

FY2022 and FY2023, with increases 

in burden rate in FY2022 and FY2023

Categories

Salaries 47%*

Travel & Training 1%*

Operating Expenses 4%*

Logistics 9%*

Cooperators (non-USGS) 17%*

USGS Cooperators 4%*

USGS Burden 18%*

Burden rates:

USGS – 28%*

Pass through – 3%*

(*Provisional estimates, subject to revision) Sub-allocation – 0%*
Proposed FY2021-23 Triennial Workplan*

Project FY2021 FY2022 FY2023

Streamflow, Water Quality, and Sediment Transport $ 1,208,000 $ 1,126,000 $ 1,188,000 

Sandbar and Sediment Storage Monitoring and Research $ 1,023,000 $ 907,000 $ 994,000 

Riparian Vegetation $ 326,000 $ 333,000 $ 342,000 

Effects of Dam Operations and Vegetation Management for 

Archaeological Sites $ 325,000 $ 314,000 $ 320,000 

Nutrients, Flow, and Temperature as Ecosystem Drivers $ 408,000 $ 294,000 $ 287,000 

Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology $ 767,000 $ 709,000 $ 700,000 

Humpback Chub Monitoring and Research $ 1,661,000 $ 1,835,000 $ 1,598,000 

Salmonid Monitoring and Research $ 748,000 $ 512,000 $ 498,000 

Warm-water Native and Non-Native Fish Monitoring and 

Research $ 553,000 $ 671,000 $ 658,000 

Socioeconomic Research $ 208,000 $ 204,000 $ 193,000 

Geospatial Science, Data Management, and Technology $ 424,000 $ 464,000 $ 511,000 

Overflight Remote Sensing $ 897,000 $ 284,000 $ 316,000 

Leadership, Management, and Support $ 1,406,000 $ 1,427,000 $ 1,492,000 

Hydropower Monitoring and Research $ 27,000 $ 25,000 $ 26,000 

Total $ 9,981,000 $ 9,105,000 $ 9,123,000 

Anticipated AMP Funding Available (80.0% and 0% CPI) $ 9,088,000 $ 9,088,000 $ 9,088,000 

Overflight Carryover: FY2018-20 savings + logistics funding from 

2020 cancelled trips $ 445,000 $ - $ -

Anticipated Carryover Funding From Previous Fiscal Year $ 500,000 $ 52,000 $ 35,000 

Long/Short $ 52,000 $ 35,000 $ -

Lake Powell Water Quality Monitoring: NOT GCDAMP Funded $ 216,000 $ 219,000 N/A 

Experimental Fund Proposals $ 945,000 $ 1,002,000 $ 942,000 

(Amounts rounded to 

nearest $1,000) (*All estimates are provisional, subject to revision)
Questions?