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Projects Risks: There exist a number of scientific, budgetary and schedule-related 'risks' associated with the project. As a result, VEN recognizes that an adaptive and flexible technical and management approach is required. In the event that a major risk is realized, we will notify the County immediately and provide a clear and honest assessment of the impacts on the project. In the case that less severe risks are realized, we will notify the County and identify acceptable work-arounds to meet project deliverables and sched- ules. We recognize several obvious, inherent risks to the overall project, including: Risk 1: Site access is regulated by a third party, potentially causing schedule de- lays and unexpected costs: Site access is regulated by the Indian River Farms Wa- ter Control District (IRFWCD) and, as a result, the project schedule can be negatively impacted by delays in site selection. From a budgetary perspective the location of the pilot site poses a risk as it could cause VEN to incur unexpected costs, particularly if we are not granted access to an area that is near to an electrical supply. Mitigation 1: The main mitigation steps include: A) VEN-County agreement that the schedule for deliverables will be adjusted in the event of a long delay in site selection and an understanding that this would result in stage 2 pilot operations occurring pri- marily in fall/winter (lower growth and nutrient uptake rates) and B) a reallocation of funds and reduction in project scope to cover higher than expected electrical costs or costs incurred to install off-the-grid power (solar) to run the pilot. Risk 2: Pilot damage and project delays due to extreme weather events such as tropical storms and hurricanes. Assuming a year-long operation, we will be operat- ing during hurricane season. It is quite likely that we will experience periods of high winds and heavy rains during this period that have the potential to damage the site or interrupt pilot operations. Mitigation 2: The main mitigation steps include: A) have a concise hurricane response plan in place to respond to impending events and remove/secure all items that may be susceptible to damage and B) install overflow valves on tanks to prevent overflowing and loss of crops. Risk 3: Vandalism and/or theft at the pilot site. The areas under consideration for the pilot site are near to housing developments and are likely susceptible to incidents of vandalism and theft. Damage caused by vandalism and theft have been frequently observed by VEN team members at similar pilot facilities. Mitigation 2: The main mitigation steps are provided for in our budget and include in- stalling a fence and security camera. Additional mitigation steps will include notifying the local police and the sheriffs department as to the location of the facility. In addition to these broad risks that could impact the overall project, we also have identified some task-specific risks, as summarized in Table A2.