Advance Notice

Project 5298

Budget

$250,000

Objectives:

• Develop a state of the science for hyperspectral imaging and highlight its applicability to the municipal One Water sector.

• Assess the sensitivity and accuracy of hyperspectral microscopy to detect microbial pathogens in a variety of impacted source water types (i.e., water, wastewater, reclaimed water, and stormwater) and water quality types (e.g., ranges of hardness, TOC, and alkalinity), and assess the minimum required quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) needed to use the data for monitoring purposes. Pathogens should include but are not limited to Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and E. coli.

• Assess data cleaning, noise reduction, unmixing, and anomaly detection practices needed to refine the database produced.

• Assess the applicability of machine learning to predict microbial species based on hyperspectral imaging.

• Investigate if hyperspectral microscopy can detect chemicals and/or particles (i.e., microplastics, nanoplastics, and nanoparticles) in source water.

Project 5306

Budget

$175,000

Objectives :

• Review and establish a consistent definition of service levels (service level standards, service level assumptions, levels of service, etc.), differentiate from key performance indicators, identify the appropriate uses of service levels, and recommend consistent terminology for the water sector.

• Review and document current national and international practices for the establishment of utility service levels, including the impetus and process for how they are established, and the different business functions included (e.g., water supply planning, water use planning, engineering, operations, water treatment, etc.).

• Develop a guidance framework for utilities establishing their own water resource planning service levels that aligns with organizational performance goals and objectives (considering utility size, community types served, geographic region, financial and political drivers/constraints, climate change, and social equity, etc.). Include guidance for aligning capital investment decision-making with established service levels.  

• Develop guidance for engaging stakeholders during the service levels setting process and for internal and external communications to achieve better understanding and alignment of staff, the community, and service levels.

Project 5309

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Summarize existing approaches for evaluating and characterizing pathogen reduction during secondary wastewater treatment across state requirements and specific projects.

• Evaluate water professional interpretation of pathogen characterization approaches and resulting standards for implementation.

• Develop best practices for measuring pathogens in secondary effluent for reuse applications.

Project 5353

Budget

$250,000

Objectives:

• Develop guidelines on selecting applicable condition assessment technologies and methods for evaluating the remaining strength of corroded ferrous water pipelines. Both simplified evaluation methods and advanced analysis methods such as finite element analysis are desired. The evaluation methods shall be validated.

• Recommend operation safety factors to safely operate the pipeline without repair under various operating pressures, including surge pressure.

• Recommend repairs needed to meet the safety margin under various operating pressures including surge pressure.

Project 5354

Budget

$250,000

Objectives:

• Identify, through literature and utility data, available/emerging asset health monitoring technologies, such as DFOS, external periodic sensors, etc., in asset health monitoring of large diameter pipe.

• Develop effective techniques and procedures for applications of these asset health monitoring technologies to large diameter pipes.

• Develop guidelines/models for correlating data to material degradation, defects, etc. and on how and what structural health aspects can be monitored and correlated with operations.

• Identify and compile cases in which such technologies are successfully applied to assets other than pipes.

Project 5355

Budget

$150,000

Objectives:

• Assess the feasibility and limitations of PFAS fingerprinting approaches through literature review and expert consultation.

• Evaluate analytical methods (e.g., high-resolution mass spectrometry, non-targeted analysis, statistical modeling) for their ability to characterize and differentiate PFAS contamination sources.

• Investigate machine learning applications for enhancing source differentiation based on chemical profiles.

• Develop a best-practice framework for characterizing and attributing PFAS sources in surface water and groundwater.

• Identify regulatory and practical considerations for applying PFAS fingerprinting in environmental monitoring and compliance.

Project 5356

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Synthesize a clearly articulated document outlining the current and emerging challenges for SWP programs under extreme events (e.g., flooding, drought, wildfire) and a changing climate.

• Conduct a screening-level cost and benefit analysis for identified adaptation strategies based on one real-world SWP program.

• Develop a utility-facing practical guidance with case studies including adaptation strategies and lessons learned for existing SWPs to become more resilient and tailored engagement with stakeholders in source water watersheds.

Project 5357

Budget

$250,000

Objectives:

• Advance understanding of the interactions between source water changes to treatment process and downstream impacts to receiving water quality so that future WQ baselines and extremes can be qualitatively predicted.

• Improve the understanding of downstream impacts that exacerbated/deteriorated water quality has on treatment processes and effluent water quality (e.g., DBPs, PFAS, total nitrogen and total phosphorus, etc.).

• Catalogue these advances in an interactive tool that can be used by other utilities/agencies as they plan for future treatment system improvements.

Project 5358

Budget

$400,000

Objectives:

• To assess the impact of fire flow requirements on water quality by examining how increased storage, larger pipes, and expanded transmission capacity, necessary to meet fire flow demands, affect water quality.

• To identify and analyze the trade-offs that utilities face in balancing fire flow capacity with maintaining safe drinking water standards, both in urban and rural settings.

• To develop and highlight effective design strategies and best practices that successfully balance fire flow requirements with the maintenance of water quality, ensuring both public health and fire protection needs are met.

• To provide practical recommendations for infrastructure planning to help utilities optimize water distribution system designs that effectively support both fire protection and water quality without imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

• To provide communication tools to help the public and elected officials to understand the delicate balance between water conservation, water quality and fire flow capacity.

Project 5359

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Investigate how residential demand models that incorporate socio-economic factors, climate variables, and/or land use/development patterns are used within utilities, the assumptions they make in their forecasts/models, and if/how they are incorporated into scenario-based demand projections.

• Investigate how different models and approaches can be used for different forecasting and scenario planning needs and to address uncertainties related to socio-economic and climate variables.

• Develop 3-5 case study examples from different regions of the country that demonstrate the use of these methodologies, and identify gaps, new opportunities, and constraints.

• Provide a set of recommendations and guidance to water utilities on what factors could be included in water forecast models, what uncertainties remain, and the budgetary/resource requirements necessary to utilize the method.

Project 5360

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Catalogue alternatives to water shutoffs for non-payment, and evaluate each alternative’s effectiveness and its impact on utility financial sustainability and water service continuity.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of billing practices in helping keep customers from accruing debt that leads to shutoffs.

• Investigate customer behavioral triggers of billing practices, alternatives, and penalties across the income spectrum, and how this may differ across utility sizes.

• Evaluate the benefits and challenges of third-party tools in reducing arrearages and late payments and avoiding shutoffs.

• Develop case studies providing examples of utilities using an alternative strategy to water shutoffs and highlight their key hurdles and lessons learned.

Project 5361

Budget

$400,000

Objectives:

• Determine the occurrence, prevalence, and formation potential of various unregulated DBPs, especially HAL7, HAN6, HAM7, and including chloronitramide, which is a relative unknown for many utilities.

• Optimize treatment and operational strategies for minimization and control of both regulated and unregulated DBPs in a variety of water matrices with a range of bromide concentrations throughout the treatment train and distribution system.

• Understand the relative toxicities of various DBPs in order to minimize the overall health risks while complying with regulations.

Project 5362

Budget

$225,000

Objectives:

• Identify and describe available methane monitoring equipment. Compare costs, capabilities, calibration / maintenance needs, and ease of use, incorporating best practices from other sectors.

• Develop standardized methane detection and monitoring methods. Recommend best practices for routine point source, leak detection, and continuous monitoring.

• Identify major methane point sources and leak spots. Measure real-world emissions across key process areas, including digestion, biogas utilization, and biosolids processes, to prioritize high-risk emission points and support the development of emission factors.

• Collect source- and process-level emissions data for major process areas. This may include identifying acceptable leak rates from equipment where zero emissions are not feasible, drawing on technically achievable, real-world practices.

• Provide an example of an actionable monitoring program that could be used by WRRFs to implement their own methane monitoring.

Project 5363

Budget

$300,000

Objectives:

• To review accredited measurement methods and their applications to ensure compliance, practical field use, and accuracy in detecting low disinfectant residuals.

• To develop investigative response procedures when disinfectant residuals are detected at or below the minimum required levels.

• To identify mitigation actions for restoring the residual, ranging from immediate actions, such as flushing, to capital improvements like main replacement.

• To provide guidance materials for practical application and operator training.

Project 5364

Budget

$400,000

Objectives:

• Identify and prioritize candidate analytical methods (e.g., FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy, PY-GCMS) most likely to be required by regulatory agencies for microplastics analysis.

• Conduct an inter-laboratory study to assess:

o Capability for particle characterization based on the outcomes of the prioritized methods: count, size distribution, shape, and polymer identification, mass/concentration, among others.

o Accuracy: How closely results reflect the true value of corresponding outcome.

o Precision: Variability within and between labs using the same method.

o Detection limits: Lowest measurement of an outcome that can be reliably detected.

• Perform a method feasibility and economic analysis for routine monitoring, considering time, cost (CAPEX and OPEX), and complexity.

• Develop recommendations on the most reliable and practical method for regulatory and utility applications.

Project 5365

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Evaluate state-of-the-art practices at a variety of municipalities for the detection of I/I at the street and private lateral levels and rehabilitation strategies and homeowner policies that utilities have successfully deployed to remediate this pressing challenge.

• Evaluate emerging technologies, practices, and policies that will enable municipalities to detect and reduce or eliminate I/I from private laterals.

Project 5366

Budget

$250,000

Objectives:

• Collect or compile field data on RO concentrate treatment using constructed wetlands.

• Determine mass/area benefits of treating RO concentrate versus treated wastewater and optimize engineering design parameters for pollutant removal.

• Investigate optimal media for RO concentrate treatment for reduction of pollutants of interest.

• Collect or compile data on evapotranspiration of RO concentrate in wetlands versus evaporation ponds.

Project 5367

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Provide an overview of the different types of data centers and their required water, sanitary loads, and energy use based on size and how these impacts may vary based on the type of data center and the cooling tower equipment they use.

• Develop a list of necessary information that a data center should provide to a utility to inform the utility’s infrastructure impact assessments completed as part of a servicing review.

• Develop a list of information a utility should have readily available to support their local economic development agency in their efforts to attract data centers to the community.

• Investigate rate structures and development fees for data centers considering the economic risk of this rapidly growing field and consideration of risk of stranded infrastructure costs should a data center relocate or change water usage patterns.

• Develop utility guidance on how to contract with data centers, establish development fees, and set data center water rates.

Project 5368

Budget

$300,000

Objectives:

• Develop a standardized framework for evaluating the economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of alternative water systems, including reuse, desalination, and stormwater management.

• Assess various financing methods for alternative water systems and determine how financing options impact project feasibility, cost structures, and long-term sustainability.

• Identify and quantify non-monetized benefits, such as improved public health, enhanced ecosystem services, and increased community well-being.

• Incorporate social science perspectives to better understand the barriers to adoption (e.g., financial, policy, market forces) and how community preferences influence decision-making.

• Compare how different alternative water systems perform across sectors (municipal and industrial) and settings (centralized vs. decentralized systems).

• Create a decision-support framework that allows users to weigh trade-offs based on localized needs and priorities, while providing transparency in assumptions and methodologies.

Project 5369

Budget

$175,000

Objectives:

• Determine best practices for utilities to pursue innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships with community-based organizations, workforce/on-the-job training organizations, and other institutional partners.

• Determine ways that utilities and community-based organizations can proactively align their goals to achieve workforce benefits.

Project 5370

Budget

$200,000

Objectives:

• Create a framework for classifying drying technologies, including metrics that define an “innovative” technology (e.g., energy consumption, PFAS fate, product quality, level of establishment/readiness).

• Provide a comprehensive summary of current reference installations of drying technologies, including upstream processes, capital cost, operation and maintenance costs, average operating time (both as a % of time, and total operating years), energy usage, capital, and performance experience.

• Compare emerging and innovative drying technologies to established technologies with respect to the parameters listed above, as well as compatibility with various upstream processes (e.g., stabilization methods), life-cycle analysis, system complexity and reliability of O&M (including the required operator skill level), integration with downstream processes (e.g., thermal processes such as pyrolysis and gasification) for PFAS removal, and marketability of end products. The summary should also account for regional variation in the qualities of the end products.

Project 5371

Budget

$300,000

Objectives:

• Expand the applicability of densification strategies to process configurations without anaerobic selectors (e.g., Modified Ludzack Ettinger (MLE) or four-stage Bardenpho), ensuring stable performance across diverse plant designs.

• Optimize biological selection criteria for densified systems in non-anaerobic selector configurations by refining parameters like F/M ratios, selector sizing, and hydraulic retention times (HRT).

• Investigate the impact of floc size and dissolved oxygen (DO) control on simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) in densified systems in combination SRT decoupling.

• Bridge research findings with practical implementation by developing a “recipe” for densification, ensuring findings translate into actionable strategies for wastewater utilities.