WRF Wins EPA Grant to Reduce Nutrients for Harmful Algal Blooms Management 

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nearly $1 million in funding awarded to The Water Research Foundation to lead a critical project to reduce nutrients for harmful algal blooms (HABs) management: When a Detour Becomes a Shortcut: Going Full-Scale with Partial Denitrification/Anammox as an Alternative Strategy for Mainstream Deammonification and Incorporating Biological Phosphorus Removal. This project will improve full-scale applications of shortcut nitrogen removal processes in mainstream wastewater treatment systems. The research team,* led by WRF, includes Columbia University, DC Water, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, George Washington University, and Northwestern University. 

“We are thrilled to receive this grant and lead such an innovative research team,” said Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation. “This unique project highlights the important role wastewater treatment plays in source water protection and underscores WRF’s dedication to finding holistic solutions to today’s water quality challenges.” 

This project is funded under EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program grant, entitled “Approaches to Reduce Nutrient Loadings for Harmful Algal Blooms Management.” The projects funded under this grant will help reduce excess nutrients that enter U.S. waterways and support EPA’s goal to reduce the occurrence of HABs across the United States. The WRF-led team was one of just seven recipients to receive funding.  

If you have questions about this project or WRF’s Nutrients Research Priority Area, contact Stephanie Fevig, WRF Research Program Manager, at sfevig@waterrf.org.  

*Pending contract negotiations