Open RFPs

This project has two major research objectives:
• To identify the most effective strategies for integrating public education and engagement elements at demonstration facilities for potable reuse
• To develop outreach materials that present science and research on potable reuse in general

Project Objectives:
• To assess the effectiveness of flushing to reduce the levels of Legionella in service lines and premise plumbing pipes, either as a corrective response or for ongoing maintenance.
• To evaluate the use of water quality parameters as an indicator for effectiveness of flushing.
• To develop data-driven guidance on applicability and effectiveness of flushing as a method for Legionella control.

Project Objectives:
• To assess the microbial risks and potential impacts from stormwater collection and onsite reuse to help establish appropriate best management practices for stormwater harvesting/reuse and other stormwater control measures.
• To better understand the severity of stormwater microbial contamination from fecal indicator bacteria and other pathogens, types and concentration of microbes, as well as growth over time in a variety of common stormwater scenarios.
• To use the Risk-Based Framework for the Development of Public Health Guidance for Decentralized Non-potable Water Systems (SIWM10C15) to develop a “Roadmap” that can guide utilities/stormwater managers in assessing site-specific microbial risks associated with stormwater collected for intended uses.
• To synthesize key methods and strategies in assessing baseflow and rain/snowmelt event microbial indicators to aid risk management based on evolving log-reduction pathogen targets.

Project Objectives:
• Evaluate the impact of bromate control strategies on ozone oxidation of compounds of emerging concern (CECs).
• Investigate the impact of bromate control strategies on pathogen inactivation.
• Investigate the impact of bromate control strategies on the removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and CECs in downstream biofiltration processes.
• Investigate the impact of bromate control strategies on microbial activity and the need for quenching upstream of biofiltration.

Project Objective
The objective of this project is to develop a technical brief addressing ecological and human healthimpacts of compounds of emerging concern (CECs)/trace organic compounds (TOrCs) in the One Water context (i.e., wastewater, receiving water, urban stormwater runoff, recycled water, groundwater, and drinking water). The technical brief will consist of plain English fact sheets written in layman’s terms that:
• Synthesize the current definitions of compounds of interest, unregulated compounds of concern, and newly emerging compounds.
• Summarize the state of the knowledge (i.e., what we know and don’t know) about these compounds in the One Water context.
• Describe currently used and promising methods to identify, measure and assess the impact of CECs, as well as the most effective treatment processes for wastewater, recycled water and drinking water.
• Evaluate the potential human health and ecological effects of CECs.
• Identify current management strategies for CECs.

Project Objectives:
• Conduct a global literature review and survey on feedstock pre-treatment technologies and management strategies, including the characteristics of the materials resulting from the application of various technologies with a focus on applicability and implementation in the U.S.
• Evaluate existing pre-treatment technologies and systems including throughput, costs, batch or continuous mode, O&M requirements, footprint, reliability (uptime/downtime), operability, final end product quality, etc., with a focus on municipal wastewater anaerobic digester operability and maintainability.
• Perform a review of a minimum of six wastewater facility case studies that provide a broad view of the industry and an overview of practical approaches for pre-treatment to help facilities identify appropriate pre-treatment technologies and strategies to meet their needs.
• Engage with utility subscribers through the relevant LIFT Focus Groups and other LIFT activities.

The objective of this project is to develop guidance for crediting water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) with pathogen log reduction values.

Project Objectives

• Determine what level of real-time collection system monitoring is feasible, appropriate, and/or necessary for protection of downstream potable reuse

• Develop a framework for integrating real-time monitoring into existing pretreatment program requirements (permits, local limits, etc.), including data management and security considerations

Project Objectives

• Define the benefits and challenges of conventional drinking water treatment processes following advanced water treatment for direct potable reuse (DPR), and their influence on pathogen removal and public health protection.

• Provide guidance on how to optimize conventional treatment after blending advanced treated water and raw water supplies.

• Explore pathogen credit validation approaches for conventional processes (i.e., coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and media filtration) when advanced treated water is added prior to conventional processes. • Better understand the potential benefits and challenges of blending advanced treated water at surface water treatment plants (SWTP) after filtration and prior to disinfection. Research Priority

Project Objective

• Evaluate the state of the knowledge and research needs of stormwater harvesting.

• Better understand the variation of stormwater harvesting at regional and state levels. • Prepare a synthesis document, including recommendations on preliminary project concepts.

• Communicate the results through a broad network via a webcast and national conferences.

Project Objectives

• Understand the current state of the science of UV/chlorine (UV/Cl2) Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs).

• Provide a framework to enable utilities to determine which AOP is most suitable to their treatment application both in the context of RO-based treatment and in alternative treatment approaches (e.g., ozone/bio-filtration).

• Detail the photochemical mechanisms of oxidation, identification of radical species, and dependency on pH, UV dose, chlorine dose, ammonia concentration, and monochloramine concentration.

• Assess the dynamic and unique operational challenges of operating a UV/Cl2 AOP system including identification of critical control points, challenges with regard to monitoring, and management of the formation of by-products of concern.

• Utilize traditional analytical chemistry to evaluate the existence of or potential for formation of by-products.

Project Objectives

• Estimate the influence of geochemical conditions on the fate of regulated and unregulated contaminants during MAR.

• Identify advanced water treatment (AWT) effluent water quality parameters of interest (e.g., ORP, TDS, pH, and alkalinity) for aquifer compatibility, including the impact of disinfection on geochemistry.

• Develop direction for stabilizing AWT effluent to mitigate mobilization of aquifer geochemistry (e.g., arsenic, chromium) prior to recharge.

• Provide guidance to utilities considering MAR that includes potential application point impacts (e.g., shallow vs. deep well), water quality compatibility considerations, and monitoring techniques for risk mitigation.

Project Objectives

• Develop a consensus for a standardized approach to profile ARB and ARGs that can be used to generate comparable data for use in future research to validate the analytical methods.

• Identify QA/QC components and data quality objectives.

The objectives of this project are to:

• determine the sources and precursors of halogenated acetonitriles (HANs) and their formation and stability in drinking water systems

• assess the effectiveness of organic and inorganic HAN precursors