Group items tagged

The Nation faces an increasing set of water resource challenges. Aging infrastructure, rapid population growth, depletion of groundwater resources, impaired water quality associated with particular land uses and land covers, water needed for human and environmental uses, and climate variability and change all play a role in determining the amount of fresh water available at any given place and time. Water shortages and water-use conflicts have become more commonplace in many areas of the United States, even in normal water years. As competition for water resources grows-for crop irrigation, growing cities and communities, energy production, and the environment-the need for information and tools to aid water resource managers also grows. Water issues and challenges are increasing across the Nation, but particularly in the West, due to prolonged drought. These water issues are exacerbating the challenges facing traditional water management approaches which by themselves no longer meet today's needs. The U.S. Department of the Interior's (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) Program establishes a framework to provide Federal leadership and assistance on the efficient use of water, integrating water and energy policies to support the sustainable use of all natural resources, and coordinating the water conservation activities of various Department bureaus and offices. Through the WaterSMART Program, the Department is working to achieve a sustainable water management strategy to meet the Nation's water needs.

The Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation's) Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse program (Title XVI) is an important part of WaterSMART. For purposes of the Title XVI Program, a water reuse project is a project that reclaims and reuses municipal, industrial, domestic, or agricultural wastewater and naturally impaired groundwater and/or surface waters. Reclaimed water can be used for a variety of purposes such as environmental restoration, fish and wildlife, groundwater recharge, municipal, domestic, industrial, agricultural, power generation, or recreation. Water reuse is an essential tool in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Title XVI projects develop and supplement urban and irrigation water supplies through water reuse, thereby improving efficiency, providing flexibility during water shortages, and diversifying the water supply.

Benefit-Cost Analysis is a widely employed approach for evaluating the economic consequences of environmental decisions. For environmental quality improvements, particularly those involving air pollution controls, major investments have been made in data collection and modeling methods. As a result, public and private stakeholders have well-developed tools available to inform their understanding of air pollution policies. America's water resources are also at risk of degradation from chemical and microbial pollutants and changing climatic conditions; however, the ability to estimate the benefits of water quality improvements has lagged behind analogous work for air quality. The U.S. GAO (2014) recently noted the challenges associated with valuing water quality. In addition, how differences in spatial scales impact water quality benefits is not well understood. It is recognized that actions that improve water quality in headwater streams, for example, can affect the quality of downstream waters, thereby supplying benefits far from the site of action. The U.S. EPA is interested in supporting research to improve non-use valuation methods that will enable public and private stakeholders to better evaluate water quality for the Nation's inland fresh water small streams, lakes and rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, and the Great Lakes.  For purposes of this RFA, small streams are defined as streams that are perennial and wadeable. 

The Hydrologic Sciences Program supports basic research on the fluxes of water in the terrestrial environment that constitute the water cycle as well as the mass and energy transport function of the water cycle. The Program supports the study of processes including (but not limited to): rainfall, runoff, infiltration and streamflow; evaporation and transpiration; the flow of water in soils and aquifers; and the transport of suspended, dissolved, and colloidal components. The Program is interested in how water interacts with the landscape and the ecosystem as well as how the water cycle and its coupled processes are altered by land use and climate. Studies may address physical, chemical, and/or biological processes that are coupled directly to water transport. Observational, experimental, theoretical, modeling, synthesis and field approaches are supported. Projects submitted to Hydrologic Sciences commonly involve expertise from physical and ecosystem sciences, engineering and/or mathematics; and proposals may require joint review with related programs.

The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is tosupport transformative research which applies scientific and engineering principles to avoid or minimize solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges, resulting from human activities on land, inland and coastal waters, and air, while promoting resource and energy conservation and recovery. The program also fosters cutting-edge scientific research for identifying, evaluating, and monitoring the waste assimilative capacity of the natural environment and for removing or reducing contaminants from polluted air, water, and soils. Any proposal investigating sensors, materials or devices that does not integrate these products with an environmental engineering activity or area of research may be returned without review. Major areas of interest include: Enhancing the availability of high quality water supplies: Development of innovative biological, chemical and physical treatment processes to meet the growing demand for water; investigation of processes that remove and degrade contaminants, remediate contaminated soil and groundwater, and convert wastewaters into water suitable for reuse; investigation of environmental engineering aspects of urban watersheds, reservoirs, estuaries and storm water management; investigation of biogeochemical and transport processes driving water quality in the aquatic and subsurface environment.

CUAHSI's Let's Talk About Water (LTAW) Program uses a simple film screening and panel discussion format to catalyze conversation between water science experts and the public. LTAW events have been a well-received and effective educational forum in which complex water issues are addressed through the use of film, followed by a moderated panel discussion related to the content of the film. By keeping the language simple and straightforward, the audience leaves with a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the complex water issues facing society.

CUAHSI's Let's Talk About Water (LTAW) Program uses a simple film screening and panel discussion format to catalyze conversation between water science experts and the public. LTAW events have been a well-received and effective educational forum in which complex water issues are addressed through the use of film, followed by a moderated panel discussion related to the content of the film. By keeping the language simple and straightforward, the audience leaves with a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the complex water issues facing society.

This Cooperative Agreement is a 5-year project for development and implementation of a Native Water Leasing Pilot Program for the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) to be developed and implemented jointly by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in coordination with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD). Water acquired under the Program will be used to support implementation of the December 2016 Final Biological Opinion for Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Non-Federal Water Management and Maintenance Activities on the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico (2016 BiOp). The primary focus of the Cooperative Agreement is to develop and implement the cooperative pilot Program with MRGCD and willing sellers over a 5-year implementation period to acquire water for environmental use in the MRG. Through pilot implementation, the Program will set the stage for expanded native water leasing and other voluntary measures at scale as win-win solutions for the river, local communities, agricultural producers, and MRGCD over the long term. Further, it provides a key component of a large-scale long-term opportunity to combine instream water leasing with the restoration of riparian and upper watershed habitats along with other initiatives to advance landscape-scale restoration in the MRG. Areas where collaboration with other agencies and partner organizations will broaden the scope of the effort, leverage additional funding, and increase the prospects for long-term success will be identified throughout the effort.

EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and enhance the global competitiveness of the United States. Through this Request for Information, EERE, on behalf of AMO, seeks feedback on technologies with the potential for early stage research and development (R&D) that if successfully advanced could impact the cost-effective and energy efficient availability of clean water processed from a variety of sources such as surface water, ground water, brackish water, seawater, wastewater and produced water for a range of applications including municipal drinking water, agricultural uses, and industrial needs.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), invests in cutting-edge research, development, and demonstration activities focused on sustainable transportation, renewable power, and energy efficiency. Through EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) public-private R&D consortia, manufacturers, small businesses, universities, national laboratories, and state and local governments are brought together to pursue coordinated early-stage R&D in high-priority areas essential to energy in manufacturing. Federal funding is the catalyst to bring stakeholders into shared spaces and to address process and technological challenges, that present a significant degree of scientific or technical uncertainty. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to establish an Energy Innovation Hub (referred to hereafter as the Energy-Water Desalination Hub, or the Hub) to address water security issues in the U.S. For the purpose of this FOA, "desalination" more broadly includes technologies that primarily remove salts. The Hub is a critical component of the Department of Energy's (DOE) broader Water Security Grand Challenge which will use a coordinated suite of prizes, competitions, early stage research and development (R&D), and other programs to help address the nation's water security needs. The Energy-Water Desalination Hub will be organized around four topic areas: 1) Materials Research and Development, 2) New Process Research and Development, 3) Modeling and Simulation Tools, and 4) Integrated Data and Analysis. DOE intends to select and fund one application with the greatest likelihood of achieving the goals of all four topics of this FOA.

WIIN addresses, supports and improves America's drinking water infrastructure.  Included in the WIIN Act are three new drinking water grants that promote public health and the protection of the environment.  As part of the grant, the EPA will award approximately $1.2 million for fiscal year 2018 to support lead testing in drinking water at tribal schools and child care facilities. 

OVERVIEW When approved, this Award of $235,250 will fund the second phase of investigation for the Hemlock Forest Restoration Project Study (aka Hemlock Project). This Project is the first of-its-kind comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the water-cycle consequences (both positive and negative) of forest restoration in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. The 12,000-acre landscape-restoration project site known as the Hemlock Project is located in the Stanislaus National Forest and Mokelumne River basin, which is an area that Congress has authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to investigate for water storage and improved water-management reliability in the Mokelumne River basin. The Hemlock Project is being managed with the involvement and cooperation of the Stanislaus National Forest who expects that the Hemlock Project's forest modifications will restore watershed functions by creating different forest-stand structures and densities. These modifications have multiple benefits including reducing the forest's susceptibility to insect, disease, and drought-related mortality; reducing surface fuels, increasing the height to canopy, and decreasing crown density; retaining large, fire-resistant trees; maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat; enhancing the extent and connectivity of aspen stands; and improving resource and watershed conditions. These actions will also enhance water-supply reliability by restoring the fraction of precipitation that leaves the basin as runoff versus evapotranspiration; guard against erosion, water-quality problems and snowpack losses associated with wildfire; and maintain water and forest health as the climate warms and evaporative demand increases. This application is for the second phase of funding, generally representing years 3 through 4 of the proposed 10 year period of investigation for the Hemlock Project Study

Section 104g of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 requires that this competitive grant program focus on water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State and which relate to specific program priorities identified jointly by the Secretary of the Interior and the water resources research institutes. Objectives of this program also include the following A. Promote collaboration between the USGS and university scientists in research on significant national and regional water resources issues. Proposals exhibiting substantial collaboration between the USGS and the applicant are encouraged and will receive extra weight in the evaluation and selection process. Collaborative proposals should describe in detail the respective roles of the USGS and the applicant in the proposed work. Potential applicants seeking collaborative opportunities are encouraged to contact USGS Water Science Center Directors.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible applicants as described in Section III.A to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to help such systems achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and to provide training and technical assistance for small publicly owned wastewater systems, communities served by onsite/decentralized wastewater systems, and private well owners to improve water quality under the Clean Water Act (CWA). 

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is soliciting research to commence a multi-site study on the human health effects of exposures to drinking water contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Proposed study sites must include communities using PFAS-contaminated private residential wells or public water systems. Exposure assessment will be based on measured PFAS serum levels as well as estimated PFAS serum levels derived from pharmacokinetic modeling of reconstructed PFAS drinking water concentrations over time. Specifically, grant awardees will be required to conduct historical reconstruction/water modeling in order to determine the PFAS concentration. Effect biomarkers such as lipids and tests of immune and thyroid function derived from pharmacokinetic modeling of reconstructed PFAS drinking water concentrations over time will be evaluated. ATSDR intends this research to be a two-part program consisting of (1) a mandatory core research protocol to allow ATSDR to aggregate the core data and to compare laboratory and statistical analyses across sites, and (2) each successful awardee will have the option to propose additional investigator-initiated research questions and hypotheses related to the overall goals of this NOFO.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible applicants as described in Section III.A to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to help such systems achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and to provide training and technical assistance for small publicly owned wastewater systems, communities served by onsite/decentralized wastewater systems, and private well owners to improve water quality under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Training and technical assistance activities provided to these systems, communities and private well owners should be made available nationally in rural and urban communities and to personnel of tribally- owned and operated systems.

Through Grand Challenges for Development (GCD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partners are sourcing, selecting, and accelerating science, technology, and business model innovations that have the potential to achieve large-scale development impact. Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development (SWFF) is part of a portfolio of 7 GCDs, each tackling a critical and complex development challenge. SWFF's objective is to enable the production of more food with less water and/or make more water available for food production, processing, and distribution in developing and emerging countries. It is jointly funded by USAID, the South African Department of Science and Technology, Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the Foreign Ministry of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (collectively, the "Founding Partners"). This is the fourth Call for Proposals (RFA) under Securing Water for Food.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications to conduct research on and demonstration of human and ecological impacts of treated wastewater applications (reclaimed water and wastewater reuse), and water conservation practices including the use of non-traditional water sources as well as more comprehensive long-term management and availability of water resources.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications to conduct research on and demonstration of human and ecological impacts of treated wastewater applications (reclaimed water and wastewater reuse), and water conservation practices including the use of non-traditional water sources as well as more comprehensive long-term management and availability of water resources.

The goal of the National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP) is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of surface water and groundwater resources through research, education, and extension activities. Projects funded through this program will work to solve water resource problems by advancing and disseminating the knowledge base available to agricultural, rural, and urbanizing communities. Funded projects should lead to science-based decision making and management practices that improve the quality of the Nations surface water and groundwater resources in agricultural, rural, and urbanizing watersheds.

The purpose of this modification is to publish questions and responses regarding the FOA and to provide a link to the Webinar download. The questions and responses can be found in Attachment 002. A copy of the March 18, 2015 webinar and its slides can be downloaded from the CERC website: http://www.us-china-cerc.org/Energy_Water.html The Department of Energy is soliciting applications for the formation of a Consortium to pursue five identified R&D topics at the nexus of energy and water. These topics are: 1) water use reduction at thermoelectric plants; 2) treatment and management of non-traditional waters; 3) improving sustainable hydropower design and operation; 4) climate impact modeling, methods, and scenarios to support improved energy and water systems understanding; and 5) data and analysis to inform planning, policy, and other decisions. Each responsive proposal will address all five topics; DOE is offering a mechanism to facilitate partnering during the Application process. The Consortium that is funded through this solicitation will form a new technical track under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, which is a bilateral initiative to encourage R&D collaboration and accelerate technology development and deployment in both countries (see: http://www.us-china-cerc.org). This DOE funding opport unity will support the U.S. Consortium. In parallel, and with equivalent resources, Chinese funding will support a counterpart Chinese Consortium.