EPA is pleased to announce that it expects to issue a competitive grant solicitation the week of June 20, 2011 for projects addressing the high-priority research and demonstration area of safe and sustainable drinking water systems. Concerns for man-made and naturally-occurring chemicals found in surface water, ground water, finished drinking water, and wastewaters pose a host of treatment and management challenges and potential health risks for communities served by public water systems (PWS).
These challenges are exacerbated for small systems, those serving 10,000 persons or less, including the complexities of treatment trains needed to comply with multiple and competing drinking water regulations. To meet drinking water obligations under the Safe Drinking Water Act and accelerate the advancement of sustainable drinking water protection, innovative technologies and approaches are needed for small systems that can remove or mitigate groups of contaminants or contaminant precursors from drinking water sources or systems.
Under the solicitation, EPA is interested in research and demonstration projects on innovative and sustainable treatment technologies that will make quantum leaps in improving the ability of PWS to protect the health of the communities they serve. Therefore, under the solicitation, EPA, as part of it's National Center for Environmental Research's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, seeks the submission of projects from eligible applicants, including Minority Academic Institutions, proposing to conduct research to identify, develop and demonstrate novel and innovative treatment technologies and approaches for small public drinking water systems.
Successful technologies should be robust, sustainable and be able to treat or mitigate groups of contaminants or contaminant precursors in drinking water sources and systems. EPA is seeking new, or innovative modifications of existing, treatment technologies that can perform significantly better than current technologies. These technologies may include those technologies which are used to retrofit or augment existing treatment trains; treatment practices or technologies aimed at contaminant or contaminant precursor reduction in source waters; and technologies used within the distribution system including point-of-use (POU) devices. EPA will host three webinars to discuss this RFA, the general competition process and submission instructions. Additional information on the webinars may be found on the NCER Calendar and in Section IV of the solicitation.
