Water research partnership accepting arsenic proposals

DENVER, CO, Nov. 4, 2004 -- The Arsenic Water Technology Partnership Program -- a research partnership between Sandia National Laboratories, WERC (a consortium for environmental education and technology development), the AWWA Research Foundation (AwwaRF), and the Department of Energy (DOE) -- has announced five requests for proposals (RFPs) on projects that focus on treatment technologies for removing arsenic from drinking water. The proposals could result in up to 12 projects with $1.65 million in funding available.

The Arsenic Water Technology Partnership Program was formed last year to enable water utilities, particularly those serving small rural communities and Indian tribes, to implement the most cost effective solutions for arsenic removal. The goal of the partnership is to bring new and innovative technologies from the laboratory into full-scale use. Data from the projects will provide utilities with the information necessary to make sound decisions on arsenic treatment.

RFPs for the arsenic projects are available on the AwwaRF Web site at www.awwarf.org. Guidelines for submitting a proposal are also available on the site. The deadline for proposals is December 15, 2004. The titles of the proposed projects are as follows:
* Arsenic Treatment Solutions for Very Small Systems (3097)
* Surface Complexation Modeling of Arsenic Removal Media (3098)
* Arsenic Removal Techniques (3099)
* Secondary Impacts of Arsenic Removal Treatment in Distribution Systems (3100)
* Unintentional pH Variation During Arsenic Removal (3101)

Within the partnership, Sandia National Laboratory, based in Albuquerque, is responsible for administering and conducting pilot tests of various arsenic removal techniques. WERC (www.werc.net), based at New Mexico State University, will perform the education, training, economic, analysis, and outreach activities associated with the partnership. The Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF), a nonprofit organization that sponsors drinking-water related research, serves as the administrative agency. AwwaRF has supplemented DOE partnership funds with $1.25 million, bringing total partnership funding to date to $8.25 million.

The AWWA Research Foundation (www.awwarf.org) is a member-supported, international, nonprofit organization that sponsors research to enable water utilities, public health agencies, and other professionals to provide safe and affordable drinking water to consumers. With close to 900 subscriber members in the U.S. and abroad, the Foundation has funded and managed more than 800 projects valued at more than $340 million.

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