WERF to release nearly $2 million in research funding

April 30, 2004 -- The Water Environment Research Foundation is issuing four requests for proposals (RFPs) totaling nearly $2 million in funding for water quality research. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Proposals must be received by July 23.

The RFPs are:

Fats, Roots, Oils, and Grease (FROG) in Centralized and Decentralized Systems (RFP No. 03-CTS-16T): This project will determine the best design criteria for grease interceptors based on characteristics of fats, oils, and grease. This research will investigate the effectiveness of interceptors and evaluate the effect of different waste through these systems, while evaluating different root structures and their detrimental effects on sewer systems.

Develop Protocols for Assessing the Condition and Performance of Water and Wastewater Assets (03-CTS-20C): Will develop condition and performance assessment protocols for both water and wastewater utility assets including collection, treatment, and distribution works. These standardized guidelines will help collect comparable data sets and permit benchmarking metrics, and will provide a handy tool for utilities to meet their compliance needs with GASB 34 requirements.

Influent Constituent Characteristics of the Modern Waste Stream from Single Sources (04-DEC-1): Will review previously published research on onsite system influent characterizations and conduct a study on identified knowledge gaps. This research will result in improvements to onsite systems design and support informed decision-making.

Developing Better Indicators of Pathogen Presence in Waste Matrices (03-HHE-2): Will compare the accuracy, advantages, and disadvantages of existing indicator organisms with proposed indicators in wastewater, stormwater, and biosolids. If successful, alternative organisms will provide better indicators of public health impacts, more accurate tools for setting appropriate standards, and more effective monitoring of water and biosolids, leading to increased confidence in the quality of effluent and residuals.

Additional RFPs will be posted later this year. To sign up to receive regular notification of funding availability, go to http://www.werf.org/community/email_signup.cfm.

WERF research is awarded through a competitive process and coordinated under contract through a staff-assigned project manager. WERF encourages submission of proposals from all qualified entities, including consulting firms, wastewater utilities, industrial firms, wastewater equipment manufacturers, universities, and non-profit organizations performing research in the water quality field. The RFPs are available on the WERF website at www.werf.org.