The Water Research Foundation (WRF) will soon post Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and is seeking volunteers for 22 new research projects funded through WRF's Research Priority Program. This strategic research program enables WRF to address broadly relevant subscriber issues, challenges, and opportunities with targeted research. The project concepts have been prioritized, approved, and funded by our Board-appointed Research Advisory Council. The diverse research projects listed below will benefit all areas of the One Water cycle—drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and recycled water – in an integrated fashion. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for these projects will be posted in late September. Additional information on project objectives can be found here.
We encourage utilities to participate in these new research projects through the Utility Participation in Research (UPIR) Process. Utilities can serve as a test facility, provide samples, respond to surveys, loan equipment, or share staff expertise on research projects of interest. The 2022 UPIR application deadline for the funded projects is September 22.
Additionally, subject matter experts are urged to volunteer to serve on Project Advisory Committees (PACs) that will oversee each funded project. The 2022 PAC application deadline for the funded projects is July 11.
Project Title | Budget |
Developing Sustainable Technologies and Assessing Innovative Treatment Options for Biosolids | $175,000 |
State of the Science and Regulatory Acceptability for PFAS Residual Management Options | $150,000 |
Cost-effective Approaches for Control of Multiple Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) | $250,000 |
Cost-effective PFAS Mitigation Strategies for Communities | $200,000 |
Feasibility of Full-Scale Implementation of LED UV Disinfection | $250,000 |
Applicability of Remote Sensing Technology for Water Quality Monitoring and Ecological Assessment | $150,000 |
Navigating One Water Planning through Municipal Water Programs: Meeting Multiple Objectives and Regulatory Challenges | $200,000 |
Integrating Climate Change Impacts with Wet Weather Management, Capital Improvement, and Stream Network Enhancement | $200,000 |
Preparing the Water Sector to Embrace Technology: Skillsets and Enterprise Management Approaches for the Digital Age | $150,000 |
Feasibility and Applicability of Emerging Utility-led Innovations in Addressing Affordability | $200,000 |
Incorporating Equity and Social Dimension into Community Climate Adaptation Planning and Watershed Management | $150,000 |
Improved Equity and Environmental Justice in Asset Management | $200,000 |
Integrating Wastewater-Based Epidemiology and Clinical Surveillance for Public Health Decision Making and Utility Operations | $225,000 |
Advancing Partial Denitrification/Anammox (PdNA) Full-Scale Applications | $250,000 |
Back to the Future: Guidance for Adaptive and Scenario Supply Planning Approaches | $250,000 |
Fate of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants | $250,000 |
DE&I Best Practices for the Water Sector Workforce | $125,000 |
Beyond Net Zero Carbon: Advancing Carbon Offset and Interdependencies through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus | $200,000 |
Establishing Industry-Wide Guidance for Water Utility Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories | $150,000 |
Quantifying the Impact of AI/ML-Based Approaches to Utility Performance Optimization | $350,000 |
Improved Risk Management from Condition Assessment Data | $150,000 |
Innovative Technologies to Improve Monitoring of Assets | $150,000 |
