Water Desalination Research and Development

 

There are three goals for the program: (1) augment the supply of usable water in the United States; (2) understand the environmental impacts of desalination and develop approaches to minimize these impacts relative to other water supply alternatives; (3) develop approaches to lower the financial costs of desalination so that it is an attractive option relative to other alternatives in locations where traditional sources of water are inadequate. The three principal parts of the program are: (1) perform research on desalination technologies and related issues to advance the state of the art forward (research and studies), (2) conduct development and demonstration activities to test technological advancements, confirm economics, and gain public acceptance (development projects), and (3) support operation and maintenance at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF)

Active 15.506 Bureau of Reclamation, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 Information not available. In Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17), $3.6 million funded twenty-one competed, merit reviewed research projects. Four projects were pilot scale projects and sixteen projects were laboratory scale projects. One project was funded for year 2 of an awarded FY16 pilot project. A total of more than $3.5 million in non-federal cost-share was leveraged with the twenty-one projects this year.
Fiscal Year 2018 Information not available
Fiscal Year 2019 Information not available
Fiscal Year 2020 Awarded $5.8 million to 22 laboratory and pilot-scale desalination research projects to enable broader deployment of desalination and recycled water technologies.
Fiscal Year 2021 Awarded $4.39 million to 18 projects for advanced water treatment research and development.
Fiscal Year 2022 Awarded $7.3 million to 24 projects for advanced water research and development.
Fiscal Year 2023 Planned $6 million to approximately 22 projects for advanced water research and development. Reclamation Act of 1902, Section 1 and 2, Public Law 111-11
Section 9509. Any responsible source, to include individuals, State and local entities, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, and other private institutions/organizations may submit a proposal which will be considered by Reclamation. Foreign entities are not eligible for funding. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply. Individuals, State and local entities, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations and other private institutions/organizations. A complete application in accordance with the instructions stated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity is mandatory. This includes, but is not limited to, a technical proposal, project cost proposal (budget), and all applicable forms. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program. Preapplication coordination is required. An environmental impact statement is required for this listing. An environmental impact assessment is required for this listing. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Environmental compliance for this program may be required depending on the scope of the specific project funded. This may result in the need for an environmental impact assessment or environmental impact statement prior to the commencement of project activities. See Notices of Funding Opportunities for additional details. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. A full proposal solicitation package is issued at minimum annually by Reclamation. The package may solicit laboratory and/or pilot-scale research projects. Submission of a complete application, including all applicable forms in accordance with the instructions stated in the announcement document is mandatory. The number of awards, maximum funding amount per award, and areas of interest for which proposals will be considered, are determined on an annual basis and are dependent upon the annual appropriation from Congress. Proposals received in response to the annual solicitation are reviewed on the basis of a competitive, merit- review process, and are rated in accordance with evaluation criteria stated in the solicitation document. Reclamation will make awards for the highest rated proposals based on the amount of funding available each year. Reclamation reserves the right to make awards to maintain balance among the program objectives listed in the solicitation document. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Contact Reclamation for the range of time when proposals are approved or disapproved. None. Final award decisions are not subject appeal; however, the Bureau of Reclamation will provide all applicants with information on why their proposals were not selected for award. Continuation of funding for the Program from one fiscal year to the next is at the discretion of the Congress. Solicitation is made for projects ranging up to 18 to 36 months duration (follow-on funding may be available for additional research studies or pilot studies through a new application). No-cost extensions to awarded agreements are provided for projects that can justify additional time beyond the initial project duration. Evaluation factors may include, but are not limited to the following: (1) Impact of the proposed work (2) familiarity in the field of work, (3) readiness level, (4) novelty of work approach, (5) relationship to program objectives, (6) team qualifications, (7) schedule adequacy and completeness, and (8) voluntary non-federal cost share (if applicable). To be used to support research and studies, demonstration and development projects and related activities, and operation and maintenance at BGNDRF as described in the Water Desalination Act and amendments.. Not applicable. Not applicable. All recipients of Federal awards shall maintain project records in accordance with 2 CFR 200.333 Retention requirements for records. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, from the date of the submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. Federal awarding agencies and pass-through entities must not impose any other record retention requirements upon non-Federal entities, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.333. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. The Federal share of the cost of a project or activity carried out shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project or activity for applicants that are not designated as an institution of higher education. Costs of operation, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation of facilities funded shall be nonfederal responsibilities with the exception of the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF).

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Solicitation is made for projects ranging up to 18 to 36 months duration (follow-on funding may be available for additional research studies or pilot studies through a new application). No-cost extensions to awarded agreements are provided for projects that can justify additional time beyond the initial project duration. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Varies by award. Varies by award. None/Not specified. Ken Nowak
Bureau of Reclamation, Research and Development Office, Mail Code: 86-69100, P.O. Box 25007, Denver Federal Center,
Denver, CO 25007 US
knowak@usbr.gov
Phone: (303)445-2197
Fax: (720)544-5682 http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/water/desalination/index.html 14-0680-0-1-301 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$7,296,994.00; FY 23 est $6,035,622.00; FY 24 est $4,000,000.00; FY 21$4,390,542.00; FY 19$2,744,960.00; FY 20 est $1,250,000.00; FY 18$1,250,000.00; FY 17$3,610,000.00; - (Payment terms vary by agreement awarded under this program ) Funded projects have ranged from $75,000 - $800,000 and average $270,000. 2 CFR 200 UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL AWARDS and the applicable OMB Circulars. These documents may also be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Reclamation Office listed below. Fiscal Year 2017 Information not available. Projects that are funded with the FY17 funds include innovative algal/membrane hybrid systems, hybrid nanomaterials for silica removal, disinfection byproduct impacts, and novel membrane treatment systems.
Fiscal Year 2018 Information not available.
Fiscal Year 2019 Information not available.
Fiscal Year 2020 The City of Westminster in Maryland received $347,500 to develop a pilot project for treatment techniques as it considers potable water reuse by treating the effluent from its existing wastewater treatment process and augmenting the Cranberry Reservoir. This will be the first potable reuse project in the State of Maryland. Lehigh University in Pennsylvania received $225,719 toward energy efficient municipal and brackish wastewater recovery. They have validated for the first time a hybrid ion exchange desalination process that does not require any membrane and is energy efficient. They will test wastewater from the Allentown Wastewater Treatment Plant to validate the energy superiority of the process when compared to reverse osmosis. The University of California in Irvine received $250,000 to develop a real time sensor for pathogen detection in water reuse. Developing real-time sensors to verify pathogen removal could permit utilities to avoid expensive redundancies in the treatment process required to protect humans from exposure to bacteria and virus removal during the water treatment process.
Fiscal Year 2021 FY 2021 selections include laboratory-scale studies involving small flow rates, and pilot-scale projects to test novel processes. Selections seek to develop new water treatment processes and materials, integrate renewable energy solutions, improve process monitoring techniques, and treat a wide range of impaired water sources.
Fiscal Year 2022 FY 2022 selections include laboratory-scale studies involving small flow rates, and pilot-scale projects to test novel processes. Selections seek to improve the efficiency of water treatment processes, test new process control techniques, and evaluate new technologies developed to treat a variety of water sources.
Fiscal Year 2023 FY 2023 selections include laboratory-scale studies involving small flow rates, and pilot-scale projects to test novel processes. Selections seek to improve the efficiency of water treatment processes, test new process control techniques, and evaluate new technologies developed to treat a variety of water sources. Additional FY 2023 selections are anticipated.