Notice of Intent to Award - Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Concentrate Stream Pilot Study | BOR DO 17 N031

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 17 N031

The Notice of Intent to Award titled "Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Concentrate Stream Pilot Study" is a Bureau of Reclamation (Department of the Interior) discretionary funding action that supports research on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) associated with reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate streams. The work sits in the broader context of direct and indirect potable reuse, which is becoming more common across the western United States and in other regions as communities look for reliable water supplies. The central aim is to better understand which CECs are present in water reclamation settings, how to measure them reliably, and how they behave through advanced treatment processes, particularly where RO produces a concentrate stream that can carry elevated levels of trace contaminants.

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement and is tied to an existing agreement that began in August 2016: cooperative agreement R16AC00140. Rather than launching a brand-new project, this notice reflects an intent to fund a modification to that ongoing agreement. The original project was designed as a four-phase effort, covering everything from early-stage literature review through field and laboratory monitoring and culminating in a pilot treatment study and final reporting. However, the previously approved budget only covered Phase I and Phase II, meaning the project initially had funding for identifying and classifying key CECs through literature and library research, plus conducting field and laboratory studies and collecting monitoring data in real-world water reclamation settings, especially in western states. The purpose of the modification described in this notice is to expand the approved budget so it can also cover Phase III and Phase IV and increase the total estimated value of the agreement accordingly.

Across the full intended scope, the recipient is expected to (1) identify and classify major representative CECs relevant to water reclamation and potable reuse projects, (2) determine appropriate analytical methods to detect and quantify those contaminants, and (3) carry out field and laboratory investigations that generate monitoring data on CEC occurrence in water reclamation projects in the United States, with particular emphasis on the western region. The later phases add a more applied demonstration component: a pilot study focused on monitoring and data collection for CEC removal using an innovative hybrid treatment train. That treatment chain is described as primary wastewater treatment followed by microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO), with attention to how CECs are removed and how they may concentrate in the RO concentrate stream. After the studies are completed, the recipient is responsible for analyzing the collected data, preparing a technical report, and publicizing the results so the findings can inform utilities, researchers, and water managers dealing with potable reuse and concentrate management.

In administrative terms, the funding opportunity is listed under number BOR DO 17 N031 and is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 15.560. The posting indicates an expected single award, with an award ceiling of $60,000, and it was created on July 24, 2017 with an original closing date of August 6, 2017. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced outside the excerpt, which is consistent with a notice of intent that is often associated with a specific recipient or a narrow pool, especially when it relates to modifying an existing cooperative agreement rather than running a full open competition.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted support to complete the later phases of an already-defined project: moving from identifying which contaminants matter and how to measure them, into piloting a practical advanced treatment sequence (primary treatment plus MF plus RO) and generating evidence on CEC monitoring and removal. The expected deliverables center on usable monitoring data, documented analytical approaches, and a final technical report that shares results publicly to help guide future potable reuse projects and decisions around RO concentrate streams.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Award - Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Concentrate Stream Pilot Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 24, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 06, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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