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FAQs: Brazos Research Wetland Grant Opportunity (DOI Bureau of Reclamation)

What is the Brazos Research Wetland grant opportunity?

The Brazos Research Wetland grant opportunity is a U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (DOI-BOR) discretionary research award focused on improving potable water reuse. The work centers on studying constructed wetlands used as environmental buffers and how they can be designed and optimized to support safe, reliable potable reuse.

What problem or need is this grant trying to address?

This opportunity responds to priorities highlighted in the 2011 Texas Water Reuse Research Agenda and reinforced by a 2012 National Academy of Sciences report. Both identified a major need to better understand how engineered (constructed) wetlands can be intentionally designed and optimized to support potable reuse.

What is the main public health and environmental concern being studied?

The research focuses on endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), which are trace contaminants that may remain in treated wastewater effluent. The concern is that EDCs could potentially affect human health or ecosystems if water is discharged to an environmental buffer and later recovered to augment drinking water supplies.

What are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the context of this project?

In this project, EDCs are described as trace contaminants that may persist even after wastewater treatment. The grant targets understanding whether a constructed wetland used as part of a reuse system can attenuate or remove these compounds before water is recovered for potable purposes.

What is the Brazos Research Wetland used for in this grant?

The Brazos Research Wetland is intended to serve as a testbed. The recipient is expected to use it to evaluate an innovative constructed wetland configuration and generate performance and design information relevant to potable reuse.

What makes the proposed wetland configuration "novel" according to the opportunity description?

The design is described as novel because it combines and sequences multiple engineered treatment zones, including both surface and subsurface components, and includes passive aeration features intended to improve oxygen transfer and mixing without relying on high-energy mechanical systems.

What are the key engineered elements included in the wetland design?

Based on the opportunity description, key elements include (1) multiple treatment zones arranged in sequence, (2) surface and subsurface wetland components, and (3) passive aeration units supported by hydraulic design features.

How does the wetland provide aeration without mechanical systems?

The aeration approach is passive and relies on hydraulic design elements such as flowing cascades and turbulent stream channels. These features are intended to increase oxygen transfer and mixing without high-energy mechanical aeration.

What is the research trying to determine about this passively aerated, staged wetland?

The project aims to determine whether a staged, passively aerated constructed wetland can improve contaminant reduction (including attenuation or removal of EDCs) compared with more conventional constructed wetland approaches. It also aims to document which design and operating conditions are most effective.

How does this relate to potable water reuse?

The wetland is studied as an environmental buffer step in a potable reuse system. The goal is to understand whether such a wetland can reduce trace contaminants in treated wastewater effluent before that water is recovered and used to augment drinking water supplies.

What is meant by an "environmental buffer" in this opportunity?

In the context provided, an environmental buffer is a step where treated wastewater effluent is discharged into an engineered or environmental system (here, a constructed wetland) before it is later recovered for potable reuse. The wetland would function as an additional barrier within a reuse strategy.

What outcomes or deliverables does the opportunity emphasize?

If successful, the research could produce practical design criteria and performance data that utilities can use when considering full-scale constructed wetlands as part of a potable reuse strategy. A key deliverable value is guidance on how to build and integrate an engineered wetland into an existing water and wastewater treatment system, including its role as a buffer step between wastewater treatment and drinking water augmentation.

How could the results be used by utilities?

The opportunity highlights that utilities could use the resulting design criteria, performance data, and integration guidance when evaluating full-scale constructed wetlands as part of potable reuse projects, especially where an engineered wetland might serve as a buffer between wastewater treatment and drinking water augmentation.

Why does the opportunity contrast wetlands with reverse osmosis?

The opportunity notes that constructed wetlands could potentially reduce reliance on energy-intensive advanced treatment processes such as reverse osmosis, if wetlands provide meaningful treatment benefits as part of a multi-barrier reuse train. It also points to potential reductions in energy costs and associated carbon footprint.

Is this funding offered as a grant or a different type of assistance agreement?

It was offered as a cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency in the project.

Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (DOI-BOR).

Who is eligible to apply based on the listing?

The eligible applicant category listed is city or township governments.

How many awards were anticipated?

The program anticipated making one award.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted on February 9, 2016, with an application closing date of February 24, 2016.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this listing?

The Funding Opportunity Number is R16 NOI DO 003.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.560.

What activity category does this opportunity fall under?

The listing places the opportunity under the science and technology and research and development activity category.

What does it mean that the award ceiling is listed as 0?

The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that the specific funding amount was not stated in the public synopsis and would instead be defined through the application and negotiation process.