Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 16 017
Apply for BOR DO 16 017
- 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 "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 13, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2016. (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 $70,000.00 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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Opportunity Summary:
The "Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Concentrate Stream Pilot Study" grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BOR DO 16 017) is a Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation discretionary funding call issued under a cooperative agreement. It focuses on a growing practical challenge in California water supply planning: as coastal desalination faces increasing intake and discharge permitting constraints, utilities are turning more often to potable reuse, including reverse osmosis (RO) treatment of tertiary-treated wastewater. The opportunity frames potable reuse via RO as energetically favorable compared with seawater desalination, but it highlights an important gap in knowledge that becomes more critical as reuse scales up: what happens to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the RO concentrate stream.
The central technical issue is that RO does not eliminate contaminants so much as separate them. While the purified product water may meet stringent reuse goals, the concentrate (brine) stream can contain elevated levels of CECs because many of these compounds are rejected by the membrane and accumulate as water is removed. The opportunity notes that the research community has produced a substantial body of work on CECs in wastewater effluents and in finished reuse water, but there is far less information about CEC behavior, composition, and risks specifically within RO concentrate generated from potable reuse feedwaters. Because concentrate management and disposal can be an environmental and regulatory bottleneck, the study aims to build a clearer, data-driven understanding of CECs in concentrate and to use that knowledge to identify disposal and management approaches that minimize environmental impact.
The stated goal is practical and decision-oriented: determine the best way to manage and dispose of RO concentrate streams containing high levels of emerging contaminants while reducing harm to receiving waters and ecosystems. In effect, the grant supports pilot-study work that can inform future concentrate handling strategies, treatment options, and potentially permitting approaches, especially in regions where discharge pathways are limited or heavily regulated. By explicitly calling out the lack of concentrate-focused studies, the opportunity positions the work as foundational research that can guide subsequent investigations and implementation.
This grant is also presented as one component of a broader, larger project, with part of the overall effort funded through Reclamation's Science and Technology program within its research office. The effort is collaborative by design and brings together utility, engineering, academic, and federal partners. Key partners include the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), Carollo Engineers, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), and multiple Bureau of Reclamation offices (Yuma and Southern California Area Offices, plus the Denver Technical Services Center). IEUA and Carollo Engineers are contributing both cash and in-kind support, while Cal Poly Pomona is providing in-kind services through the principal investigator. The primary place of performance is at IEUA in Southern California, with identified leads including Ali Sharbat at Cal Poly Pomona and Saied Delagah at Reclamation.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted July 13, 2016, with an original closing date of July 27, 2016. The award structure anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $70,000. The listing references CFDA 15.560 and describes eligible applicants broadly as "Others" with clarification expected in an additional eligibility field. Overall, the opportunity supports applied research and pilot-scale investigation intended to fill a key knowledge gap around emerging contaminants in RO concentrate from potable reuse systems and to translate findings into more sustainable concentrate disposal and management practices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Concentrate Stream Pilot Study."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is BOR DO 16 017.
Which federal agency is offering this funding?
This is a U.S. Department of the Interior opportunity, offered by the Bureau of Reclamation.
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
The funding is issued as a discretionary funding call under a cooperative agreement.
What is the main focus of the pilot study?
The study focuses on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate stream generated during potable reuse treatment of tertiary-treated wastewater, and how that concentrate should be managed or disposed of to minimize environmental impacts.
Why is this topic important for California water supply planning?
The opportunity describes a practical challenge in California: coastal desalination is facing increasing intake and discharge permitting constraints, which is contributing to more interest in potable reuse. As potable reuse scales up, understanding what happens to CECs in RO concentrate becomes more critical.
How does reverse osmosis relate to potable reuse in this opportunity?
The opportunity frames potable reuse using RO treatment of tertiary-treated wastewater as energetically favorable compared with seawater desalination, while emphasizing that RO creates a concentrate stream where many rejected compounds can accumulate.
What is the central technical issue the grant is trying to address?
The central issue is that RO primarily separates contaminants rather than eliminating them. While product water can meet strict reuse goals, the RO concentrate (brine) can contain elevated levels of CECs because many CECs are rejected by the membrane and become more concentrated as water is removed.
What knowledge gap does the funding opportunity highlight?
It notes that there is substantial research on CECs in wastewater effluents and in finished reuse water, but far less information about CEC behavior, composition, and risks specifically within RO concentrate produced from potable reuse feedwaters.
What is the stated goal of the project?
The stated, decision-oriented goal is to determine the best way to manage and dispose of RO concentrate streams containing high levels of emerging contaminants while reducing harm to receiving waters and ecosystems.
How are the results intended to be used?
The opportunity describes the work as practical and applied, intended to build a clearer, data-driven understanding of CECs in concentrate and use that understanding to identify concentrate disposal and management approaches that minimize environmental impact. It is positioned as foundational work that can inform future concentrate handling strategies, treatment options, and potentially permitting approaches.
Why is concentrate management described as a potential bottleneck?
The opportunity explains that concentrate management and disposal can be an environmental and regulatory bottleneck, particularly where discharge pathways are limited or heavily regulated, making it important to understand and reduce potential impacts from concentrate streams.
Is this opportunity part of a larger effort?
Yes. It is presented as one component of a broader, larger project, with part of the overall effort funded through Reclamation's Science and Technology program within its research office.
Is the project intended to be collaborative?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly describes the effort as collaborative, bringing together utility, engineering, academic, and federal partners.
Who are the key partners identified in the opportunity?
Key partners include the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), Carollo Engineers, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), and multiple Bureau of Reclamation offices (the Yuma and Southern California Area Offices, plus the Denver Technical Services Center).
Who is providing cost share or support?
The opportunity states that IEUA and Carollo Engineers are contributing both cash and in-kind support, and that Cal Poly Pomona is providing in-kind services through the principal investigator.
Where is the primary place of performance?
The primary place of performance is identified as IEUA in Southern California.
Who are the identified leads for the effort?
The opportunity identifies Ali Sharbat at Cal Poly Pomona and Saied Delagah at the Bureau of Reclamation as leads.
When was the opportunity posted, and what was the original closing date?
It was posted on July 13, 2016, with an original closing date of July 27, 2016.
How many awards are expected?
The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1).
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $70,000.
What CFDA number is associated with the listing?
The listing references CFDA 15.560.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with a note that clarification is expected in an additional eligibility field.
What kind of study work is the grant supporting?
It supports applied research and pilot-scale investigation specifically aimed at understanding CECs in RO concentrate from potable reuse systems and translating findings into more sustainable concentrate disposal and management practices.
What problem does the opportunity say RO creates even when product water quality is high?
It highlights that even if the purified product water meets stringent reuse goals, RO can produce a concentrate stream with elevated contaminant levels, which then raises management, disposal, environmental, and regulatory questions.
Does the opportunity explicitly focus on seawater desalination concentrate?
No. The emphasis is on RO concentrate generated from potable reuse feedwaters (tertiary-treated wastewater), discussed in the context of increasing reliance on potable reuse as coastal desalination faces permitting constraints.
What outcomes does the opportunity emphasize for receiving waters and ecosystems?
The opportunity emphasizes identifying concentrate management and disposal approaches that reduce harm to receiving waters and ecosystems, using a clearer and more data-driven understanding of CECs in concentrate.
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