AWWARF announces research projects
The American Water Works Research Foundation Board of Trustees has selected 53 projects worth $9.1 million for 1997 funding. The board approved $6.6 million to sponsor solicited research projects, $1.35 million for unsolicited projects, $365,000 for tailored collaboration projects and $719,000 for other projects. RFPs will be issued for 36 projects. The numbers push the AWWARF's cumulative research budget from 1986 to 1997 to $107 million.
The overall 1997 budget includes cooperative funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Electric Power Research Institute, the International Life Sciences Institute and individual utilities. The agenda focuses on public health protection, utility management and stewardship of resources.
Solicited projects include:
Microbes
-
Pathogen intrusion into the distribution system;
Chemicals
-
Association between the occurrence of herbicides/pesticides in drinking water and reproductive outcomes;
Management
-
Balanced evaluation of public/private partnerships;
Infrastructure
-
Management strategy manual for water treatment plant infrastructure assessment;
Resources and Environment
-
Guidance to utilities: Building alliances with watershed stakeholders;
RFPs for these and other solicited projects are available on the AWWARF web site, www.awwarf.com. Proposals must be postmarked by May 5 for projects with budgets up to $250,000 in AWWARF funds. Proposals seeking $250,000 or more must be postmarked by July 15. All solicited project proposals must include 25 percent of the total project budget as in-kind or cash contribution. In-kind contributions can be in the form of labor, laboratory services or other support and may come from utilities, consulting firms or universities. Proposal evaluations will be based on responsiveness to the RFP, scientific and technical merit and qualifications of the researchers.
