Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
Centers for Water Research on National Priorities Related to a Systems View of Nutrient Management
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2012-STAR-H1
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509
Solicitation Opening Date: October 3, 2012
Solicitation Closing Date: January 15, 2013, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time
Eligibility Contact: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8080
Electronic Submissions: Todd Peterson (peterson.todd@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-7224
Technical Contact: Dale Manty (manty.dale@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8047
Access Standard STAR Forms (Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (Funding Opportunities: Archive Page)
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program is seeking applications to establish Centers to conduct water research and demonstration projects that are innovative and sustainable using a systems approach for nutrient management in the Nation’s waters.
This Request for Applications (RFA) is soliciting proposals that take a systems view of nutrient management. A systems view of nutrient management considers every potential link in the breadth of possibilities that may influence water quality. These involve societal and technological considerations and may include, but are not limited to: local resources, prevailing land uses, watershed health, manure management, energy costs, municipal wastewater treatment, in-building water reuse, or nutrient resource recovery. A systems view would also consider valuation of monetized and non-monitized possible co-benefits and consequences (e.g., decreased sediment runoff, improved recreational value) which may be part of a nutrient management program.
Proposed research areas should include:
- Science to achieve sustainable and cost effective health and environmental outcomes as part of water management.
- Demonstration projects to support efficacy of water management systems with and beyond current technology and information at appropriate scales.
- Community involvement in the design, acceptance and implementation of nutrient management systems.
Successful applicants will develop a multi component framework for research and development activities with a systems view of nutrient management. This framework will support restoration of watersheds; promote attainment of designated uses; encourage water reuse and recovery; provide environmental, economic and social benefits; and identify associated costs across community cohorts including those of limited means. Eligible applicants include public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) located in the U.S. State, local, and tribal governments are not eligible to apply under this solicitation. However, cooperative partnerships among the eligible lead grant recipient with academic, state, local, tribal and non-profit organizations to conduct research, development and field application of innovative water management are strongly recommended as they are important for successful applications. All applications should demonstrate community engagement as part of their project design.
Collaboration amongst institutions/organizations is key to carrying out the water management research and demonstration envisioned in this RFA. Organizations with complementary capacities can provide the integrated and multi-disciplinary research, development and demonstration of innovative and sustainabile research and development necessary for this RFA. Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient.
This solicitation does not provide the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). Applications proposing human subjects research will not be considered for funding and will be deemed ineligible.
Human subjects research precluded from this RFA includes:
Projects that collect data from or about humans which meet the regulatory definition of research with human subjects and are thereby subject to the requirements of EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 and EPA Order 1000.17 Change A1. This includes projects conducted under programs that are not considered research for other purposes. For example, some demonstration programs and some public health practice programs may include research activities. Projects that utilize surveys about people or contain identifiable private information also constitutes human subjects research and are not allowable under this solicitation. All applications must include a Non-Human Subjects Research Determination (as described in Section IV.B.6.c) verifying that the proposed research will not involve human subjects.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: 2
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $5,000,000 in federal funds total for all awards. Minimum 10% non-federal cost share is also required for each award.
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $2,500,000 in federal funds, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 4 years. Each applicant must contribute a minimum 10% match which may include in-kind contributions. Thus, the maximum award is $2,500,000 EPA funds + a minimum of $250,000 non-federal matching from the applicant. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total EPA (federal) funding limit of $2,500,000 will not be considered.
Eligibility Information:
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) located in the U.S. are eligible. State and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are not eligible to apply under this RFA. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from the EPA under this program.
Application Materials:
To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.E. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). The necessary forms for submitting a STAR application will be found on the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) web site, Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one week to complete the registration process. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.
If you do not have the technical capability to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, send a webmail message at least 15 calendar days before the submission deadline to assure timely receipt of alternate submission instructions. In your message provide the funding opportunity number and title of the program, specify that you are requesting alternate submission instructions, and provide a telephone number, fax number, and an email address, if available. Alternate instructions will be emailed whenever possible. Any applications submitted through alternate submission methods must comply with all the provisions of this Request for Applications (RFA), including Section IV, and be received by the solicitation closing date identified above.
Agency Contacts:
Eligibility Contact: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8080
Electronic Submissions: Todd Peterson (peterson.todd@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-7224
Technical Contact: Dale Manty (manty.dale@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8047
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
One of the high-priority research areas identified by the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the consequence of water use and pollution on human health, ecosystems, and social well being in the United States (US). Through its Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR) Strategic Research program, the Agency is conducting complementary research on sustainable nutrient management solutions and strategies. EPA recognizes the need for sustainable nutrient management programs across the Nation. Such programs will guide the development and implementation of protection and restoration approaches by States, Tribes and other entities (e.g., local governments) to ensure long-term attainment of designated uses and reuses while optimizing environmental, economic and social benefits.
Increasing demands are being placed on finite water resources to supply drinking water; treat, transport and manage waste; provide water for other societal needs (including energy, agriculture, and industry); and sustain the water necessary to support healthy aquatic ecosystems1. Adequate water of sufficient quality underpins the Nation’s health, economy, security, and ecology. Our ability to adequately manage water quality necessary for human and ecosystem health is being challenged by limitations of conventional or dated practices, technologies 2, assumptions3, point and non-point sources of nutrients, and the lack of a comprehensive and systematic nutrient management approach. EPA estimates the cost of replacing the physical water infrastructure will require $700 billion to $1 trillion dollars and create massive disruption in every major city for a decade or more. Data supports that this investment would not ensure safe and sustainable water or adequate nutrient management4. It also does not take into account the financial, political and comprehensive environmental limits to these actions5.
As a result, research to provide sustainable approaches to the Nation’s nutrient management is needed. Understanding watershed and community-level components of nutrient management are important to improving our ability to understand, predict, and guide watershed and urban management. Development, land use, and climate change will impact loading and the fate and transport of nutrients within watersheds, in drinking water, and in downstream receiving waters. Further, the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of aquatic ecosystems must be managed by identifying background conditions, establishing specific nutrient thresholds for the various water resources within watersheds across the different regions of the Nation, and monitoring them as part of a sustainable management program. The development of this work into practical decision-support tools, modeled and supported with demonstrations, with a focus on resource recovery and reuse, and a reduction in per capita water supply, collection and treatment, will help achieve societal, economic, and ecological benefits of the Nation’s water resources, now and for future generations.
B. Background
This RFA complements safe and sustainable water research programs (SSWR) in EPA laboratories and centers as well as the objectives of the EPA's Office of Water relating to nutrient pollution in the Nation’s water systems. EPA's SSWR Research Program supports research to assess potential consequences of water pollution for human health, ecosystems, and social well being in the United States.
Nutrients are widespread and impair water quality across the country. States have identified more than 15,000 waters nationwide that have been degraded by nutrients and do not meet state water quality standards. EPA’s recent National Aquatic Resource Survey of aquatic health found that nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most pervasive stressors in the Nation’s small streams and lakes6. Approximately 50 percent of streams and 40 percent of lake acres have high or medium levels of nutrients. Contamination of coastal waters by nutrient pollution is also a widespread problem. A recent analysis of 647 U.S. coastal and estuarine ecosystems indicates that the percentage of systems with low oxygen levels or hypoxia has increased dramatically since the 1960’s7. Nutrient pollution also affects the water we drink. Levels of nitrate in drinking water above the federal drinking water standard of 10 milligrams per liter have been linked to serious illness in infants, as well as other potential adverse human health effects. Reported violations for nitrate standards at public water systems have doubled in the last eight years, with more than 1,000 violations in 20108.
Excess nutrients (such as N and P) come from many point and nonpoint sources including urban, and suburban runoff, municipal and industrial discharges, fertilizer use, livestock production, atmospheric deposition from fossil fuel combustion and ammonia emissions from industrial scale agriculture, and legacy nutrient pollution. Land use alteration in watersheds across the Nation increases the fraction of the N and P applied to the landscape that impacts surface and groundwater resources, affecting aquatic life, human health and economic prosperity9. At the same time, P is a finite and declining natural resource. P is now mined at a rate of about 17.5 metric tons per year with about 80% being applied to crops. The supply of minable P ore is estimated by NAS to last for only a few more decades. Management techniques and technologies will need to be developed to recover the P being lost to runoff, animal waste and human waste10. Reactive forms of N are building up in the environment and innovative sustainable technologies and management practices are needed to limit its harmful effects.
Existing regulatory and non-regulatory efforts and technologies to control nutrients have not, in most cases, kept pace with the growth of nutrient inputs. A sustainable nutrient management strategy must be based on an understanding of multiple interacting inputs to water resources as well as impacts on human health, the economy, and aquatic ecosystems.
A project which has focused on this topic is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), created to combat the environmental impacts of the degraded Everglades hydrologic system by restoring the natural water flow while balancing the economic and social needs of the South Florida region10. The water quality projects created by the CERP were also chosen to complement State efforts to maintain their water quality standards, primarily though creation of stormwater treatment areas (STA’s) around locations where the water will later be reintroduced into natural areas. The creation of secondary canals for drainage introduced large amounts of nutrients from fertilizers, pesticides, urban runoff, and animal wastes- the primary sources of pollution threatening water quality. The two main criteria of the CERP are to (1) treat water being “reclaimed by projects” currently being discharged into the ocean, and (2) treat water “reused” for environmental purposes only. Out of 66 projects, 24 are intended to restore water quality in natural areas of the ecosystem, and were created to supplement State efforts to achieve water quality standards. The nutrient removal abilities of the STA’s are enhanced by urban and agricultural best management practices. CERP forms local partnerships to institute Best Management Practices and smaller regional water or land use management plans. CERP also contains a strong educational outreach and public engagement component, which considers the input of residents during monthly public meetings, workshops on CERP status and planning, and public comment-response periods. Furthermore, the Environment and Economic Equity Management Plan strategy focuses on evaluating individual and cumulative system-wide changes in socio-economic, socio-ecological, and human health effects. Included are impacts to minority or low-income populations. This is similar to the large scale water management program outlined for the Great Lakes12.
Innovative wastewater treatment technologies with lower energy consumption and carbon footprint are essential to meet environmental objectives and reduce nutrients11. New approaches to nutrient management, such as small and decentralized treatment systems are important, as are technologies to minimize or eliminate the energy-intensive aeration associated with secondary wastewater treatment12. These need to be refined for application in various climates and process configurations and full scale application. Innovative nutrient recovery options, particularly those resulting in reducing nutrient sources and associated wastewater conveyance and treatment infrastructure are required. For example, urine separation, diversion, and water reuse is promising as it can reduce loads and provide commercial reuse opportunities. Urine contains 70% of the nitrogen load and 50% of the phosphorus and potassium load in domestic wastewater. It is generally pathogen free and can self-disinfect. Source separated urine can provide commercial fertilizer and other products including diesel air pollution filtration. International research has examined urine separating toilets and application in urban and rural settings but additional research is needed on design and implementation, costs, benefits, and impacts on existing wastewater infrastructure costs and processes. Of special interest are pilot demonstrations to provide data on the value, feasibility and implementability of these practices in the US.
One such demonstration project is Beaty Creek, Oklahoma, a successful paired watershed nutrient reduction project which involved an initial investment of $1.6M and continues with post-implementation monitoring16. Using an EPA endorsed protocol, Control and Treatment for Paired Watersheds, they adopted a project with variables that were similar in size, slope, location, soils, and land cover/use17. Beaty Creek is a tributary to Spavinaw Creek, the major source of water to Lake Eucha, the primary water supply for the City of Tulsa. Previous studies identified poultry and cattle wastes as the major contributors of nutrient loading to Lake Eucha, which has documented eutrophication problems and listed impairments. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission conducted a paired watershed study (1999 - 2008), using Beaty Creek and Little Saline Creek. Little Saline was chosen as the "control", and over $1.5M were spent on non point source (NPS) implementation in Beaty Creek. Treatment practices were located based on "hot spot" areas determined with SWAT modeling, and included riparian and streambed management, composters and animal waste storage facilities, pasture management, and septic tank improvements. Study results demonstrated significant reductions in Beaty Creek TP loading one year (14%), two years (31%), and four years (66%) post-implementation, as well as reduction in other pollutants such as TKN (80%), Orhto-P (53%), E. coli (57%), and Enterococcus (36%).
Innovative and integrated wastewater management systems for small and low income communities are needed. Innovative technologies and approaches that meet regulatory requirements and combine pollution prevention, reuse, recovery and potential savings with low capital and operation and maintenance costs need to be developed and demonstrated. Exemplary economic benefits include nutrient recovery to support aquaculture or agriculture. Technologies and management systems that reconsider limited resource communities are critically important in the reformulation of effective programs that are likely to gain wide community support and buy-in to sustainable long-term restoration efforts. Research is needed on the feasibility of small and decentralized satellite wastewater systems. For many centralized wastewater systems, the collection system can account for 60% of infrastructure costs. Such practical research can guide long-term community planning9. The advent of hand-held monitoring and reporting including smartphone apps offer promise for heretofore impossible technological and financial hurdles.
Nutrient pollution associated with animal feeding operations or agricultural application of manure is a significant issue. Co-digestion of manure with sludge at waste treatment centers could be beneficial and is rarely practiced. There is a need for research on technologies and approaches to improve the digestibility of manure and wastewater sludge and options to recover nutrients and potential energy. Demonstration of co-digestion of manure and sludge could focus on performance, feasibility, and sustainability.
An example of a cutting edge advance in water management is the process of deammonification. This process was discovered approximately five years ago as a major breakthrough for treatment of nitrogen in wastewater streams. Currently a handful of plants are in operation in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany providing data on cost performance. Deammonification is a two step biological process that can remove a high percentage of the nitrogen load to a wastewater treatment plant without external carbon source addition and with significantly less energy demand. In the first step, aerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) partially nitrify ammonia to nitrite. In the second step, anaerobic ammonia oxidizing microorganisms (anammox) autotrophically denitrify these products to nitrogen gas. The process was pilot tested at two locations in the US on high strength ammonia side streams and is now being considered for full scale full flow operation at two plants in Washington, DC and Virginia.
Under this solicitation, the EPA seeks proposals for research that are innovative and advance the principles of sustainability. Innovation is the process of making changes; a new method, custom or device. Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Research project descriptions must include a discussion on how the proposed research is innovative (see Section IV.B.6.a).
The concept of sustainability is based on language in the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The National Research Council, in its “Sustainability and the U.S. EPA” report, cited NEPA, which states: "to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations" (NEPA, 1969) and noted that this was reaffirmed in a presidential Executive Order (EO 13514, 2009) and is now described as sustainability. For this research opportunity proposed projects should be placed in the context of continued long-term environmental, social, and economic success. The U.N. World Commission on Environment and Development (also known as the Brundtland Commission) said “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. It further reports that 'needs' particularly the essential needs of the poor should be given overriding priority; and limitations of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs must be considered13. Research project descriptions must include a discussion on how the proposed research will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities (see Section IV.B.6.a). ORD will draw from all of the above-mentioned innovation and sustainability definitions in the review/evaluation process of recommending research proposals (see Section V.A).
The proposal should also explain how transdisciplinary approaches which involve multiple disciplines with the possibility of new perspectives beyond those disciplines will be used. whole greater than the sum of its parts.
The specific Strategic Goal and Objective from the EPA’s Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:
Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters; Objective 2.2: Protect and Restore Watersheds and Aquatic Ecosystems.
More information can be found in EPA’s FY 2011-2015 Strategic Plan
C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the: Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1 and Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C. 1254.
For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F).
Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control, or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method. Proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term “environment” such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., must describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.
Applicable regulations include: 40 CFR Part 30 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations), and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants). Applicable OMB Circulars include: OMB Circular A-21 (Cost Principles for Educational Institutions) relocated to 2 CFR Part 220, and OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 230.
D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
Note to applicant: The term “output” means an environmental activity or effort, and associated work products, related to a specific environmental goal(s), (e.g., testing a new methodology), that will be produced or developed over a period of time under the agreement. The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from the above activit(ies) that is related to an environmental, behavioral, or health-related objective.
Research to provide a more sustainable, transdisciplinary, and systems-based approach to the Nation’s nutrient management is needed. This RFA is soliciting research that examines the relationship between watershed management and community level activities involving water which contribute to the nutrient problem. The development of this work into practical decision-support tools, modeled and supported with demonstrations, and a focus on resource recovery and reuse will help achieve societal, economic, and ecological benefits of the Nation’s water resources, now and for future generations.
This solicitation is designed to support Centers, which support multidisciplinary interactions under a wide range of scientific areas, informing research and demonstration programs for a specific purpose. Centers involve collaboration amongst research teams from several institutions who cooperate to develop research projects to support a coordinated program of research around an overarching theme. This structure is highly preferred in that applicants can more easily develop a multi component framework for research and demonstration activities with a systems view of nutrient management to support restoration of watersheds, promote attainment of designated uses, encourage water reuse and recovery, provide environmental, economic and social benefits and identify associated costs across community cohorts including those of limited means. Although EPA is not requiring a minimum number of individual research projects, applicants are expected to propose a sufficient number of projects within the Center to adequately address the research needs described in this RFA.
Eligible applicants include public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospitals) located in the U.S. While state, local and tribal governments are not eligible to apply directly under this solicitation, in proposing and developing Centers to perform the research projects under this RFA, EPA strongly encourages collaboration and cooperative partnerships among the lead grant recipient with academic, state, local, tribal, and non-profit organizations to conduct research, development and field application of innovative water management to reduce nutrients. Further, each applicant should address how they will integrate local communities into their research.
Note that demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods or approaches where the results of the project will be disseminated. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile, is not a demonstration.
Applications submitted in response to this solicitation should address all three components of the following research question.
Research Question: What innovative and sustainable nutrient management practices and technologies can be developed, demonstrated, and evaluated for novel water management?
Component 1: Develop science to support beneficial health and environmental outcomes. Describe the technical approach that you propose to develop and water managers can use to achieve nutrient reduction in their water systems. What systematic and sustainable water management approaches will you use to achieve nutrient reduction?
Component 2: Demonstrate performance results and data to support the implementation of new systems. Describe how the demonstration component of your project to be developed in the lab or field will evaluate the sustainability, replicability, scalability, costs, and performance of nutrient management systems.
Component 3: Evaluate social, economic and environmental costs, benefits, acceptance and implementation. Describe how the social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits associated with your proposed solution(s) to nutrient management will be assessed and develop supporting information. Describe how this knowledge will be included in the design of a dissemination and adoption program for nutrient management.
The following paragraphs provide some definitions, examples and clarification that may be relevant to the three components. Applications are not expected to address or include every example listed below.
Component 1: Develop science to support beneficial health and environmental outcomes.
A systems view of nutrient management considers every potential link in the breadth of possibilities that may influence water quality. These may involve societal and technological considerations and may include, but are not limited to: local resources, prevailing land uses, watershed health, manure management, energy costs, municipal wastewater treatment, in-building water reuse, nutrient resource recovery, etc. A systems view would also consider valuation of monetized and non-monitized possible co-benefits and consequences (e.g., decreased sediment runoff, improved recreational value) which may be part of a nutrient management program. Systems thinking is an approach to problem solving which views problems as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of unintended consequences. Systems thinking focuses on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect.
Key to innovative nutrient reduction are practices that include human and environmental health costs and benefits. Nutrient management that addresses tradeoffs among the environment, economy and society and how these change over time can yield profound changes in how we address nutrient pollution. It will be important to determine both monetized and non-monetized costs and benefit of those choices. Incorporating these trade-offs into decision support systems and tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Lifecycle Cost (LCC) and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) supports integrated and adaptive watershed and urban management at a scale responsive to communities, states, regions, and the Nation.
Some of the outstanding questions related to this research area include but are not limited to:
Transferability: What cutting edge technologies or programs have successfully reduced nutrients and their impacts? Is it possible to identify scientific, policy, and socioeconomic structural characteristics that have contributed to their success? Are there sustainable watershed management approaches and decision support systems that would be transferable? What are the opportunities for participation by local community water management organizations in cooperative projects, and how can they leverage acceptance and assure nutrient reduction goals? How will your Center support this participation?
Equitability and Sustainability: What Best Management Practice (BMP) systems including international practices have been established in watersheds where results have been documented regarding nutrient removal and efficacy? What is the cost/benefit of these BMPs? How are they likely to be adopted and continue into the future? Are there co-benefits to nutrient removal including resource recovery and reuse? What are opportunities to increase the stakeholder base to include low income and resource limited cohorts within communities?
Technologies and Tools: What high performance, cost effective, and environmentally-friendly technological improvements (e.g., BMPs, full flow deammoniafication, membrane processes, in-building and other small systems water use and reuse, in-system biogas recovery, advanced sensors and meters, smartphone networks, on-building UV sewage treatment, small remote-sensor driven systems) and practices (e.g., vegetative pollution prevention, riparian and conservation easements, constructed wetlands) are available or needed for nutrient management for human and aquatic ecosystem health?
Component 2: Demonstrate performance results and data to support the implementation of new systems.
Essential to the long term sustainability of new approaches to water and associated nutrient management are performance results and data to support the implementation of new systems. Data must include cost and performance results that include ecosystem, human health, and overall concerns necessary to gain acceptance.
Questions related to the demonstration component of the project include:
Replicability of Successful Programs: What existing new or experimental technologies have successfully reduced nutrients and their impacts? Is it possible to identify scientific, policy, and socioeconomic structural characteristics that have contributed to their success? What are the significant emerging or pilot scale technologies that need to be demonstrated at a full scale?
Models: What are the available watershed fate and transport models for N, P, etc. that use aquatic biological endpoints at the population and community levels? Have the model predictions been tested against thresholds for aquatic biological impairment? At what spatial, temporal, and institutional scales do these models work? Do they need to be refined or updated for applicability to specific waterbody conditions?
Scale: What scale issues must be considered in moving performance information to appropriate management tools? How can they be addressed so they can be used within the cost and technology constraints of current water management?
Costs and Performance: How will cost, uncertainty, and outputs play in decisions to adopt successful demonstrations? What can be done to enhance the large scale deployment of demonstrated successes?
Component 3: Evaluate social, economic and environmental costs, benefits, acceptance and implementation.
The desired impact of research in this area is acceptance of nutrient management strategies to benefit all sectors of the sustainability triad of environment, economy and society. A sustainable framework for nutrient management may incorporate a range of management tools including nutrient criteria, and may also include restoration, reuse and recycling, innovative technologies and best management practices (BMPs), nutrient trading, or other components demonstrating the efficacy of tools that consider environmental, economic and community trade-offs in water and land management in making decisions which incorporate trade-offs among them (e.g. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Lifecycle Cost (LCC) and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)). Proof of utility is key to integrated and adaptive watershed and urban management at a scale responsive to communities, states, regions, and the Nation.
Sustainability also requires coordinated action and consensus among a diverse set of stakeholders. Partnerships between government, non-profit organizations, businesses, and the public are necessary to make the connection between measured results and community change14. Coordination can be seen in many popular strategies, such as ‘adaptive management,’ that requires the consideration of a diverse set of factors and programmatic flexibility to be successful. Note that human subjects, including the utilization of surveys, cannot be part of this research. For sustainability to take hold, coordination is not only essential across institutions at a single level, but also vertically among all levels of government. Both program implementation and the ability to work across jurisdictions to pursue sustainable goals demonstrate that success at one level depends on actions or policies at another. Due to the trans-boundary nature of current environmental issues, institutions must work across legal boundaries to effectively define problems and agree on solutions. For example, the authorities of state and local governments are expanding with increasing joint implementation strategies for environmental programs, such as developing and implementing water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. This devolution of environmental regulatory authority highlights the interdependencies of federal and state influence in a larger political system.
Additional questions arising from these considerations include, but are not limited to:
Socioeconomics: What are the social and economic costs and benefits for successful nutrient management? How do these vary across economic cohorts within communities and watersheds? What can be done to broaden the public engagement in the water management process and how can this enhance likelihood of success?
Usability: Can decision support tools for nutrient management be devised that allow decision makers to examine trade-offs among the elements of sustainability? How can decision support tools results be effectively communicated to impacted communities by watershed managers and others? How can they function in resource and data limited communities? How can social media and smart technologies support application?
Implementability: What are the effective watershed-based nutrient management strategies needed to sustainably and effectively manage loading from various sectors and address jurisdictional challenges and downstream uses and water quality concerns? How do spatial, temporal, and institutional scales including interstate watersheds affect management? Can their widespread application be adopted? What is the role for technology transfer and training?
The research, development and demonstration efforts for any of the three broad question areas discussed above should support sustainable nutrient management across the Nation. This will guide development and implementation of protection and restoration approaches by states, tribes and other entities (i.e., local governments) to ensure long-term attainment of designated uses and reuses while optimizing environmental, economic and social benefits.
Further, an important component for any proposal is a comprehensive environmental assessment that provides multivariate baseline data, a systems view, and innovative technologies with demonstrated and documented gains for nutrient reduction as part of a sustained management strategy. This management strategy should be reinforced with a decision support system that can operate at multiple scales over time by resource and data limited communities and support comparison of costs and benefits of alternative choices against environmental consequences. Conversion of this approach into adopted practice is desired beyond the project period of a successful award.
Applications should also discuss plans to distribute research results throughout the project, such as sharing results at workshops, meetings and conferences, including a plenary research conference in cooperation with EPA, and social media. Applicants should ensure that the findings of the research and demonstration efforts are provided to key stakeholders including local stakeholders, especially underserved communities, watershed organizations, municipalities, regional and state agencies, universities and other potentially interested parties. Examples of past novel outreach efforts included the Technical Outreach Services for Communities (TOSC), Technical Outreach for Brownfields Communities (TAB), and Technical Outreach for Native Communities (TOSNAC) of the STAR Hazardous Substance Research Centers Program19. Diffusion and adoption research associated with innovative systems also provides valuable insight into environmental management systems20, 21.
The outputs of the proposed projects include reports, presentations, models, guidance documents, demonstration and case study reports, and peer-reviewed journal publications describing the results of innovative and sustainable nutrient management in the Nation’s waters. Outputs from this research may also include:
- Environmental management methodologies that will provide data and support for sustainable nutrient management.
- Models which would enable assessments of novel methods, including socio-political, environmental and economic effects leading to implementation.
- Cooperative management and demonstration projects at watershed, community and small system and building scales.
- Novel and sustainable nutrient management technologies and/or approaches which can have national application.
- Demonstrated effectiveness and replicability of nutrient management options at watershed, community, small system, decentralized system, and/or building scales.
- Assessments of the social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits associated with novel nutrient management approaches.
- Appropriate decision support systems and incorporation of assessment data into sustainable decision systems.
- Development and implementation of sustainable nutrient management frameworks.
- Innovative approaches to nutrient reduction in watersheds to reduce loading to water treatment plants.
- Demonstrated agricultural and urban best management practices for nutrient management including water demand reduction.
The expected outcome of the research is improved information, understanding, and implementation of innovative nutrient management leading to better analysis and decisions resulting in improvements to the environment and public health.
Outcomes from this research may also include:
- Resilient urban stormwater nutrient management options that integrate both natural and built water infrastructure and reduce municipalities’ future non-compliance.
- Improved health and environmental conditions.
- Widespread acceptance of holistic approaches to nutrient management strategies by decision-makers including municipalities and communities.
- Consideration of benefits and trade-offs at scales responsive to the needs of communities, states, regions and the Nation resulting in improved human and ecosystem health and resources.
Journals /Books/Reports
1 Testimony of Nancy K. Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water before the Sub Committee on Water and Wildlife, Committee on Environment and Public Works, US Senate, Oct. 4, 2011
2 G. Cadogan, Water management in Minoan Crete, Greece: the two cisterns of one Middle Bronze Age settlement, Water Science Technology Water Supply 7, 103 (2007).,
3 The Greenest Building; Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse, National Trust for Historic Preservation.
4 Clean Water Needs Survey Report to Congress
5 EPA Compliance and Enforcement Settlement and Cases Report
7 Nutrients in Estuaries, Report of the National Estuarine Experts Workgroup, 2007
8 EPA Executive Summary Report to Congress on the Impacts and Control of CSOs and SSOs, available at Report to Congress: Impacts and Control of CSOs and SSOs
9 An Urgent Call to Action: Report of the State-EPA Nutrient Innovations Task Group, August 2009.
10 National Academy of Sciences, Keck Futures Initiative, Ecosystem Services: Charting a Path to Sustainability, Summary 6: Develop appropriate methods to accurately value natural capital and ecosystem services, Nov. 2011
11 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), 2009-10
12 Great Lakes Council Water Quality Improvement Plan, 2009.
13 Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation’s Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater, National Academies’ Press.
14 United States National Science and Technology Council, Federal R&D Agenda for NetZero Energy High Performance Green Buildings Research and Development , December, 2009.
15 Beaty Creek Paired Watershed Study
16 Paired Watershed Study Design
17 WECD (World Commission on Environment and Development). Our Common Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-282080-X. (1987)(18) Mazmanian, Daniel A., Kraft, Michael E., MIT Press, 1999, Toward Sustainable Communities
19 EPA Hazardous Substance Research Centers Outreach Programs including TOSC, TAB and TOSNAC may be found at Final Report: Hazardous Substance Research Center/South and Southwest
20 Rogers, Everett M. Diffusion of Innovations. 1983, New York: Free Press
21 Wondolleck, J.M., & Yaffee, S.L.(2000). Making collaboration work: Lessons from innovation in natural resource management. Washington DC: Island Press
Reible, Danny D., Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering, 1999, CRC Press, Lewis Publishers
S. Lundie, G Peters, N. Ashbolt, E Lai, D. Livingston, A Sustainability Framework for the Australian Water Industry, Journal of the Australian Water Association, NOVEMBER 2006,
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, PL 91-190
Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, October 5, 2009
Safe and Sustainable Water Research Program
The Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is available at
Web Sites
6 EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys
EPA green infrastructure website
EPA Sustainability website
EPA Watershed Central
EPA Nutrient Pollution Policy and Data
Measuring Performance of Net-Zero Energy Homes Project
F. Special Requirements
Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.
Multiple Investigator applications may be submitted as: (1) a single Lead Principal Investigator (PI) application with Co-PI(s) or (2) a Multiple PI application (with a single Contact PI). If you choose to submit a Multiple PI application, you must follow the specific instructions provided in Sections IV. and V. of this RFA. For further information, please see the EPA Implementation Plan for Policy on Multiple Principal Investigators.
This solicitation does not provide the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). Applications proposing human subjects research will not be considered for funding and will be deemed ineligible. Human subjects research precluded from this RFA includes projects that collect data from or about humans which meet the regulatory definition of research with human subjects and are thereby subject to the requirements of EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 and EPA Order 1000.17 Change A1. This includes projects conducted under programs that are not considered research for other purposes. For example, some demonstration programs and some public health practice programs may include research activities. Projects that utilize surveys about people or contain identifiable private information also constitutes human subjects research and are not allowable under this solicitation. All applications must include a Non-Human Subjects Research Determination (as described in Section IV.B.6.c), verifying that the proposed research will not involve human subjects.
Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient.
The application shall include a plan (see “Data Plan” in section IV.B.6.d) to make available to the NCER project officer all data generated (first produced under the award) from observations, analyses, or model development used under an agreement awarded from this RFA. The data must be available in a format and with documentation such that they may be used by others in the scientific community.
These awards may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.
As described more fully in Section IV, each application should address the following items (for content and form of application submission and page limitations, see Section IV.B):
- Center Description (5-page limit): Applications should describe the applicant’s plan for establishing a Center to perform the proposed research and highlight the Center’s overall goals, objectives, and approach. The description should also explain how the Center will conduct its research to accomplish the purposes of this RFA. This includes how the Center will pursue a multidisciplinary and thematic approach to the problems to be investigated. The Center description should explain how the Center’s research is innovative and will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities. The application should also describe the Center’s commitment to educating the next generation of scientists and engineers on the development of holistic approaches and predictive tools for advancing the principles of sustainability. The applicant should explain how they will engage local communities in their projects.
- Research Project Descriptions (15-page limit for each project description): Applications should contain one or more projects that address the research question described above in Section I.D. Each of the specific individual research projects should be completely described according to the instructions in Section IV below. Individual project descriptions should explain how the project fits into the overall Center’s program and relates to other projects in the application.
- Administrative Unit Description (15-page limit): Each Center should have an Administrative Unit which provides overall oversight, coordination and integration of the Center’s activities. As part of the Administrative Unit description, applications should include a Center Integration Plan. The Center’s Integration Plan, at minimum, should indicate how programmatic and funding decisions will be made; how project objectives will be successfully achieved in a timely manner; how investigators from different disciplines within the Center will communicate on a regular basis about the development and progress of Center projects; how progress toward achieving the expected results (outputs and outcomes) will be monitored and measured; who will set priorities; and who will be responsible for implementing the integration plan, assuring compliance with the plan, and evaluating its effectiveness in achieving integration within the Center. Center proposals should take a multidisciplinary approach. In conducting its research, the Center should apply measures of success or progress, including developing and promoting the use of statistically valid protocols to evaluate program effectiveness and applying metrics to evaluate the project’s success, progress, or effectiveness.
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $5 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 2 awards under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $2,500,000 in federal funds, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. In addition, a minimum 10% non-federal match (which may include in-kind contributions) equal to a minimum of $250,000 (assuming the applicant requests $2,500,000 in EPA funds) must be included. Applications which do not include a minumum 10% non-federal match will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed four years.
The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than si
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.