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Funding available to develop new water treatment technologies

Media Contact: Peter Soeth, 303-445-3615, psoeth@usbr.gov
For Release: May 4, 2020
The Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility may be hosting the pitch event in September. The Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility may be hosting the pitch event in September.
WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is making up to $1 million available through its Desalination and Water Purification Research Program. This funding opportunity is seeking innovative and cost-effective new water treatment technologies. This unique, two-phase funding opportunity will have selected applicants pitch their new technology to technical experts this fall.

"There is a need to reduce the cost, energy requirements and environmental impacts in treating unusable water," said Program Administrator Yuliana Porras-Mendoza. "This innovative program allows technical experts to help select the strongest applicants."

Reclamation is looking for new technologies or processes to:


  • Treat brackish groundwater in a less energy-intensive way than currently available.

  • Reduce cost, energy, and/or environmental impacts of reverse osmosis/nanofiltration concentrate.

  • Improve the efficiency of the water treatment process–either by improvements to pre-treatment, post-treatment, monitoring, sensors, or other innovative process or technology.

  • Reduce costs, energy usage, and/or environmental impacts of seawater desalination, including intakes and/or outfalls.

  • Reduce costs, energy requirements, and/or environmental impacts of treating impaired and unusable water to standards necessary for an identified beneficial use.



The funding opportunity is available at www.grants.gov by searching for funding opportunity number BOR-DO-20-F014. Applications are due by June 17, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. MDT. If your application is selected, you will be invited to participate in the "pitch" event on September 24 - 25, 2020.

Eligible applicants include individuals/entrepreneurs, institutions of higher education, profit organizations, state and local governmental entities, non-profit organizations, federally funded research and development centers, and tribal governments and organizations. No cost-share is required, but it is highly encouraged.

Learn more about Reclamation's Desalination and Water Purification Research Program at https://www.usbr.gov/research/dwpr.



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