Hunt Valley, Maryland (16 January 2025)—EA has been awarded $199,000 in funding from The Water Research Foundation (WRF) for the research project entitled, “Validation of an Integrated Framework of Wastewater and Stormwater Treatment Options of Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs).” The total research investment, including cost share and in-kind contributions, totals more than $295,000.
This 2-year study will cover the following objectives:
- Research and outline treatment strategies for CECs, including source control, monitoring, and remediation methods
- Facilitate formation of a multi-sector stakeholder group
- Conduct a strategy selection workshop
- Demonstrate and validate a practical stakeholder-driven framework for CECs management
- Provide benefit/cost guidance to utilities in selecting the most suitable, effective, and cost-efficient strategies for addressing CECs
Senior engineer Mahsa Modiri, PhD, PE, will serve as EA’s lead Principal Investigator (PI) for the project with support from two co-PIs, EA’s Pavan Challa Sasi, PhD, and Purdue University’s Linda S. Lee, PhD.
CECs, encompassing substances from various sources like industrial chemicals, personal care products, and pesticides, have the potential for human exposure through routes beyond drinking water consumption, including ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. The project will focus on a number of specific chemical compounds that can be found in wastewater effluent, surface water, stormwater runoff, and raw water sources.
“Over the last decade, research has explored identification, reduction, and fate of CECs within water treatment processes resulting in new analytical laboratory techniques that can detect very low concentrations of CECs within water sources,” said Jeff Boltz, PhD, EA Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist. “This study will help enhance our understanding of CECs that might impact drinking water quality and outline localized treatment strategies available for implementation by utilities.”
This research aims to provide valuable outcomes and benefits for the water community including a peer-reviewed literature review combined with validation of a triple bottom-line framework that will enhance decision-making within the water community. By showcasing the practical application of the stakeholder-driven framework in both wastewater and stormwater, localized case study reports will provide actionable insights for the water community.
“The benefits of this research extend to knowledge enrichment, decision-making improvement, stakeholder alignment, and enhanced sustainability in CEC management, all of which will significantly contribute to the advancement of the water community,” said Modiri.
WRF is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of the water sector. For more information, visit www.waterrf.org. It is anticipated that project results will be available in 2026. Stay up to date on project progress by visiting Project #5244 on the WRF website.
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