BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

The objective of this project is to clarify water reuse opportunities by determining the potential application and requirements for using recycled and other non-traditional waters in energy production. More particularly, for the use of these waters in energy production, this project will: help establish water quality criteria, survey and assess cost/benefit tradeoffs, define impacts on human health and the environment, and identify opportunities, issues, gaps, barriers, and areas needing further development or investment to help enable successful water reuse in the production of power, bioenergy and biofuels.

The objective of this project is to provide advanced water treatment facility managers within the United States information on ways to increase the use of renewable energy sources, develop management strategies to reduce peak power use, optimize advanced treatment technologies to save on energy and costs, and reduce the overall output of greenhouse gases (GHG) at utilities. Projects to be contracted under this RFP will develop analytical and quantitative guidelines on technologies to reduce energy use, overall facility costs and GHG emissions from water reuse and desalination facilities.

The Foundation’s Unsolicited Research Program promotes applied research through projects proposed by researchers. Unsolicited research projects typically address emerging issues and involve original concepts, novel techniques, and other scientific research needs. Consistent with the Foundation’s other research programs, the Unsolicited Research Program is designed to meet the future needs of the water reuse and desalination community by encouraging innovative and creative research solutions to priority issues. Projects proposed under the Foundation’s Unsolicited Research Program should address topics related to water reuse and desalination that may not be addressed by other Foundation research programs. These projects are intended to have long-term benefits to the water reuse and desalination community.

The objective of this study is to quantify the impacts of future water supply portfolio changes on the energy demand. The proposed work will address the impacts of increasing population and water conservation measures on water demand by 2030. Climate change impacts, development of new water supply sources, increased treatment of emerging contaminants, penetration of energy intensive treatment technologies, and potential shifting of agricultural water to the urban sector along with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green-house gas reduction policies and targets will be considered in the energy demand analysis. The literature review will take a national perspective while the developed tool should be developed to quantify this question at a regional scale.

The objective is to better understand the role of water reclamation and reuse in a changing climate. Insight is to be gathered from sources such as historical weather patterns, accepted climate change model predictions over the next 50 years, existing water utility long term plans for accommodating population or demand change and emergency response plans for local catastrophic events. Case studies will be used to assess how well partner utilities’ emergency and long range plans will prepare them for predicted weather changes. The report will offer recommendations for improved plans and document where deficiencies are found. The end result will be a methodology that utilities can use to determine water reuse needs based on predicted water supply and demand conditions under climate change.