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Virginia foundation awarded $2.7 million from EPA to research water reuse

Posted at 2:27 PM, Jul 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-03 14:27:23-04
Photo of exposed rocks on the Potomac River at low tide in Washington DC just above Fletcher's Boat House. The tidal portion of the Potomac is affected by tides. Photo taken in April during spring.

Photo of exposed rocks on the Potomac River at low tide in Washington DC just above Fletcher’s Boat House. The tidal portion of the Potomac is affected by tides. Photo taken in April during spring.

The Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) was awarded $2.7 million in grants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The grants will be put towards water research projects, with $1.95 million to develop tools that will help communities choose the best ways to control stormwater runoff. The other $750,000 is for improving water reuse and water conservation in the Potomac watershed.

“EPA has done extensive research on green infrastructure, water reuse, and water conservation to help ensure the availability and quality of water in the United States,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin “These grants will help take this work a step further by developing technologies that communities can use nationwide.”

WE&RF’s research on controlling stormwater runoff will focus on the most cost-effective options. It will include green infrastructure practices, like growing gardens on roofs or building artificial ponds to help manage stormwater and combined sewer overflows.

The annoucement was made at Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s Chesapeake-Elizabeth treatment plant in Virginia Beach.

To learn more about EPA’s water research grants, visit www.epa.gov/research-grants/water-research-grants .