RFPs: “Case Studies for Successful Watershed and Sewershed Monitoring and Decision Making” Project

Deadline Date: August 29, 2024

Donor Name: Water Research Foundation

Grant Size: $100,000 to $500,000

The Water Research Foundation is seeking applications for the “Case Studies for Successful Watershed and Sewershed Monitoring and Decision Making” project.

Traditionally, sewershed and watershed management have been siloed with different monitoring emphasis, analysis and modeling approaches, and management objectives. Sewershed management has focused on challenging issues relative to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted sources such as municipal wastewater, combined sewer overflows (CSO), and stormwater under the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits, as well as associated conveyance problems of odor generation potential, infiltration and inflow (I/I), and leak mitigation.

Project Objectives 

• Provide a comprehensive/robust compendium of case studies on management, economic, policy, and regulatory approaches showcasing an understanding of methods (including artificial intelligence [AI]), parameters, and drivers that impact ecosystem health at the watershed and sewershed scale.

Topics

• There are three main topics to review as part of the case studies:
  • Approaches and successful case studies that have demonstrated the fusing of sensing infrastructure data and analytics with modeling approaches (including AI/ML methods) that provide the scientific basis for quantifying the feedback and impacts of wastewater discharges on watersheds and that connect the sewershed and watershed monitoring, modelling, and management into one integrated package. 
  • Approaches and cases where information gleaned from these analyses has been used to inform policy or long-term control planning efforts. Of special interest is the use of real-time sensing data to develop real-time decision support tools that guide utility operators and watershed managers on how best to operate their respective systems in a balanced and complementary manner to mitigate adverse impacts and meet collective and/or common water quality goals and objectives. 
  • Optimal allocation of resources, where integration of sewershed and watershed monitoring and management planning programs has provided evidence to develop least-communitycost solutions to pollution control challenges and outcomes. This may include informing decisions on the best and most efficient relative allocation of resources between options to mitigate sewershed contamination, discharges and overflows from sewerage systems, sewage treatment, water resources management, and water treatment with results-based accountability as measured in the field (Friedman, 2009).

Funding Information

• Applicants may request up to $150,000 in WRF funds for this project. 
• Project Duration: The anticipated period of performance for this project is 12–18 months from the contract start date.

Expected Deliverables 

• Proposers are encouraged to recommend deliverables in alignment with the project objectives and desired outcomes. Proposers should outline the basis for selecting case studies. 
• Typical types of WRF deliverables for consideration include:
  • Research report 
  • Guidance manual
  • Webcast, conference presentation, etc.
  • Peer-reviewed journal article
  • Field demonstration/pilot project
  • Fact sheet, case study, white paper, etc.
  • Workshop (consider plan to document workshop)
  • Technology Deliverable

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals will be accepted from both U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, and consultants or other for-profit entities.

Evaluation Criteria

• The following criteria will be used to evaluate proposals:
  • Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP
  • Technical and Scientific Merit 
  • Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management 
  • Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability 
  • Budget and Schedule 

For more information, visit The Water Research Foundation.