r/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/600/9-90/003
February 1990
Request for Applications
PC1-90
The Role of Sediments in the
Transport and Fate of
Pollutants in Freshwater and
Estuaries
Background
This is a request for grant applications to conduct research
on the physical, chemical and biological processes controlling
contaminant transport and transformation near the sediment-
water interface of aquatic systems.
It is believed that pollutants previously deposited in bottom
sediments are contributing to the degraded water quality
conditions which exist in many aquatic systems. The Great
Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and many near
shore areas of the ocean are viewed as being seriously
affected by these deposited pollutants. For the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to establish suitable management
programs for these systems the relative importance of
pollutants in sediments must be identified. Because of the
differences between aquatic systems, a general methodology
must be developed to address questions concerning exposure
to pollutants from contaminated sediments.
Scope
Bottom sediments become contaminated with toxic
substances which have entered the aquatic system through
processes which include sorption by viable and non-viable
suspended solids and settling from the water column. Other
processes such as resuspension due to wave action or
currents, biological benthic activity, and diffusion of dissolved
species can result in fluxes of contaminants across the
sediment-water interface, thus providing a source of exposure
to toxic substances. To make site-specific predictions of
exposure level, subsequent biological uptake and foodchain
bioconcentration, and downstream ecosystem contamination
resulting from these fluxes will require a thorough
understanding of all the processes involved and how they are
linked to result in one or more exposure pathways.
The relative contributions of physical resuspension, activity
of benthic organisms, and molecular diffusion in causing flux of
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contaminants at the sediment-water interface must be known
as a function of environmental conditions. Research is needed
to identify the hydrologic factors and sediment properties that
govern the frequency and severity of resuspension events. The
behaviour of fine-grained sediments including resuspension
deposition and flocculation is of particular importance because
of their large capacity for adsorbing contaminants. Resulting
relationships must be quantified so that the transport of
particulate and dissolved phase contaminants within the
sediments and across the sediment-water interface can be
modeled and the models parameterized.
An important class of processes relate to the interaction of
dissolved contaminants with particulate matter which may alter
the phase and/or speciation of the contaminants, and does alter
their transport regime. The adsorption or uptake of pollutants
by sediment material can affect the rates and extent of their
biochemical transformation and biotic accumulation thus
altering their environmental effects. Research is needed to
provide information describing the rate and extent to which
nutrients, metals, metalloids and organics undergo phase and/
or speciation changes in response to the environmental factors
that control aquatic systems.
The projects being sought should relate to the information
and/or techniques needed to predict the exposure of
environmental receptors to contamination from sediments in
freshwater and estuarine systems.
Mechanism of Support
Assistance under this RFA will be provided by a research
grant, administered through EPA's investigator-initiated
research grants program. The applicant will be responsible for
the planning, direction and execution of the proposed research.
Support under this program is limited to non-profit
organizations and educational institutions.
Approximately 1.0 million dollars will be available from fiscal
1990 funds and it is estimated that 4 to 6 projects will be
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supported. This RFA is for a single competition with a deadline
of April 13,1990.
The Application
Each application will consist of APPLICATION FOR
FEDERAL ASSISTANCE forms (standard forms 424 and 424A),
separate sheets providing the budget breakdown for each year
of the project, curriculum vitae for the principal investigator,
abstract of the proposed project, and a project narrative. All
certification (drug free work-place, etc.) forms must be signed
and included with the application. Attachments, appendices or
other materials included in addition to those identified above
will not be forwarded to the reviewers. Application forms,
instructions, and other pertinent information are contained in
the EPA grant application kit obtainable from:
Research Grants Staff (RD-675)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
or by calling (202) 382-7445.
Special Instructions
1. The project narrative or proposal must not exceed 25 single
sided 8-1/2 by 11 inch pages. Typeface must be standard
10-12 characters per inch.
2. CVs or resumes must not exceed 2 pages and should focus
on education, positions held and most recent publications.
3. Project periods should not exceed three years. Third year
funding for a three year project will require submission of a
continuation application.
4. Applications in response to this RFA must be identified by
printing "RFA PC1-90" in the upper right hand corner of the
EPA assistance application form. The absence of this
identifier from an application absolves EPA of any
responsibility if it is not reviewed along with the other
applications responding to this RFA.
Application Review
All applications in response to this solicitation will be
reviewed at a single meeting of a scientific peer panel which
will evaluate and rank each proposal according to it's scientific
merit as a basis for recommending agency approval or
disapproval. The panel will consider:
"quality of research plan (including theoretical and/or
experimental design, originality, and creativity),
"qualifications of the research team, and
"availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment.
Application Submission
The original and eight copies of the application must be
received no later than the close of business, April 13, 1990, to
be considered. The applications must be sent to:
Grants Operations Branch (PM-216F)
Grants Administration Division
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
Staff Contact
Questions relating to this solicitation may be directed to
Louis Swaby by telephone on (202) 382-7445.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/9-90/003
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