ĢEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
FACT SHEET: Solicitation for Treatment
Technologies for Arsenic Removal for
Small Drinking Water Systems,
September 2002
ACTION: The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency "(EPA) is issuing a Solicitation for
Treatment Technologies for Arsenic Removal for Small Drinking Water Systems. This solicitation
is available to the public, technology vendors, engineering firms and other interested persons.
SUMMARY: This announcement of the Solicitation for Treatment Technologies for Arsenic
Removal for Small Drinking Water Systems implements a key component of the Administrator's
$20 million Arsenic Treatment Technology and Technical Assistance Program for 2002 The
solicitation invites proposals from qualified vendors to demonstrate their arsenic treatment
technology at a selected public water supply.
The objective of this research demonstration program is to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness
of drinking water treatment technologies, process modifications and engineering approaches to meet
the new arsenic standard under varying source water quality conditions.
Proposals selected under this competition will not receive direct monetary awards, but will be pre-
qualified for subsequent demonstration projects that will be supported by EPA through funding to a
third party contractor. The proposals will be evaluated by an external (non-EPA) panel of experts
Successful proposers under the solicitation are not guaranteed that a demonstration project will be
initiated. EPA will conduct an internal review of the successful proposals and determine which
demonstrations will be pursued. Factors such as cost of the demonstration, acceptability by the site
and State regulatory agency approval will drive the final decisions.
The Agency anticipates that up to!2 demonstrations will be initiated through this solicitation Only
one, proposal will be selected for demonstration for each site. Volunteer host sites were requested
via a Federal Register Notice on March 28, 2002 . One hundred fifteen (115) sites responded to the
request. From the 115, 17 were selected for inclusion in the solicitation. The sites that were not
selected have the opportunity to be considered in the second solicitation anticipated in 2003.
BACKGROUND: The Arsenic Report to Congress issued by EPA in March. 2002 described a $20
million Arsenic Treatment Technology Research and Technical Assistance Program. This research
program was established in October, 2001 at the time the Administrator announced that the
proposed standard for arsenic would become effective without further action by the Agency The
goal of the program is to provide more cost-effective technologies to help small systems meet the
new arsenic standard of 10 ug/1 and technical assistance to operators of small systems to reduce
compliance costs.
The research program consists of five components that include: 1) Small business development of
innovative treatment processes for cost-effective" removal of arsenic in drinking water through the
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Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program; 2) Treatment technology research
demonstrations at 10 to 20 geographically diverse public water supplies to evaluate performance,
reliability and cost of various arsenic removal technologies, $4 million is allocated for this purpose
in 2002; 3) Short-term performance verification studies of commercially-ready arsenic adsorption
technologies under EPA's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program; 4) Enhanced
internal research program focused on managing residuals from arsenic treatment, improving
exposure studies and analytical methods,.and optimizing'treatment processes; and 5) Technical
assistance and training for States, systems, and assistance providers to help, systems achieve
compliance.
This solicitation addresses the treatment technology research component of the program for 2002.
A second solicitation for demonstrations is anticipated in 2003.
DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: This solicitation is available electronically on the ORD website,
the 2002 Environmental Research Grant Announcements website at:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/current/2003arsenic.html and the Arsenic Rule Implementation
Research Program website: http://www.epa.gov/QRD/NRMRL/arsenic/index.html
CONTACT: Bob Thurnau, Chief, Treatment Technology Evaluation Branch, Office of Research
and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Water Supply and Water
Resources Division (513) 569-7504, thurnau.bobfa).epa.gov
April Richards, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Research,
Environmental Engineering Research Division (202) 564-2297, richards.aprilfa-epa.gov
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