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INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
WORKSHOP ON INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND SOLUTIONS FOR NON-
POTABLE REUSE OF URBAN RAIN WATER AND STORMWATER
Background
The Clean Water Act requires that EPA regulate certain
water quality standards and parameters in navigable
waterways. As regional and/or national variability in
rainfall event frequencies and volumes continue to
change, due in part to increasing fresh water scarcity and
changing climatic patterns, there is a need to sustainably
manage national water resources. One proposed solution
to mitigating stormwater and rainwater runoff to the
sewer systems is the use of green infrastructure or rain
water and stormwater catchment devices designed for
water diversion and reuse. However, there has yet to be a
comprehensive approach that targets current rainwater
and stormwater collection needs and practices, nor have
the current and existing technology barriers and solutions
been identified.
A Rainwater Catchment Device (Rain Barrel)
EPA Cincinnati Water Technology
Cluster Team
On January 18, 2011, EPA Administrator Lisa
P. Jackson announced the commitment of $5
million over the next three to five years to
support the research, development, and
deployment (RD&D) of cost-effective,
innovative water technologies that demonstrate
tenets of sustainability, timeliness, innovation,
and responsiveness.
The EPA Cincinnati water technology cluster
team was created to oversee and promote this
RD&D effort. The cluster team holds the
following goals and objectives as it strives to
help solve water challenges:
• To promote innovation in the water
technology sector in the Cincinnati, Dayton,
northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana
region by communicating water challenges,
Agency priorities, and technology needs.
• To foster and generate water technology
RD&D collaborations among internal and
external partners within the region by
facilitating access to EPA research facilities
and equipment.
• To help identify, protect, and transfer EPA
intellectual property to the marketplace.
These objectives allow the cluster team to
promote regional water technology RD&D
while maintaining EPA's overall mission of
protecting human health and the environment.
For more information, please visit
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/watercluster.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
EPA/600/S-12/720
December 2012
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Research Plan & Objectives
To plan a solution strategy for optimizing water resources, EPA
is partnering Confluence, Duke Energy, U.S. Green Building
Council, EPA Region 6, and the Green Umbrella Regional
Sustainability Alliance to organize a workshop to evaluate
current methods of rainwater and/or stormwater collection and
reuse. The workshop will provide an information exchange on
water quality characteristics relevant to protecting public health
and ecosystems, treatment technologies, performance standards,
and approaches to management and regulation. Rainwater and stormwater reuse within water-scarce regions and
for CSO management will also be discussed, along with recent research advances, case studies, and technology
challenges. The two day workshop is planned for April, 2013. It is expected that federal, local and state
government, non-profit groups, and private industry will attend.
Products & Outcomes
A Stormwater Collection Drain
The workshop will consist of four sessions:
• Overview of stormwater and rain water reuse, market analyses, and water quality guidelines
• Review of current best practices and examples in the form of case studies
• Outline of current technology gaps and needs
• Discussion of how to address those gaps and needs with a focus on collaborating on water reuse projects
After the workshop's conclusion, a document summarizing its results will also identify existing barriers and make
recommendations for potential management strategies.
Status
Project Tasks/Milestones
Topic Discussion & Development
Work Group Assembly
Agenda Development
Invitations Round One
Speaker Solicitation
Invitations Round Two
Workshop
Final Document
Project Timeline
July-
Aug.
2012
Sept.-
Oct.
2012
Nov.-
Dec.
2012
Jan.-
Feb.
2013
March-
April
2013
May-
June
2013
July-
Aug.
2013
Contact
Dennis Lye, Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Phone:513-569-7870
E-mail: lye.dennis@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
EPA/600/S-12/720
December 2012
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