EPA 601/K-15/004 | September 2015 www.epa.gov/research
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
                  Safe and Sustainable
                        Water Resources
           STRATEGIC RESEARCH ACTION PLAN
                                      2016-2019
  Office of Research and Development
  Safe and Sustainable Water Resources

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                             EPA 601/K-15/004
   Safe and Sustainable
      Water Resources

Strategic Research Action Plan 2016 - 2019
       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
            September 2015

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Table of Contents
List of Acronyms	ii



Executive Summary	1



Introduction	2



     National Research Programs	2



Environmental Problems and Program Purpose	3



     SSWR Research  Program	5



Program Design	6



     Building on the 2012-2016 Research Program	6



     EPA Partner and Stakeholder Involvement	6



     Integration across Research Programs	7



     Research Supports EPA Strategic Plan	9



     Statutory and Policy Context	10



Research Program Objectives	11



Research Topics	13



     Watershed Sustainability	18



     Nutrients	23



     Green Infrastructure (Gl)	26



     Water Systems	29



Anticipated Research Accomplishments and Projected Impacts	31



Conclusions	33



References	34



Appendix A: Table of Proposed Outputs, Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research



Program 2016-2019	36



Appendix B: Partners and Stakeholders for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research	38

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List of Acronyms
ACE Air, Climate, and Energy
AOPs Adverse Outcome Pathways
AWQC Ambient Water Quality Criteria
BMP Best Management Practices
CCL Contaminant Candidate List
CECs Contaminants of Emerging Concern
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act - "Superfund"
CSO Combined Sewer Overflow
CSS Chemical Safety for Sustainability
CWA Clean Water Act
DoD Department of Defense
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
Gl Green Infrastructure
HABs  Harmful Algal  Blooms
HAWQS Hydrologic and Water Quality System
HHRA Human Health Risk Assessment
HSPF  Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN
HSRP Homeland Security Research Program
NEPA  National Environmental Policy Act
ORD Office of Research and Development
PIPs Pathfinder Innovation Projects
RARE  Regional Applied Research Effort
RCRA  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act
SHC Sustainable and Healthy Communities
SSWR Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
SSWR StRAP 2016-2019 SSWR Strategic Research Action Plan
STAR Science To Achieve Results
SWAT  Soil Water Assessment Tool
SWMM EPA's Stormwater Management Model
UCMR Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule
LIST Underground Storage Tanks
VELMA Visualizing Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments
WMOST Watershed Management Optimization and Support Tool

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Executive  Summary
Water is one of our Nation's most precious resources—we depend upon it for our lives and our
livelihoods, for healthy ecosystems and a robust economy. About 400 billion gallons of water are
used each day in the United States. Yet a host of challenges threaten the safety and sustainability
of our water resources,  including  biological  and chemical contaminants; aging water-system
infrastructure; demands from  the  energy, agriculture and  manufacturing sectors; population
change; climate change; extreme events (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, drought, wildfire);
and homeland security events. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research
and Development (ORD) has a dedicated research program focused on addressing these challenges.

ORD's Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR) research program is using an integrated systems
approach to develop scientific and technological solutions to protect human health, and to protect
and restore watersheds and aquatic ecosystems. This work is being done in partnership with other
EPA programs, federal and state agencies, academia, nongovernmental agencies, public and private
stakeholders, and the global scientific community. This cross-cutting approach maximizes efficiency,
interdisciplinary  insights and integration of results. The SSWR research program's activities are
guided by four objectives:

• Address current and long-term  water resource challenges for complex chemical and microbial
  pollutants. This objective involves strengthening the science for drinking water and water-quality
  standards  and  guidance for new and emerging contaminants that threaten human health  and
  aquatic ecosystems. It also covers developing new methods for detecting, quantifying, monitoring
  and treating those contaminants.

• Transform the concept of'waste' to'resource'. Through innovative water treatment technologies,
  green infrastructure, and improved management approaches, stormwater, municipal wastewater,
  and other  'post-use' waters will  be valued as a resource for fit-for-purpose  water reuse, energy,
  nutrients, metals, and other valuable substances.

• Quantify benefits of water quality. Clean water and healthy  ecosystems provide many services
  that are currently undervalued. By developing models and tools to estimate the economic benefits
  of water-quality improvements, this research will aid  in the  protection or restoration of water
  quality.

• Translate research into real-world solutions. SSWR aims to move its results out of the lab and  into
  the hands  of end  users, who can use these data and tools to sustainably manage water resources
  and infrastructure.

To achieve these overarching objectives and address their respective scientific challenges, SSWR
research projects are organized into four interrelated topics: Watershed Sustainability, Nutrients,
Green Infrastructure, and  Water Systems. Each topic carries  specific near- and  long-term  aims
designed to yield practical tools and solutions for ensuring sustainable water resources. This SSWR
Strategic Research Action Plan, 2016-2019 (SSWR StRAP 2016-2019),  outlines these topics and
the overall structure and purpose of the SSWR research program. SSWR's scientific results and
innovative technologies will support EPA's mandate to protect the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the Nation's waters and to ensure safe drinking water and water systems.

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Introduction
Water is essential for human health and well-
being,  and for all types of ecosystems  and
a robust economy.  The production of many
goods and services, such  as  agriculture, en-
ergy,  manufacturing,  transportation, fishing,
tourism and others, depends on the availabil-
ity and  quality of water. Humans  and many
animals and plants depend on available sourc-
es of freshwater,  which are surprisingly min-
iscule — 0.007% — compared with the total
amount of Earth's water.  These sources are
continually in flux, changing biologically, chemi-
cally, and geologically. As the movement of wa-
ter through the hydrologic cycle is continually
dynamic, so too are the changing spatial  and
temporal demands on water quantity and qual-
ity for various uses.

U.S.  Environmental  Protection Agency (EPA)
scientists  and engineers and  their partners
are  addressing 21st century  water resource
challenges   by   integrating   research   on
environmental,  economic,  and social  factors
to provide lasting, sustainable solutions that
advance the goals and cross-Agency priorities
identified  in the FY 2014-2018 EPA Strategic
Plan (EPA Strategic Plan)  in  support  of the
Agency's mission to protect human health and
the environment.

To assist the Agency  in meeting its mission
and priorities, the Safe and Sustainable Water
Resources (SSWR) research program   within
EPA's  Office  of  Research  and  Development
(ORD), the science arm of the Agency, developed
this Strategic Research Action Plan, 2016-2019
(StRAP 2016-2019).

The SSWR StRAP is one of six research plans, one
for each of EPA's national research programs in
ORD. The six research programs are:
• Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE)
• Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS)
• Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP)
• Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA)
• Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
  (SSWR)
• Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC)

EPA's six strategic  research  action plans are
designed to guide  a comprehensive research
portfolio  that   delivers   the  science  and
engineering solutions the Agency needs to meet
its goals and objectives, while also cultivating
a new  paradigm for efficient, innovative, and
responsive  environmental  and human health
research.

The  SSWR  StRAP  2016-2019  outlines  the
approach designed  to achieve EPA's goal  to
protect  America's  waters.  It highlights  how
the SSWR research program  integrates efforts
with other  research  programs  across  ORD
to provide a seamless  and  efficient  overall
research portfolio aligned  around the  central
and unifying concept of sustainability. No other
research organization in the world matches
the diversity and breadth  represented by the
collective  scientific  and engineering staff of
ORD, their grantees and other partners. They
are called upon to conduct research to meet
the most pressing  environmental and  related
human health challenges facing the nation and
the world.

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Environmental

Problems  and Program

Purpose

Impairment of water quality and diminished
water  availability are concerns  for  human
and  ecosystem  health,  economic prosperity,
and  social well-being. Some of  the  pressing
challenges facing our water resources  are
described below.

Watersheds
Across the Nation's watersheds,  excess levels
of nutrients and  sediment remain the largest
impediment to water quality. The rate at which
water bodies  are added  to the water-quality
impairment list exceeds the pace that restored
waters are removed  from this  list.  Harmful
cyanobacteria and other harmful algal blooms
that  pose health risks  to humans,  animals,
and  ecosystems  are largely  driven by excess
nutrients. EPA and the states do  not have the
capacity or the tools to assess each water body
individually for chemicals and pathogens.

Wetlands
The  Nation's  wetlands   provide  numerous
ecosystem  benefits,  such  as  water-quality
improvement, groundwater recharge,  erosion
and  flooding  protection, and  habitats  for
commercially  and  recreationally valuable or
imperiled species. Wetlands  are continuing to
decline, and the rate may accelerate as acreage,
even in conservation, is being converted to serve
evolving trends in energy and food production.

Groundwater
Increasingly, groundwater is  becoming an im-
portant water source. Sustainability of ground-
water with regard to drawdown, recharge, and
increasing potential of contamination is a grow-
ing concern.
Undervalued water resources
Inadequate knowledge of the value of water
underlies the  daunting challenge to fund the
repair and replacement of existing infrastructure
with new and innovative technologies that are
more resilient and energy-efficient, while also
ensuring  protection of  underground sources
of drinking water.  People tend not to fund or
conserve what they do  not  sufficiently value.
Although estimates exist for the cost to deliver
safe drinking water to taps—less than $3.75 for
every 1,000 gallons (AWWA,  2012)—we lack a
more comprehensive evaluation of the benefits
of water  quality  that  includes human  and
environmental health and ecosystem services.

Stormwater
For  many  cities,   stormwater management
remains  one  of the greatest  challenges to
meet water-quality  standards.  When surges
in stormwater  overwhelm  combined  sewer
systems  (systems  that  convey both sewage
and stormwater together), untreated human,
commercial,  and  industrial  waste is  often
discharged directly into surface waters.

Aging infrastructure
The  Nation's  water treatment and  delivery
systems pose increasingly greater  challenges
for  delivering  adequate supplies  of  safe
drinking water. Leaking pipes and water main
breaks  are responsible for a loss of up to 40
percent of treated  drinking water. Additionally,
compromised  infrastructure  can contaminate
treated  drinking water,  surface  water,  and
groundwater.  To  restore  and  expand  the
Nation's  deteriorating, buried drinking water
pipe system  to  accommodate a  changing
population will cost more than $1.7 trillion by
2050 (AWWA,  2012). This estimate does not
include other critical infrastructure investment
needs,  including water treatment plants  and
storage tanks, nor investments in post-use water
(Box 1)  and stormwater management. Small

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systems that  serve fewer than 3,300 persons
and  account  for 95  percent  of  the  Nation's
156,000 public water systems face even greater
technical, financial, and operational challenges
to develop and maintain the capacity to comply
with new and existing standards.

Climate
In addition to the challenges described above,
there are other water-resource stressors, such
as climate change and variability, which must be
taken into account. Climate models project that
there will be distinctive regional differences in
climate impacts affecting the hydrologic cycle.
Examples of hydrologic impacts include warmer
water temperatures,  changes in  precipitation
patterns  and  intensity, more frequent  and
intense  flooding  and  droughts,  increased
evaporation,  changes  in soil  moisture,  and
earlier snowpack melt with lower flows in late
summer (Melillo et al. 2014). These  changes
may affect human health, especially vulnerable
and  sensitive sub-populations, for  example
by increased  incidence of waterborne disease
related to heavy rain events. These changes may
also affect ecosystems, for example by  resulting
in  lower stream flows, warmer temperatures
and lower dissolved  oxygen. Human, animal,
and ecosystem health may also be affected by
varying sensitivities of algal and cyanobacteria
species to  the interaction  between  warmer
temperatures and nutrients.
    Box 1.  Food-Energy-Water Nexus Research in  SSWR

    Drinking water treatment and transport and post-use  water collection and treatment
    consume  approximately  4%  of  the  Nation's electricity (EPRI, 2002). Electricity costs
    represent roughly  25-40% of a municipal wastewater treatment plant's total operating
    budget. Electricity  can account for 80% of a drinking water treatment plant's treatment
    and distribution costs (EPA, 2013a). The SSWR research  program plans to provide results
    for assessing transformative system approaches for lowering energy consumption for water
    treatment systems. For drinking water treatment, we will continue to seek approaches for
    lowering energy consumption through innovative treatment methods and approaches for
    plants of all scales, but particularly for small systems. For post-use water treatment and
    water reuse systems, the initial goal focuses on systems and approaches to achieve neutral
    energy consumption  and ultimately to become net energy producers. In some cases, green
    infrastructure may play a role in decreasing the overall volume of post-use water and,
    therefore, the energy needed for treatment.

    Research on water reuse  systems emphasizes the treatment and water-quality standards
    for fit-for-purpose  potable  and non-potable  end uses.  This may allow reduced energy
    consumption by minimizing treatment steps depending on the targeted end-use water
    quality, for example agriculture that benefits from nutrient-rich water. The reuse of various,
    and in some cases  nontraditional, sources of water (e.g., treated post-use municipal water,
    saline or brackish waters,  produced waters from energy production, and agricultural return
    flows) will help to  mitigate the critical need for available freshwater that is expected to
    intensify over time. Recovering biogas from post-use water may achieve energy neutral or
    positive goals, while  recovering and recycling other valuable commodities (e.g., nutrients
    and metals) may reduce the energy needed to otherwise generate novel sources. Research
    ic H^crrih^H in H^tail  in th*= \A/at^r ^x/ct^mc tnnir'<; lntegratl'nn ^nH Pnllahni

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Amplifying stressors
Water quality and quantity challenges will be
amplified by  other stressors, such as extreme
events (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves,
drought, wildfire).  Some of these  extreme
events may be exacerbated by climate change,
land-use change, energy and food production,
accidental  or purposeful contamination, and
population  change. Many of these  stressors
will  be more pronounced  in areas  that are
least resilient to climate impacts. For  example,
population  growth  is  projected to  continue
increasing  in  U.S. shoreline counties that are
vulnerable  to sea  level rise and more frequent
and extreme storms, and where 39% of the U.S.
population  is  already concentrated and another
52%  live  in  counties  that  drain to coastal
watersheds  (NOAA  State  of  Coast Report
2013).  In   the  Southwestern U.S.,  increased
temperatures and changes to precipitation and
snowpack are expected to impact the region's
critical agriculture sector, affecting one of the
Nation's fastest growing populations - now  at
56 million and expected to increase 68% to 94
million  by 2050 (Hoerling et al.,  2013). Water
resources in  many areas are already strained
and  will be  further stressed by severe and
sustained drought and over-utilization, resulting
in increasing competition among  domestic
water supplies, agriculture, energy production,
and ecosystems (Garfin et al., 2014).

These  water resource challenges  also  offer
opportunities  for   innovation,   economic
development, and improvements in watershed
sustainability and  human health. For  example,
post-use water treatment  innovations can
transform the concept of 'waste' to 'resource'
by   recapturing   and  reusing   commercially
valuable post-use  constituents (e.g.,  nutrients,
energy, metals). Additional benefits  of  these
newer technologies include  improved energy
efficiency   from  both  treatment operations
and  reduced  de novo production of resources
from their original sources in the environment.
Green   infrastructure   can   help   mitigate
stormwater runoff and potentially reduce gray
infrastructure  investment costs  and  energy
use,  improve property values, create  wildlife
habitat, and recharge groundwater.

SSWR Research  Program

The  SSWR  StRAP  2016-2019 outlines the
approach  designed  to  achieve EPA's  goal to
protect America's  waters.  It  highlights how
the SSWR research program integrates efforts
with the other five national research programs,
other Agency partners, and  external partners
to provide a  seamless  and  efficient  overall
research portfolio aligned around the central
and unifying concept of sustainability.

The SSWR research program uses an integrated,
systems  approach  to  mission-driven, state-
of-the-art research.  The goal is  to   support
innovative scientific and technological solutions
that  ensure  clean,  adequate and equitable
supplies of water to protect human health, and
to protect and restore watersheds and  aquatic
ecosystems.  Future  SSWR research will  focus
on high-priority, current and  long-term water
resource challenges  identified in  partnership
with EPA  programs and  regional  offices and
others  to  inform  the  Agency's  decisions,
implementation  needs,  and  translation  of
research findings  to support communities,
states, and tribal  partners. The  overarching
watershed approach to SSWR drinking water,
post-use water,  stormwater,  and  ecosystems
research recognizes the dynamic  'one water'
hydrologic   cycle.    Integrated   throughout
the program  are the goals of a sustainable
environment, economy and society; and the
overarching  drivers  of  a  changing   climate,
extreme  events,  population  change   and
evolving trends in land use, energy, agriculture,
and manufacturing.

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The following Problem Statement and Program
Vision guide the research program:

Problem Statement
Together, the  interrelated challenges of im-
paired water quality, diminished water availabil-
ity, the Nation's aging water infrastructure, and
inadequate knowledge of the value of water-
quality benefits threaten safe and sustainable
water resources. These challenges are further
amplified by  a host of  current and  emerg-
ing   environmental stressors, including climate
change and variability, extreme events,  popu-
lation change,  and evolving trends  in land
use energy, agriculture and manufacturing.
Program Vision
The SSWR research program uses an integrated,
systems  approach  to  support  innovative
scientific and  technological  solutions  that
ensure clean, adequate, and equitable supplies
of waterto protect human health and to protect
and restore watersheds and aquatic ecosystems.
Program Design
The SSWR StRAP 2016-2019 provides both a vi-
sion and an actionable blueprint for advancing
water research in ways that meet the priorities
and legislative mandates of EPA, while address-
ing the most critical needs of Agency partners
and stakeholders.

Building on  the 2012-2016
Research Program
This StRAP builds upon the successful research
outlined  in the  previously  developed SSWR
StRAP 2012-2016 and like that work, it will con-
tinue  advancing science and technology solu-
tions for the Nation's high- priority, current, and
emerging water resource and  human  health
challenges.  In  the SSWR StRAP  2016-2019,
there  is now a greater emphasis on harmful
cyanobacteria and algal blooms, groundwater
quality, resilience to  climate change and  ex-
treme events, quantifying the benefits of water
quality, and community support tools. In addi-
tion, SSWR is partnering with other federal and
state agencies, private and public organizations,
and communities to  contribute  EPA's unique
expertise in water quality and green infrastruc-
ture to the  rapidly growing area of the "Food-
Energy-Water' nexus (Box 1).

The updated plan presented here consolidates
research into four interrelated research topics:

1.   Watershed sustainability
2.   Nutrients
3.   Green Infrastructure
4.   Water Systems (drinking water and post-
    use water systems)

The four topics and their related research chal-
lenges and  priorities are described in detail in
the Research Topics section.

Various ORD programs and grants continue to
be integrated into SSWR by the topic(s) each
supports. Extramural research examples include
the Water Technology Innovation Center,  EPA
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants, and
the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
program. ORD research programs also include
opportunities to compete for funding  within
EPA such as the Regional Applied Research Ef-
fort (RARE)  program, which funds partnerships
between  regional and ORD scientists to con-
duct research, and the Pathfinder Innovation
Projects (PIPs), which provide seed funding for
potentially high-risk, high-reward research con-
cepts.

EPA Partner and Stakeholder
Involvement
The SSWR  StRAP 2016-2019 guides  ORD  re-
search to address the high priority needs of the

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Agency and its partners and stakeholders. Ac-
cordingly,  it was developed with considerable
input and support from EPA's ORD labs and cen-
ters; Office of Water, Office of Policy, and other
program offices; regional offices; and external
advisory committees.  Research priorities were
identified through numerous venues, including
two meetings with  EPA Science Advisory Board
and the Board of Scientific Counselors during
the 2012-2015 planning period, annual SSWR
research  conference,  annual SSWR program
update, annual meeting  of the ORD and Office
of Water Assistant Administrators and Regional
Administrator, quarterly meetings with Office
of Water senior staff, visits to regional offices,
in-person  'Chautauquas' with researchers and
policy staff and regular  communications with
the ORD lab and centers, Office of Water and
regional offices. These efforts produced  a pri-
oritized list of research needs for the Office  of
Water and regional offices that has served  as
the foundation for the SSWR StRAP 2016-2019
research goals.

Research planned for the SSWR StRAP 2016-
2019 also  was informed by external partners.
The  SSWR  staff  and  researchers  serve  on
several task groups and are actively engaged
on  projects with   numerous   U.S.  federal
agencies and other domestic and international
organizations (see Appendix  B). The SSWR
National Program Director  is the co-chair for
the Subcommittee on Water Availability and
Quality  that advises  and  assists the White
House   National   Science   and  Technology
Council  and the Committee on Environment,
Natural   Resources,   and  Sustainability  on
matters related to the availability and quality of
water resources. The Subcommittee on Water
Availability and Quality  is comprised  of over
a dozen federal  agencies that meet monthly,
facilitating  effective outcomes of coordinated
multi-agency  water-related  activities.  The
SSWR Director also serves on the Global Water
Research  Coalition, which meets biannually
and  aims to  leverage   expertise  amongst
the   participating   international   research
organizations,  coordinate  research strategies,
and actively manage a centralized approach to
global  issues.  SSWR interacts  with academia
through   scientific   conferences,   informal
professional relationships, and formal  grants
and  cooperative  agreements.  These venues
afford  the opportunity to not only leverage
expertise  and  funding, but also the ability to
identify unique niche areas to which SSWR can
make the greatest scientific contributions.

Integration  across Research
Programs

EPA's six research programs work together to
address science challenges that are important
for more than  one  program.  Coordination
efforts  can  range  from  formal  integration
actions across  the programs at a high level to
collaborative  research  among  EPA scientists
working on related issues.

To  integrate   research on significant  cross-
cutting issues, EPA developed several "Research
Roadmaps" that identify both ongoing relevant
research and also important science gaps that
need to  be filled. These  Roadmaps serve to
coordinate research efforts and  to provide
input that helps shape the future  research in
each of the six programs. Roadmaps have been
developed for the following areas:

  • Nitrogen and Co-Pollutants

  • Children's Environmental Health

  • Climate Change

  • Environmental Justice

SSWR  is  the lead national program for EPA's
Nitrogen  and  Co-Pollutants   Cross-Cutting
Research Roadmap (Nitrogen and Co-Pollutant

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Roadmap), and SSWR provides the foundation
for research on nutrients (see Nutrients topic
section).  Overarching research  on impacts of
climate variability and change will be integrated
with the Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE) research
program through the Climate Roadmap. SSWR
is also identifying  opportunities  to integrate
with the Children's Environmental Health and
the Environmental Justice Research Roadmaps.
Efforts to ensure integration across the research
programs are described in more detail in each of
the Research Topic sections. The SSWR program
also informs critical research areas identified in
the ORD cross-cutting Research Roadmaps, as
illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1.  Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR)  research  program contributions
to critical  needs  identified  by ORD  Roadmaps.  Multiple  checkmarks indicate  a larger
contribution of SSWR activities and interest in the identified science gaps of the Roadmaps
than a single checkmark; a blank indicates no substantive role.
ORD Roadmap
Climate Change
Environmental Justice
Children's Health
Nitrogen & Co-Pollutants
SSWR Topic Area
Watershed
Sustainability
S


SS
Nutrients

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SSWR Research Supports EPA
Strategic Plan

EPA's Strategic Planl  identifies five goals and
four cross-agency strategies to support its mis-
sion to  protect human health and the  envi-
ronment (Box 2). The SSWR research program
supports the Strategic Plan's second goal,  "Pro-
tecting America's Waters/' and its aims to pro-
tect and restore waters to ensure that drinking
water is safe and  sustainably  managed; and
that aquatic ecosystems  sustain fish, plants,
wildlife and other biota, as well as economic,
recreational  and subsistence  activities.  EPA's
objectives for Protecting America's Waters are
twofold:

1.  Protect Human Health
    Achieve and maintan standards
    and guidelines protective of human health
    in drinking water supplies, fish, shellfish
    and recreational waters, and protect
    and sustainably manage drinking
    water resources.

2.  Protect and Restore Watersheds and
    Aquatic Ecosystems.
    Protect, restore, and sustain the quality
    of rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands  on
    a watershed basis, and sustainably manage
    and protect coastal and ocean resources
    and ecosystems.

The  SSWR research  program  supports  EPA
Goal  2  and  its objectives, and  the cross-
agency  strategies,  by  efficiently  integrating
and translating environmental,  economic, and
social research  into  visible and  sustainable
solutions for local, state and tribal communities.
Innovative solutions will be key to meeting the
Agency's strategic goal of protecting America's
waters.  EPA  has  committed  to  innovation
for  solving sustainability  challenges in   two
recent  documents:   Technology  Innovation
For  Environmental  and  Economic  Progress:
An  EPA Roadmap (2012) (http://www2.epa.
gov/envi refinance/innovation) and Promoting
Technology  Innovation for  Clean  and Safe
Water: Water Technology Innovation Blueprint
- Version 2 (2014)  (http://www2.epa.gov/
innovation/water-innovation-and-technology).
    BOX 2.  FY 2014-2018 EPA
            Strategic  Plan:
   Goals, and Cross-Agency Strategies

   EPA Strategic Goals

   Goal 1: Addressing Climate Change and
   Improving Air Quality

   Goal 2: Protecting America's Waters

   Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and
   Advancing Sustainable Development

   Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals
   and Preventing Pollution

   Goal 5: Protecting Human Health and
   the Environment by Enforcing Laws and
   Assuring Compliance

   Cross-Agency Strategies

   • Working toward a Sustainable Future

   • Working to Make a Visible Difference in
    Communities

   • Launching a New Era of State, Tribal,
    Local, and International Partnerships

   • Embracing EPA as a High-Performing
    Organization
'EPA Strategic Plan FY 2014-2018 (http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplanl

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Statutory and Policy Context

EPA is  responsible for protecting the Nation's
water  resources under the Clean Water Act
(CWA), which  establishes the basic  structure
for (1)  restoring and maintaining the  chemical,
physical and biological integrity of the Nation's
waters  by  preventing  point  and  nonpoint
pollution  sources;  (2)  providing  assistance
to publicly owned  treatment  works for the
improvement  of  post-use  water treatment,
and (3) maintaining the integrity of wetlands
(U.S.  EPA, 2013b).  The CWA provides for
the protection of  above ground sources of
drinking water as determined  by each state.
Groundwater   protection   provisions   are
included in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA),
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and
the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act ("Superfund").

The SDWA directs  EPA to set national  safety
standards  for  drinking water  delivered  to
consumers by  public water systems.  It also
authorizes  other regulatory  programs  (e.g.,
Underground  Injection  Control,   Wellhead
Protection), as well as funding, training, public
information,  and source  water  assessment
programs, to foster  the  protection of many
sources of drinking water.

EPA created the Office of Underground Storage
Tanks  (UST)  to  carry out  a  congressional
mandate to develop and implement a regulatory
program for underground storage tank systems.
The greatest potential threat from a leaking UST
is contamination of groundwater, the source of
drinking water for nearly half of all Americans.
EPA, states, and tribes work together to protect
the  environment and human health  from
potential UST releases.

EPA's  Office  of Water,  which has  primary
responsibility for implementing the provisions
of the CWA and the SDWA, is  a  key partner
for the SSWR  research  program. For more
information on EPA responsibilities  under these
statutes, see the links provided in Table 2.
Table 2. Statutory and policy drivers for SSWR research
Legislation
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act
Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation and
Liability Act ("Superfund")
Federal Underground
Storage Tank Regulations
(Revised 2015)
National Environmental
Policy Act
Acronym
CWA
SDWA
RCRA
CERCLA
USTs
NEPA
Website
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summarv-clean-
water-act
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/index.cfm

http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summarv-
resource-conservation-and-recoverv-act

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policv/cercla.htm

http://www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/

http://www2.epa.gov/nepa


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Research  Program

Objectives

The  SSWR  program  addresses  four  broad
research  objectives  that support EPA's  goals
and cross-Agency strategies noted above and
are critical to meeting the needs of the Agency,
its partners, and  other stakeholders. Together,
these research objectives provide a platform for
protecting the quality and supply of America's
waters from headwaters to streams, rivers and
lakes, and coastal waters.

Objective 1: Address Current and  Long-Term
Water Resource Challenges for Complex
Chemical and Microbial Pollutants

Water  resources in  the  U.S.  face   many
challenges from known and emerging chemical
and  microbial pollutants. SSWR  research on
chemical  and  microbial contaminants including
nutrients, aims to strengthen water systems'
resiliency and compliance with drinking water
and water-quality standards. In addition, SSWR
research helps protect America's source waters
and supports new  or revised drinking water
standards to address known and  emerging
contaminants that endanger human health and
aquatic ecosystems. Through partnerships with
program and regional offices, states, tribes, and
local communities,  SSWR will work toward a
more sustainable future, while making a visible
difference in local communities.

ORD researchers will  continue to provide timely
support for regulatory and guidance decisions
for water resources. Additionally, water systems
researchers will  strive  to  develop  new and
innovative methods for detecting, quantifying,
monitoring,   and  treating  microbial   and
chemical  contaminants. The SSWR StRAP 2016-
2019 emphasizes addressing  contaminants as
groups, as well as individually, when developing
novel methods for quantifying human exposure
and  assessing  human  health  risks.  Water
systems researchers will  also explore ways to
effectively treat water and post-use water for
chemicals and pathogens with technologies and
approaches that reduce  energy consumption
and  provide the ability to reuse and  recover
resources as  described  below.   SSWR  will
continue its focus on  affordable,  simple, and
effective water  treatment solutions for small
systems.

Objective 2: Transform the Concept of 'Waste'
to 'Resource'

Combined sewer overflow (CSO) events contin-
ue to vex many U.S. communities,  particularly
in the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific North-
west. Combined sewer  systems that  collect
stormwater and municipal post-use water are
often overwhelmed during storm  events, re-
sulting  in the direct discharge of overflow into
waterways. While SSWR research will continue
to address CSO events by implementing green
infrastructure (Gl) to capture stormwater flow,
new research efforts will  investigate the use of
Gl to recharge groundwater and the  capture
and  storage of stormwater to augment water
supplies in arid and semi-arid parts  of the Unit-
ed States.

SSWR's  drinking water  and  post-use water
systems research will focus on transformative
approaches  for  water  reuse  and resource
recovery. Communities in  dry climates need
guidance at the federal  level  on water reuse
treatment for fit-for-purpose water for direct
potable,  indirect  potable,  and non-potable
reuse.  Fit-for-purpose treatment  can  reduce
energy costs  by tailoring treatment schemes
and  approaches for a targeted end-use water
quality.  In  addition  to  water reuse, SSWR
research will  partner with others  within and

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outside of the  Agency  on  recovering  and
reusing energy, nutrients, and possibly, metals
and  other valuable substances to  advance
the transformation  of 'waste'  to  'resource'.
Increased  energy recovery  in post-use water
systems can potentially lead to net-zero energy
consumption  for the systems and,  in some
cases,  make the  post-use water system a net
producer of energy. Life-cycle analyses of water
systems for small communities will lead to new
approaches for  transforming water  systems.
This research strives to develop a framework for
local communities to make informed decisions
on treatment and  conveyance systems that
include water reuse and resource recovery for
a more sustainable future.

Objective 3: Quantify Benefits of Water Quality

Degradation of water quality due to  chemical
and  microbial  contaminants, including
nutrients  that  drive  harmful  cyanobacteria
and algal blooms, continues to outpace water-
quality improvements from  regulatory  and
non-regulatory, incentive-based actions.  The
challenges of protecting good water quality or
restoring impaired water quality are hampered
by inadequate  knowledge  of  the  value of
improved  water  quality and its wide-ranging
benefits, which span human and environmental
health  and ecosystem services.

Through  partnerships  with EPA's  Office of
Policy and Office of Water, and external grants
funded by SSWR, successful efforts will develop
the models and tools  needed to   estimate
the  economic   benefits   of  water-quality
improvements. The  research aims to advance
national water  quality  cost-benefit  analysis
and modeling tools for  surface waters, from
headwater streams  to downstream  estuarine
and coastal waters.  The modeling tools  will
build  the  capacity  for  estimating economic
benefits   of  water-quality  improvements
through revealed preference (i.e., human use)
studies that identify market and  non-market
values associated with water quality, as well as
stated preference (i.e., non-use) studies that
will capture the broader ranges of non-market
values. The research will identify the optimal
choice  of  water-quality  indicators—those
metrics most useful for linking water-quality
models to economic valuation.

Objective 4:  Translate Research into Real-
World Solutions

The  translation and application of research
results through practical tools has  historically
been  a challenge  to scientists and engineers.
ORD aims to move our research results out of
the lab and into the hands of end users who
depend on these data and tools.

Watershed  sustainability research  builds the
capacity to assess and map the integrity and
resiliency of water resources and watersheds
at national and regional scales, and provides
modeling tools and applications for integrated
watershed management. Research on chemical
and  microbial contaminants  will  strengthen
methods to prioritize, derive, and  implement
ambient water-quality criteria to protect human
health and aquatic  life from the  expanding
numbers, combinations, and novel features of
contaminants in groundwater, drinking water
and surface water. Research tools that assess
and  predict effects  and cumulative  impacts
of energy and mineral extraction processes
on  groundwater  and  surface water  quality
and  aquatic  life  will  inform and empower
communities to protect water, while developing
the Nation's future energy and mineral resource
portfolio.  Translating   and  communicating
the results of the economic benefits of CWA
regulations will strengthen efforts and support
for  developing  and  implementing  regulatory
actions to improve water  quality  across the
Nation.

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Nutrient  enrichment  of  the Nation's  water
bodies continues to be  a  significant risk to
human health  and ecosystems. Research in
this area will advance the science  needed to
inform decisions to prioritize watersheds and
nutrient  sources for nutrient  management
and define appropriate nutrient levels for the
Nation's  waters. Novel field  and laboratory-
based studies, state-of-the-art modeling, and
other research syntheses  will make significant
progress  toward  important and  challenging
areas  of  scientific  uncertainty  related  to
nutrient management.

Multimedia   approaches   will   reduce  the
unintended  consequences  and  capture the
cumulative benefits of actions,  which can be
equally as  important as direct  benefits. New
scientific  information, analytical approaches,
and  science communication  that  advance
the science and increase the accessibility of
this science will  become  available to decision
makers.

The SSWR program plans  to implement place-
based  Gl  studies and   water  system  pilot
projects in communities throughout the Nation.
Collaborative efforts between the Department
of Defense (DoD) and EPA will focus on water
reuse and resource recovery projects at DoD
installations.  Results  from these projects can
be translated to communities  for  informed
decisions on the placement and effectiveness of
resource  recovery technologies. Gl place-based
studies will  help to make a  visible difference
in underserved  communities by helping to
capture stormwater runoff for mitigating CSO
events and, in  some communities, augment
existing water supplies. SSWR researchers will
continue  to develop  user-friendly models and
tools for  Gl placement and implementation to
help communities solve  water management
challenges. SSWR will also partner with other
EPA program offices and the external research
community to develop tools that address life-
cycle  costs  (i.e.,  including planning,  design,
installation,  operation and  maintenance, and
replacement),  performance,  and   resiliency
of gray and green  infrastructure and hybrid
systems to provide a more complete basis for
decision  making at the local and  watershed
levels.

Communication  plays  a  large  role  in  our
plans  for real world  solutions.  The  SSWR
communications   team   conducts   several
monthly  public webinars on its research and
will explore other opportunities to have an
open  dialogue with  state  and  community
stakeholders.  SSWR hosts,  in  collaboration
with the Association of State Drinking Water
Administrators, an annual workshop for  small
systems professionals for the release of cutting
edge research results. A monthly small systems
webinar,  which  offers  continuing  education
credits to water managers, is also co-hosted by
SSWR and EPA's Office of Water.


Research Topics

In  SSWR,  research is  organized  by  four
interrelated  topics (Figure 1). Each topic has
near-term and long-term goals designed to help
SSWR  accomplish  its overarching  objectives
(Table  3). These  projects  involve  significant
integration  and collaboration  with  other EPA
research  programs,  federal  agencies,   and
external partners, as described below.

1.  Watershed Sustainability
    Gathering, synthesizing, and  mapping
    the necessary environmental, economic,
    and social (human health and well-being)
    information on watersheds, from local to
    national  scales, to determine the condition
    and integrity, future prospects, and recovery
    potential of the Nation's watersheds.

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2.  Nutrients
    Conducting EPA nitrogen and co-pollutants
    research efforts for multiple types of
    water bodies and coordinating across
    media (water, land and air) and various
    temporal and spatial scales, including
    support for developing numeric nutrient
    criteria, decision support tools, and
    cost-effective approaches to
    nutrient reduction.

3.  Green Infrastructure
    Developing innovative tools, technologies,
    and strategies for managing water
    resources (including stormwater) today
    and for the long-term.

4.  Water Systems
    Developing tools and technologies for
    the sustainable treatment of water and
    post-use water and promoting the
    economic recovery of water,
    energy and nutrient, and other
    resources through innovative municipal
    water services and whole system
    assessment tools. This area focuses
    on small water systems and can be scaled
    up to larger systems.

The four research topics of the  SSWR StRAP
2016-2019  align  with EPA's Strategic Plan to
help ensure that natural and engineered water
systems have the capacity and resiliency to meet
current and future water needs for the wide
range of  human and ecological requirements.
Research aims,  in  turn,  are  advanced  by
research  projects to  meet articulated science
challenges.   Examples  of  research  projects
are provided for each research topic and are
described in more detail later in  this section.
Research outputs  synthesize  and  translate
scientific  and technological  accomplishments,
and will be  communicated to a broad audience
who rely on EPA research for knowledge and
decision making. Examples of possible outputs
are provided in Appendix A.
                             Sustainability: Social (human health and wellbeing) & Economics
     Stressors: Climate Change StVariability, Extreme & Homeland Security Events, Population Change, Land Use. Energy.Agriculture & Manufacturing
                                   Watershed Sustainability
                                   • Ambient Water Quality Criteria - Human
                                    Health and Aquatic Life
                                   • Energy and mineral resources
                                   • Scalable tools and methods for integrated
                                    assessment and watershed management
                                   • National water quality benefits
           Nutrients
  • Thresholds and targets for appropriate
   nutrient levels
  • Management tools and practices
  • Metrics - Benefits, accountability, and
   communication
  • Harmful algal blooms
                      Water Systems
                 • Current systems
                 • Emerging contaminants in drinking water
                  and sources
                 • Technology advances
                 • Transformative systems
                                     Green Infrastructure
                                   • Models and tools application
                                   • Community benefits
                                   • Linkage to aquifer storage and recovery
                          Figure 1.  SSWR Research Topics and Projects.

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Table 3. SSWR Research Topics: Near- and long-term aims
 Research Topic
What We Do
Near-Term Aim
Long-Term Aim
 Watershed
 Sustainability
Gathering, synthesizing,
and providing
the necessary
environmental,
economic, and social
information on
watersheds—from local
to national scales—to
determine condition,
future prospects, and
recovery potential
of the Nation's
watersheds.
Develop the methods
to assess watershed
integrity nationally
and the tools
necessary to maintain
the sustainability
and resilience of
watersheds; develop
understanding and
tools to address energy
and mineral resources;
identify causes of
watershed impairment
and attributes that
promote integrity
and resilience; and
develop approaches to
watershed sustainability
that integrate ecological
condition, economic
benefits, and human
well-being.
National and scalable
mapping assessments of
watershed sustainability
using indicators of
ecological condition,
economic benefits,
and human well-being;
and develop and
demonstrate the tools
for achieving sustainable
and resilient watersheds
and water resources.
 Nutrients
Conducting nutrient
research for multiple
water-body types with
coordination across
media (water, land,
and air) and various
temporal spatial scales,
including support for
developing numeric
nutrient criteria,
decision-support tools,
and cost-effective
approaches to nutrient
reduction.
Improve the science
needed to define
appropriate nutrient
levels and develop
technologies and
management practices
to monitor and attain
appropriate nutrient
loadings. Research will
examine the occurrence
and effects of harmful
algal blooms.
Assess ecosystem
and human health
and the societal
benefits resulting from
management actions
to achieve appropriate
and sustainable nutrient
levels in the Nation's
waters.

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Research Topic
What We Do
Near-Term Aim
Long-Term Aim
Green
Infrastructure
Developing innovative
tools, information,
and guidance for
communities to
manage water
resources, including
stormwater, with
green infrastructure
to move toward more
natural hydrology and
increased resilience to
future changes, such
as climate and  extreme
events.
Assist decision
makers, planners,
and developers in
understanding how to
incorporate effective
green infrastructure
opportunities into
their stormwater
management plans at
the property level and
community scales.
Develop and
demonstrate tools and
provide information
and guidance for
communities to assess
the effectiveness and
benefits of green
infrastructure as part
of their approach for
managing water volume
and improving water
quality.
Water Systems
Develop, test, and
evaluate innovative
tools, technologies, and
strategies for managing
water resources and
protecting human
health and the
environment as climate
and other conditions
change; and support
the economic recovery
of resources through
innovative water
services and whole-
system assessment
tools. Particular
attention will be given
to small systems
because of their limited
resources.
Support drinking
water and wastewater
regulations, guidance
and implementation
of programs at all
levels; develop, test,
and promote the
adoption of drinking
water, stormwater,
and wastewater
technologies that will
protect human health
and the environment,
while maximizing
resource conservation
and recovery;
and closely align
contaminant research
with other Topics to
ensure that common
tools and models are
effectively employed
across the water cycle.
Conduct integrated
sustainability
assessments, develop
novel approaches, and
prioritize risks to provide
a framework for decision
making related to
alternative approaches
to existing water systems
to meet the goals of
public health protection
and resource recovery.

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    Natural  and engineered water systems are
    inextricably linked through the hydrologic cycle;
    therefore,  the  four research topics are also
    interrelated. Current water services are mostly
    achieved through separate engineering systems
    to provide distinct functions,  including safe
    drinking water, sewage treatment, stormwater
    control, and watershed management. Multiple
    stressors  and  more  stringent  water  quality
    goals threaten  the future  effectiveness and
    affordability of this 'siloed' approach to water
    resource management.  A systems-level  view
    of integrated  water services is necessary to
    develop optimal solutions.  Focusing  on one
    part of the system, even when using  system
    analysis  tools,  such as  life-cycle assessment,
    may shift problems to other sectors. While this
    document  defines four separate topic areas for
    clarity of presentation, the program emphasizes
    this systems-level view.

    Overarching goals for all four topics are  envi-
    ronmental, economic, and social sustainability.
    All four topics  also include multiple stressors
    affecting water quality and quantity, including
climate change and variability, extreme events
(e.g.,  flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, earth-
quakes, heat waves,  drought, wildfire—many
of which may be  amplified by climate), land-
use change,  energy,  agriculture,  manufactur-
ing, accidental or purposeful contamination,
aging infrastructure,  and  population  change.
Broad linkages among topic areas (e.g., the in-
teraction of complex chemical and microbial
contaminants between built infrastructure and
watersheds) are identified as specific  projects
are planned  and  implemented.  Relationships
across the SSWR  topic areas and among the
other five research programs are  illustrated in
Figure 2. Topic areas will have differing levels
of integration with the other five ORD research
programs.  Figure  2  illustrates that while the
Watershed Sustainability and  Water  Systems
topic  areas have  direct and  implied  linkages
with all five programs, the Nutrients and Green
Infrastructure currently link to three and two of
the programs, respectively. These linkages are
briefly described in the "Integration and Collab-
oration" sections included in each of the  Proj-
ect discussions under the Topic headings.
                                                                  ORD Research Program
   SSWR Research Program Topic
  Watershed Sustainability
           Nutrients
    Green Infrastructure
       Water Systems
           Air, Climate & Energy (ACE)
        Climate, energy efficient water systems and water reuse,
                   life cycle assessment
                                                          Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS)
                                                        Individual/groups of contaminants, effects-based monitoring tools, life
                                                                        cycle assessment
                                                         Sustainable & Healthy Communities (SHC)
                                                           EnviroAtlas, green infrastructure, water reuse, groundwater,
                                                            community resilience to climate change/natural disasters
                                                                 Homeland Security (HS)
                                                           Infrastructure resilience to climate change/natural disasters,
                                                                       water-quality sensors
Figure 2. SSWR Cross-Research Program Integration.
      Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA)
                 Integrated risk assessments,
               integrated risk information system

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Watershed Sustainability

Advancing the sustainable management of the
Nation's water resources to ensure sufficient
water quality and quantity to support current
and  future  environmental,  socio-economic,
and  public health  requirements is a national
priority. To achieve the National  Environmental
Policy Act goal of sustainability, conditions  of
adequate and accessible supplies of clean water
for health (human and  ecological),  economic
and  social  requirements need  to be  created
and maintained from headwater catchments to
great river basins to coastal systems. However,
adverse impacts on  watersheds and water
resources  associated with  the  overarching
stressors already  described  continue  to  be
major drivers of changes in aquatic ecosystems
and the global hydrologic cycle.

SSWR's watershed sustainability research aims
to advance integrated water resource and wa-
tershed management approaches, models, and
decision making tools to ensure sustainable
water resources. Topic project areas described
below focus on  national-scale assessments  of
aquatic resource conditions; watershed integ-
rity and resilience; new or revised ambient wa-
ter-quality criteria to protect human health and
aquatic life from chemical and  microbial  con-
taminants,  including  nutrients and pathogens
and chemicals of emerging concern; protection
of water  resources while developing energy
and mineral resources; and the creation of a na-
tional water-quality benefits model framework.
             Topic Highlights
     Tools for systems-based approach to
    watershed management under variable
             climate regimes.
     Economic benefits of improved water
    quality for national regulatory actions.
Project 1: Assess, Map and Predict the
Integrity, Resilience, and Recovery Potential
of the Nation's Water Resources

Advancing EPA's ability to estimate and  map
the  ecological  condition  and  integrity of
water resources in freshwater, estuarine, and
nearshore coastal ecosystems  is the focus of
this project research area. The project research
will improve  capabilities for determining the
integrity  of watersheds and aquatic systems
therein and their future sustainability (i.e., the
sustained provision of ecosystem services and
beneficial uses). Ultimately, the  research will
enhance  EPA's ability to set sound water policy
for the protection of aquatic life and human
health applicable to the Nation's flowing waters,
lakes  and reservoirs, wetlands, estuaries, and
coastal waters, and provide tools to estimate
the expected improvement in aquatic condition,
integrity,  and  resiliency resulting from  any
proposed policy and/or management decision.

The primary  legislative driver for this project
area is the CWA requirement to  assess and
report on  the condition and  integrity of
the Nation's  water  resources. The  scale of
the research  creates the  greatest  scientific
challenge-providing  the  scientific basis  and
tools for  integrated assessment of watersheds
and water bodies, from headwaters to coastal
systems at local, regional and national scales, as
well as at yearly and decadal time  scales. The
project research will include the following:

• Research to support and advance national
and regional monitoring and assessment needs,
including direct technical support for EPA Office
of Water's  National  Aquatic Resource Survey
program  on survey design and analyses, indica-
tor development, and the technical transfer of
tools.

• Research to explore, synthesize, and advance
the  modification or  application  of  existing

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models and diagnostic systems for integrated
watershed  management at multiple scales for
multiple waterbody types.

• Research to assess and evaluate ecological
factors that underpin watershed resiliency and
recovery potential.

• Research to advance the science underpinning
watershed-waterbody  connectivity  including
developing connectivity indicators, quantifying
temporal-spatial  variations  in   connectivity,
relating connectivity to ecosystem functions/
processes   and    integrating    connectivity
approaches into watershed integrity.

The project research will strengthen EPA's ability
to estimate and map the condition and integrity
of the Nation's water resources,  and develop
improved capabilities to determine the integrity
of any watershed  in the Nation.  Additionally,
ORD  research  will evaluate and strengthen
the watershed integrity approach  and quantify
the  attributes  of watershed resiliency and
connectivity at multiple spatial and temporal
scales.  Understanding  the  resiliency  and
recovery potential of water resources and
watersheds to  stressors,   including climate
change, will be important  to future policy and
management  decisions  by  stakeholders  at
national, regional, state, and local scales.

The  project research will  advance diagnostic
bioassessment capabilities for invasive species
early detection  through   development and
application  of  metagenomic   technologies.
These tools will assist the Great Lakes National
Program Office and  support the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement. New areas of SSWR
research will  investigate the potential impacts
of drought and wildfires on water quality and
impacts of climate-induced changes in extreme
events on air and water quality. Lastly, project
research will  enable EPA's  Office of Water
and regional  offices to estimate the expected
improvement  in  aquatic condition, integrity,
and  resiliency  resulting  from  any proposed
policy and/or management actions.

Integration and Collaboration
The   project  continues  the   long-standing
collaborative  partnership with EPA's Office of
Water, regional offices, and  states,  as well as
with the  National Oceanic  and Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Geological Survey and the
Fish and Wildlife Service, on the assessment and
mapping of the condition of aquatic resources
across  the   Nation.  Watershed   integrity,
resiliency, and  connectivity  research  involves
collaborative   partnerships  across  research
conducted under the Watershed Sustainability,
Nutrients and Green  Infrastructure topics; as
well  as  with  ORD's Air, Climate, and Energy's
(ACE)  research  topic on   Climate Impacts,
Vulnerability  and  Adaptation  in  developing
information,  methods and  tools to improve
understanding of the location, extent and type of
vulnerabilities to populations, ecosystems and
the built environment; and  ORD's Sustainable
and   Healthy  Communities  (SHC)  research
program,  in  particular  the EnviroAtlas.  The
collaboration with SHC will support  integrated
modeling for  local, state, and regional partners
that   links watershed sustainability  to  the
provisioning of ecosystem goods and services.

Project 2:  Science to Support New  or Revised
Water-Quality Criteria to Protect Human
Health and Aquatic Life

Research  in this project  area focuses on the
scientific information  and tools to strengthen
existing  ambient  water-quality criteria  or
advance new methods for prioritizing, deriving
and  implementing these  criteria.  The  aim
is  to address  the challenges  presented  by
the expanding numbers, combinations,  and
novel features  of chemical  and  biological

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contaminants including microbial pathogens in
drinking water, groundwater, and surface water.
The primary legislative drivers for this project
are the CWA and SDWA. This project addresses
several science challenges. One such challenge
is  presented  by the rapidly expanding  range
and characteristics of contaminants considered
Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs).
These include chemicalsthat were not previously
thought of as environmental pollutants (e.g.,
Pharmaceuticals), chemicals whose  presence
in  the environment  was largely unnoticed  but
has been "discovered" more recently  (e.g.,
through advancing analytical capabilities), and
chemicals that may not necessarily be new,  but
whose potential for risk to human health or
the environment was not  widely recognized.
Project  2 research  will provide EPA's  Office
of Water, region offices,  states, tribes, and
other stakeholders with the science and tools
to support the implementation  of ambient
water-quality criteria to protect human health
and aquatic  life. This research  includes  the
following:

• Addressing  human  health  risks  associated
with chemical and  microbial Ambient Water
Quality Criteria (AWQC).

• Advancing research methods for identifying
chemical   contaminant    exposure   routes
and chemical family  models; in  addition  to
bioactivity-based  criteria as an alternative to
chemical detection; as well as, screeningtoolsto
determine when multi-route exposures should
be considered  for  chemical contaminants in
water. This research  supports source water and
drinking water exposure needs.

• Addressing  human  health  risks  associated
with microbial contaminants -AWQC. Microbial
research advances  methods  to  identify and
quantify levels of microbial contaminants and
includes  fecal  source tracking approaches,
evaluation  of  viral  indicators, statistical and
process models for predicting levels of microbial
contamination, and  assessment  of  human
health exposure and effects from pathogens.

• Advancing AWQC  to protect  aquatic life.
This  area  focuses  on toxicity testing,  data
analysis, and method development to support
improvements in AWQC derivation procedures.
Likely  issues  include  chemical  group-based
extrapolations to address limited data; changes
in data requirements appropriate to chemicals
of emerging concern;  improved descriptors of
effects on assemblages of species; consideration
of multiple routes of exposures; and uncertainty
characterization.

• Advancing tools and technology applications.
Research in this area  will  support  developing
methods and  techniques  for measuring the
concentrations and distributions of select, high-
priority CECs in water; understanding ecotoxicity
of selected CECs to marine organisms;  linking
aquatic life  and human health adverse outcome
pathways (AOPs) that are sensitive to CECs via
targeted, functional genomic, and  molecular
endpoints;  supporting  EPA's  Office of  Water
in identifying  a  list  of  candidate CECs for
future human  health  and  aquatic life criteria
development and derivation;  and  supporting
the  Contaminant  Candidate  List  (CCL)  and
Unregulated  Contaminants  Monitoring  Rule
(UCMR) programs.

Project research on the occurrence, exposure,
and  health effects  of  waterborne pathogens
and  relationships to microbial indicators will
serve to inform regulatory  and policy decisions
that  will improve microbial water  quality in
watersheds and reduce health impacts. Project
results will  also lead to new  or revised human
health and aquatic  life criteria for chemicals.
The research will assist EPA's Office of Water's
efforts  to   identify  and   quantify  drinking

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water   contaminants  (including  precursors
for contaminants  potentially  formed  during
water treatment) along with other monitoring
requirements   under  the  SDWA  for   the
protection of source water.

Integration and Collaboration
Research  on AWQC  for  human  health  will
integrate with  and benefit  from linkages to:
other projects in the Watershed Sustainability
topic  and  research  in  the Water Systems
topic  to improve post-use  water treatment
and  develop  new  indicators  of treatment
effectiveness; research in the Nutrients topic on
development of methods to detect cyanotoxins
in surface waters; and ORD's Chemical Safety
and  Sustainability  (CSS)  research on  rapid
screening tools for chemical contaminants or
groups of contaminants. Project 2 research on
AWQC for aquatic life will integrate with  and
benefit  from CSS research regarding chemical
screening methods, AOP identification,   and
population  modeling.  Effects  of exposure
will  be  addressed through aquatic  toxicity
tests conducted in coordination with the  CSS
Toxicity Translators research.  Other linkages
include   methods  used  for  measuring   the
concentrations  and  distributions  of CECs in
fresh  and  marine environments,  which  may
include  similar  approaches  as those used in
the Green  Infrastructure and  Water Systems
topics and SHC's passive sampling procedures.
Further, this research will be linked to  CSS as
functional,  genomic, and molecular endpoints
are similar in both research programs.

Project  3:  Protecting Water while Developing
Energy and Mineral Resources

Increasing  demands for  energy and  mineral
resources,  the   desire to  supply a  greater
fraction  of energy  and  mineral  resources
domestically, increasing competition for clean
freshwater,  and  the need  to  mitigate  the
production and release of greenhouse gases all
point to the necessity for greater diversification
of both energy and mineral production. The
Nation's current and  future energy portfolio
may span  such diverse activities as enhanced
recovery of conventional and unconventional
fossil fuels; geothermal, wind, wave and solar
energy; biofuels; and  possibly nuclear energy,
all of which exert differing pressures on water
resources.  In addition, mineral mining in the
U.S. may increase with green energy technology
development,   which  requires a  variety  of
metals, including  rare earth  elements used
for wind turbines,  solar panels, batteries, and
other products.

The  primary legislative drivers for this project
are the provisions  for groundwater protection
within the SDWA, RCRA and the Superfund Act,
and sections 402 and 404 permitting provisions
of the CWA. Energy  and  mineral  production
impacts   surface   and   subsurface   water
resources  directly through discharges of post-
use waters and indirectly through accelerated
rates of geochemical weathering that alter the
ionic composition and conductivity of receiving
waters. These processes are likely to exacerbate
impacts in the future. Research to  understand
impacts on aquatic resources over the entire
life-cycle (e.g., from  extraction,  production,
transportation,  use,  storage, disposal,  and
residuals) of conventional and unconventional
energy sources, metals, and  minerals is the
focus of this project area. The project research
areas include the following:

• Assessing and predicting  the  toxicological,
biological,  and ecological  effects of  post-
use  waters (e.g.,  altered  ionic  composition)
associated with energy and mineral extraction
activities.

• Assessing challenges to  sustainable water
resource  management  from  underground

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injection practices, including  assessment  of
the benefits and risks of using aquifers to store
water for future use, and to sequester polluted
waters.

• Evaluating cumulative impacts of energy and
mineral  extraction activities on aquatic life from
changes in land use, water quantity and quality,
and habitat availability.

• Assessing  risks to groundwater and surface
water from current, transitioning, and emerging
technologies/practices  for the  life-cycle  of
conventional  and   unconventional   energy,
minerals, metals, and other materials.

The research will advance the assessment and
prediction of effects and  cumulative impacts
of energy and mineral extraction processes,
including post-use water, on groundwater and
surface  water  quality and  aquatic  life.  The
project  aims to understand  and describe the
implications of different energy production and
mineral  extraction technologies relative to the
short- and long-term availability and quality of
groundwater and surface water in order to:

• optimize  environmental  and public  health
safeguards  for  energy and mineral  resources
development,  using approaches  and
technologies that provide long-term protection
of groundwater and surface water resources;

• identify technologies that  increase  water
reuse and/or  improve  the  quality of water
discharged post-use; and

• inform stakeholders of evolving understanding
and  new  technologies  that  might influence
decisions regarding development of energy and
mineral  resources and their alternatives.

Project 3 research will enable better protection
of the Nation's groundwater and surface water
resources in areas  of energy  and  mineral
resource development; empower communities
to protect environmental and economic health;
and support EPA program and regional offices
in carrying out their immediate, intermediate-
term and longer-term  needs with respect  to
water and resource extraction. The project will
synthesize and  integrate information on the
role of water in energy production and mineral
extraction to inform planning, evaluation, and
decision  making among  community,  private,
and  public  stakeholders.  This research will
support aquifer exemption  decisions and the
review of coal mining proposals made by EPA's
Office of Water and regional offices.

Integration and Collaboration
The research in this project will be integrated
with other Watershed Sustainability projects
evaluating  water   resource   condition  and
integrity and ambient water-quality  criteria.
Aquifer  storage and  recovery  and  aquifer
exemption research will involve  collaboration
with offices within EPA's Office of Water, regional
offices, and other partners. Aquifer exemption
research ties in with mining related groundwater
remediation efforts in  ORD's Sustainable and
Healthy Communities  (SHC) national program.
Project  3 research will  integrate  with  and
benefit from Sustainable Energy and Mitigation
research in ORD's Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE)
research program, which aims to examine how
changes in resources, fuels, and technologies for
energy production and use affect air emissions,
air quality and water demand, and the risks or
benefits to the environment and human health.

Project 4: National Water-Quality Benefits

EPA's  ORD,  Office  of Policy, and  Office  of
Water have formed a collaborative team  of
economists,   ecologists,   and  water-quality
modelers to develop a national water-quality
benefits modeling framework to support greatly

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improved  quantification and monetization  of
the economic benefits of EPA regulations (e.g.,
improvements to  human  health, recreation
or other environmental  services). This project
area focuses on ORD's contribution to the
three-office  effort. While  EPA's  Office of Air
and Radiation has the modeling  capability for
quantifying  air-quality  benefits  to   support
most Clean  Air Act regulatory programs  (i.e.,
Environmental Benefits  Mapping and Analysis
Program-Community Edition  or  BenMAP-CE),
the Office of Water does not currently have a
similar off-the-shelf  modeling capability, and
this is reflected in its benefit analyses of CWA
regulations to date.  EPA aims to add to the
body of existing valuation research as well  as
to improve upon methodologies for translating
regulatory   decisions   and   the   resulting
estimates   of  water-quality  improvements
into  environmental  services  and ultimately
monetized benefits. Such an effort may require
economic valuation of changes in water quality,
quantity,  stream  condition, and/or  related
ecosystem services.

This  high  priority  research aims to  advance
national  water-quality  cost-benefit   analysis
and modeling tools  for surface  waters, from
headwater streams to  downstream estuarine
and coastal  waters.  The modeling tools will
build  the  capacity for  estimating economic
benefits   of   water-quality  improvements
through revealed-preference (i.e., human-use)
studies that identify market and non-market
values associated with water quality, as well as
stated  preference  (i.e.,  non-use)  studies that
will capture  the broader ranges of non-market
values. The  research will identify the optimal
choice   of  water-quality   indicators—those
metrics most useful  for linking  water-quality
models to  economic valuation.

The three-office effort aims to develop a broad-
based  benefits  estimation  model framework
that  incorporates  modules focusing  on five
main  water  body  types (the  Great  Lakes,
estuaries, freshwater lakes and rivers, coastal
waters,  and small streams)  that may benefit
from EPA regulatory actions. Additionally, the
research will  evaluate  the  potential  causal
relationships  between  metrics of watershed
integrity and stream condition and measures
of human health outcomes and well-being. The
three offices  are using extramural (EPA STAR
grants) and intramural staff resources in parallel
to complete necessary models  and  research to
improve our ability to estimate benefits from
national regulations.

Integration and Collaboration
In addition to collaborating  with EPA's Office
of Water and Office of Policy, this  project will
be  integrated with several  other  Watershed
Sustainability topic projects.  It will also  be
integrated with  research under the Nutrients
topic on economic values associated with HABs
or changes in water quality due to reductions
in nutrients,  and  Green  Infrastructure  topic
research focused on  mechanistic  techniques
for  simulating green infrastructure scenarios
at  multiple  scales  for  the   evaluation   of
water-quality benefits. This  project  also will
coordinate with  ORD's ACE and SHC research
programs to help  address  important cross-
agency  Nitrogen and Co-Pollutant Roadmap
research   recommendations,    and   utilize
existing collaborative  research  involving  EPA,
U.S. Department of Agriculture and academic
partners in the  development and  application
of the Hydrologic and Water  Quality System
[HAWQS] modeling platform where appropriate.

Nutrients

Nutrient   pollution  (i.e.,    nitrogen   and
phosphorus) remains one of the most significant
environmental and human health issues in the
United  States,  having a  considerable impact
on local and regional economies. Progress has

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been  made to reduce the nitrogen and co-
pollutant (e.g., phosphorus, sulfur, sediments)
loadings that can cause adverse environmental
impacts,  such  as  acid  rain, harmful  algal
blooms,  and degradation of drinking-source
waters;  however, nutrients are still  released
and  discharged  at  concentrations that  have
significant adverse impacts on human health and
ecosystems. A critical question  is how to achieve
the beneficial  level  of nutrients that provides
multiple  services,  such  as food  production,
while protecting human and ecosystem health
(U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, 2011). The
pressures of climate change,  extreme events,
land-use  change, and the resource  needs of
an expanding  human population are likely to
exacerbate  the significant adverse impacts of
excessive nutrients in coming years (MA, 2005).
             Topic Highlights
    Multi-media modeling to inform nutrient
       and hypoxia management in the
    Mississippi River Basin and the northern
               Gulf of Mexico,
   Improved quantification and prediction of
    nutrient enhanced coastal acidification
                and hypoxia.
Project 1: Reducing Impacts of Harmful Algal
Blooms
Though   harmful  algal  blooms  (HABs)  may
occur naturally, ecosystem  alterations  from
human activities appear to be increasing the
frequency of some HABs, resulting in a variety
of ecological, economic, and human health and
animal impacts. The primary legislative driver
for this project is the Harmful Algal  Bloom and
Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act
of 2014 (Pub. L No. 113-124, 2014). This project
will provide  stakeholders and decision makers
with improved scientific information and tools
to assess, predict, and manage the risk of HABs,
associated  toxicity  events and  the ensuing
ecological, economic, and health impacts. The
project directly addresses legislative mandates,
Agency research needs, Agency program Office
initiatives, needs  and  community  and other
stakeholder needs by doing the following:

• Improving the  science of  HAB  and  toxin
detection by developing HAB-specific analytical
methods and sampling strategies.

• Assisting EPA's Office  of Water in developing
new HAB indicators,  sampling designs,  and
protocols for use in national  scale assessments.

• Developing improved approaches to under-
standing the interactive effects of increasing
water temperatures and nutrient loads on HAB
development and toxin  production.

• Developing improved models to project risk
of HABs under warming climate scenarios.

• Improving  understanding  of  the  human
health and ecosystem  effects resulting  from
toxin exposure.

• Providing drinking water  treatment system
operators with improved methods for detecting
and treating toxins to  limit  or prevent human
exposures.

Integration and Collaboration
This project will be focused on four intertwined
research areas that span across other Nutrients
topic   projects   and   other  ORD   research
programs, including ACE, SHC,  CSS,  and the
modeling  and sensor  applications  of  ORD's
Homeland Security Research Program, as well
as ORD's Innovation program.

Project 2: Science to Inform the Development
of Nutrient Thresholds and Targeting Actions
Two key policy challenges associated  with nu-
trient management are  (1)  prioritizing  wa-

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tershedsand nutrient sources for nutrient
management actions and (2)  setting quanti-
tative thresholds for management, such as load
reduction goals,  secondary air-quality  stan-
dards, total  maximum daily loads, nutrient or
other water-quality criteria, and quantitative
goals for biological indicators of aquatic life use.
This project  will  provide science that supports
the efforts of the Office of Water and the  Na-
tional Ambient Air Quality Standards Program.
It will address key research areas drawn from
EPA's Nitrogen and Co-Pollutant Roadmap and
the Nancy K. Stoner memo (U.S. EPA, 2011b)
and  stakeholders. The  research areas include
the following:

• Identification of nutrient-sensitive human and
aquatic  life uses  of water resources and useful
quantitative  indicators of status or condition.

• Quantitative relationships between nutrient
loading  and  quantitative  effects  on water
quality and  nutrient sensitive  uses  in aquatic
ecosystems  across a range  of temporal and
spatial scales.

• Quantification  of sources, transport and fate
of nutrients  in watersheds, groundwater, and
airsheds.

Progress  in   these  key  research areas  will
address a variety of policy-related research
needs and  advance the state-of-the-science
using new tools, technologies,  and  models.
Research  will  involve  quantifying the status
of aquatic life uses  and overall  condition of
aquatic  ecosystems; predicting   downstream
water-quality impacts associated with nutrient
management  decisions  in  watersheds  and
airsheds; characterizing aquatic life responses
to   temporally   varying   nutrient  loading
and  water  quality;  and understanding and
predicting responses to nutrients in the context
of other drivers (e.g., climate warming, coastal
acidification, hydrologic changes).
Integration and Collaboration
The research in this  project will be leveraged
with  other  Nutrients  topic  projects  and
for watershed-scale  work and  developing
criteria, threshold, and targeting outputs and
approaches incorporated  in  the  Watershed
Sustainability topic.

Project 3:  Science to Improve Nutrient
Management Practices, Metrics of Benefits,
Accountability and Communication
To increase the adoption  rate of innovative
management practices at larger scales, research
is needed to support a broad selection of policy
options (regulatory and voluntary); for example,
market-based approaches, incentive programs,
and watershed education and  outreach. This
project complements research underway with
the USDA, states, and other stakeholder groups
that is designed to inform  programs, policies,
and management decisions to reduce nutrient
loadings. The  questions  from the programs,
regional offices, and states driving the scope of
this research area are:

1)  How do we use regulatory and voluntary
    approaches to promote more innovative
    and effective management practices to
    reduce nutrient pollution ?

2)  How do we verify, value, and communicate
    the effectiveness of nutrient reduction
    policy and management?

This project has four major areas of focus:

1)  Tools for the application of innovative
    management practices.

2)  Modeling approaches for consideration
    of market-based policy options,  economic
    evaluations, and ecosystem services.

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3)  Monitoring and modeling approaches
    for verification of nutrient reductions
    associated with management practices,
    including cost effectiveness, adoption rate,
    cumulative benefits, and unintended
    consequences.
linkages to ecosystem health and services, and
broad nitrogen budget research are developed
under  SHC  tasks. Other integrative efforts
include  SHC's work  on  integrated  nitrogen
management, ecosystem  goods and  services,
and EnviroAtlas.
4)  Science enabling effective communication.     Green Infrastructure
This project produces the applied science that
will allow for better management of nutrient
loads  to the Nation's waters, thereby making
advancements toward the full restoration of
designated uses and adequate protection, and
meeting future demands for sustainable  clean
sources of water.

Integration and Collaboration
This  research  builds upon the collaboration
already underway with other federal and state
agencies.  This  work addresses  the  Science
Challenges focused  on   Best  Management
Practices  Effectiveness,  and Assessing  and
Reporting on Effectiveness, identified in  EPA's
Nitrogen and  Co-Pollutant Roadmap.   Close
collaboration  with  EPA's  Office of  Air  and
Radiation  (on abatement  of NOx  and  NH3
atmospheric deposition) and Office of Water
(on surface water, groundwater, and drinking
water  aspects) is fundamental.  In addition,
this project will link with SSWR projects in the
Watershed Sustainability, Green Infrastructure,
and Water Systems Topics. An example of a
nitrogen  topic  that  integrates  contributions
from ACE, SHC, and SSWR research programs
is  eutrophication  stemming from  nitrogen
loading delivered from the  Mississippi  River
Basin to the Gulf of Mexico. In this example, the
one-environment  model,  nitrogen  deposition
and model linkages are developed under ACE,
nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to the edge
of field, aggregation to the Mississippi  River
Basin  (cross-scale) and  response to  climate
change  are  developed  under  SSWR,   and
Across the  U.S.,  more  than 700  cities  rely
on  combined  sewer systems to collect  and
convey  sanitary sewage and stormwater to
post-use water treatment facilities.  Most of
these communities are  older  cities in  the
Northeast,  Midwest, and Pacific Northwest.
When   wet   weather  flows   exceed   the
capacity of the combined sewer systems  and
treatment  facilities,  stormwater,  untreated
human,   commercial  and  industrial waste,
toxic  materials,  and debris are diverted to
combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls  and
discharged  directly into surface  waters. These
CSOs  carry  microbial  pathogens, suspended
solids, floatables and other pollutants, and can
lead to beach  closures, shellfish bed  closures,
contamination of drinking water supplies,  and
otherenvironmental and human health impacts.
For many cities with combined sewer systems,
CSOs  remain one  of the greatest  challenges
to meeting  water-quality standards. Climate
change  could  further  amplify investments
required to mitigate CSOs as the frequency and
severity of CSO events are largely determined
by climatic factors, including the form, quantity,
and intensity of precipitation.

Research on green infrastructure (Gl) contains
two projects focusing on: (1)GI Models and Tools
and (2) Gl Information and Guidance Based on
Community  Partnerships. The Gl projects  aim
to capture Gl research at multiple scales; from
localized (e.g., permeable pavement in parking
lots) to  watershed (e.g., application of Gl
models to optimize best management practices)

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scales. The research will also explore the use of
Gl to control stormwater runoff to minimize
impacts on leaking underground storage tanks
through stormwater diversion and capture.  Gl
research can also play an  important role in the
revitalization  of brownfields  and abandoned
properties in U.S. cities facing urban blight.
             Topic Highlights
   Report on the role of green infrastructure
    in sustainable stormwater management
   in a wide range of communities in varying
  geographic and climatic regions across the
               United States.
  Addition of a cost benefits component to the
       National Stormwater Calculator.
Project 1: Green Infrastructure Models and
Tools
The  Models  and  Tools  research  strives to
advance   appropriate  support  of  decision
making,  planning,  and  implementation of
effective Gl for

• stormwater control in urban settings and
  sewersheds;

• post-use water management;

• long-term control plans for CSOs;

• pollutant load reduction and Total Maximum
  Daily Loads studies;

• agricultural runoff management;

• climate change adaptation and hazards
  resilience; and

• enhancement of other ecosystem services.

Examples  of specific research in Gl modeling
and tools  include the incorporation of water-
quality issues (e.g., nutrients) in existing models
such as the  Gl module in EPA's Stormwater
Management Model  (SWMM), and increasing
the  interoperability   of  existing  Gl-related
models including, but not limited to: Visualizing
Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments
(VELMA),   Hydrologic   Simulation   Program
FORTRAN   (HSPF), Watershed  Management
Optimization and Support  Tool (WMOST), and
the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). This
project  aims to optimize existing Gl-related
models  and  tools through  information gap
analyses,  and  development  and  evaluation
of improved models  and tools for estimating
Gl costs and benefits. Project researchers will
also  participate in model technical  support,
data management, and coding improvements.
Through  EPA's  Science to  Achieve  Results
extramural grants program, SSWR will support
a center for  sustainable water infrastructure
modeling  research that facilitates technology
transfer of open source water infrastructure
models  and   green  infrastructure  tools.  A
crucial component of the project area includes
technical outreach and training for stakeholders
(e.g., states, municipalities, utilities).

Two  broad outputs comprise the anticipated
research accomplishments for the  Gl  Models
and Tools efforts: (1) Performance information,
guidance, and planningtoolsfor program offices
and community partners to facilitate increased
adoption of Gl (planned for FY2016),  and (2)
Demonstrations  of modeling tool approaches
(for program offices and community partners)
to assess  Gl effectiveness  for managing both
runoff volume  and water  quality at multiple
watershed scales (planned for FY2019).

Results  from  the  Gl-modeling research will
provide  greater  capacity for decision  makers
to (1) understand the  benefits and tradeoffs
of including Gl in urban, suburban, and rural
development;  (2) access and  apply the  data,
tools, and  models that they need to select and
implement the  most  appropriate Gl across

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landscape types in mixed-use systems; and (3)
make significant advances toward maintaining
ecological and human health and water-quality
protection, sustainability, and resiliency in the
long-term.

Project 2: Support Increased Adoption
of Green  Infrastructure into Community
Stormwater Management Plans and
Watershed Sustainability Goals: Information
and Guidance through Community
Partnerships

Community  Gl research  builds  on  existing
place-based field  studies that  examine the
efficacy of Gl in stormwater control plans. A
recent project  in  Kansas City quantified the
sewershed response after the installation of Gl
practices for CSO control. Sewershed flow data
was collected before and after Gl installation,
and ORD performed evaluations of land use,
soil infiltration, drainage areas,  and individual
bioretention unit performance. Kansas City has
used the results to adapt Gl approaches in the
service area.  EPA is communicating the results
and  lessons  learned to  other  municipalities.
ORD plans to collaborate with Camden County
Metropolitan   Utilities   Authority   in   New
Jersey to monitor  cisterns and  bioinfiltration/
biofiltration practices to gain knowledge  on  Gl
placement and effectiveness.

Another  current  collaboration  with  the City
of Birmingham (Alabama) will  adapt ORD's
Stormwater  Calculator  to include  green and
gray infrastructure costs for land development
in the Birmingham area. Future Gl community
research  plans include  the  application  of  Gl
models and tools  to existing and future place-
based research sites, implementation of Gl in
drought-prone areas for water  collection and
aquifer storage, and increased  collaboration
with  underserved communities  through EPA
Administrator's initiative on making a visible
difference in communities. Research supporting
the Gl place-based project consists of providing
classification   frameworks  for   prioritizing
selection of and extrapolating results from place-
based  studies, pre-implementation planning,
Gl implementation and  monitoring, assessing
groundwater impacts, and implementation of
natural green infrastructure for improved water
management.

The  main  Gl  place-based  research  project
output will consist of guidance and examples
demonstrating   the   effectiveness,   costs,
benefits, and  risks/constraints  on  the   use
of green infrastructure to treat stormwater
and  post-use water and recharge aquifers at
multiple scales.

Anticipated   impacts  from   Gl   place-based
research results include:

• a  better  understanding of socio-economic
drivers for Gl implementation;

• transferring results and conclusions from
place-based   studies  to  other  communities
challenged by CSO or water supply issues so as
to inform their water management decisions;

• increasing  the  overall resiliency  of water
systems in the United States;

• augmenting the use of Gl for water capture
and aquifer recharge; and

• increasing  our  understanding of the  role
of natural Gl  in wastewater  and stormwater
management efforts.

Integration and Collaboration
The  Gl research will integrate with ORD's SHC
research projects that involve community plan-
ning and development, groundwater research,
and  with ORD's ACE research on resilience to
climate change and extreme events. The  pro-
posed  research links with  EPA's  Nitrogen and

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Co-Pollutant Roadmap, particularly in the area
of water-quality modeling for Gl installations.
For example, systematic studies on the use of
Gl for nitrogen  and co-pollutant removal from
stormwater runoff can inform communities on
specific Gl practices that may supply the added
benefit of pollutant removal. The place-based
Gl research strives toward helping underserved
communities challenged by CSO or water-sup-
ply issues and aligns with EPA's Environmental
Justice Cross-Cutting Research Roadmap and
EPA Administrator's initiative on making a vis-
ible difference in communities.

EPA researchers  anticipate  continued collab-
orations with other federal agencies such as the
U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. Place-based Gl projects  currently
work closely with local governments  and  utili-
ties (e.g., the Greater Metropolitan Sewer Dis-
trict of Cincinnati) and will continue to do so.

Water Systems

ORD provides critical support to EPA's Office of
Water, regional offices, and water utilities  to
help current water systems provide safe drink-
ing water and properly treated post-use waters.
ORD also  contributes  essential  information
to the  Office of Water on human health  risks
posed  by contaminants  (including microbial,
chemical, and radiological) associated with wa-
ter systems. In addition to this critical support
to program and regional offices, ORD  recogniz-
es the need for  addressing near-term and long-
term challenges to water systems. The Water
Systems topic research aims to push forward
the next generation of technological, engineer-
ing, and process advances to maintain safe and
sustainable water resources for  humans and
the environment, while also augmenting and
improving water resources.

Research in the Water Systems topic will hope-
fully support future community projects funded
through the Water Infrastructure Finance and
Innovation Act, and the Clean Water and Drink-
ing Water State Revolving Funds through iden-
tifying and promoting treatment processes and
technologies  that enhance energy efficiency
and, for drinking water, make use  of alterna-
tive sources of water  (e.g., post-use water or
brackish  source  water).  The Water Systems
topic  research will  also  develop approaches
and evaluate technologies to  help  evolve wa-
ter systems toward a more sustainable future.
The three project areas in the Water Systems
research topic complement each other and fo-
cus on continuous, integrated research among
the separate projects. The integrated themes
for the projects include the following:

• Integrated assessment tool to define optimal
resource recovery-based water systems, includ-
ing recovering water fit for purpose at various
scales.

• Advanced  monitoring and  analytical  tools
(i.e., multiple parameters) for  effective inte-
grated water system management to minimize
human and ecological risk.

• Development  and demonstration  of indi-
vidual technologies and integrated  systems to
improve the collection, treatment, and distribu-
tion of water (drinking water and post-use wa-
ter) and the recovery of resources.

• Advancement of technologies for measur-
ing health risks in current  and future systems.
             Topic Highlights
  Updated analytical methods for contaminants
    of emerging concern in water, including
   improved analysis, detection and treatment
  of HABs and algal toxins from watersheds to
           drinking water facilities.
 Rapid toxicity screening of water contaminants
     of emerging concern and disinfection
    byproducts for effects on human health.

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Project 1: Current Systems and Regulatory
Support
Project 1 covers the development and evaluation
of data, approaches, and technologies that will
support the promulgation and implementation
of federal  water  regulations and  guidance
while also addressing  regional,  state,  and
community  concerns.  Project  1's  specific
objectives are to (1) supply research results to
support federal regulations and guidance; (2)
provide strategies to  regional offices, states,
and  communities for  improved  regulatory
compliance; and (3) provide rapid and effective
emergency response when appropriate  (e.g.,
water system shut-down due to source water
contamination).   These  objectives  include
research on contaminants that undergo periodic
Congressional  mandated  regulatory cycles of
review, such as the Microbial Disinfection By-
Product Rules,  and  chemicals  and  pathogens
on the Contaminant  Candidate List  and the
Unregulated Contaminants  Monitoring  Rule
List, as well as other contaminants of concern
(including groups  of  contaminants).  Other
objectives  include   optimizing  treatment,
monitoring, and analytical processes; exposure/
risk assessments for compliance with post-use
water treatment regulations;  and  improved
pathogen control.

Project 2: Next Steps  — Technology
Advances
Although the approaches in this project may
support current  and  near-future  regulatory
processes, or may be transformative in nature,
they are  reasonably well developed, but not
yet ready for routine or regulatory use. Project
2 will  expedite the  development  of  these
approaches to  promote wider acceptance and
implementation  by  program  offices,  regional
offices, states,  communities and others within
the time frame of the current project period
(2016-2019). The project includes  advances
in a  number  of areas  such as   resource
recovery, treatment, monitoring and analytical
measurements,  collection  and  distribution
systems,  methods and approaches to predict
or monitor human health outcomes and risk
assessment. It will also focus on new ways of
assessing  risks  from chemical and microbial
contaminants,  provide  data   on  currently
unregulated contaminants,  and develop new
analytical  methods based on identified future
needs.

Project  3:  Transformative Approaches  and
Technologies for Water Systems
This   project  will  develop  approaches  and
evaluate technologies that will help transform
water  systems toward a  more  sustainable
future. Water systems challenged by issues such
as shrinking  resources, aging infrastructure,
shifting  demographics,  and  climate  change
need  transformative  approaches  that meet
public health and environmental goals, while
optimizing water treatment and maximizing
resource recovery and system resiliency.

Project   3   involves    four   main   efforts
coresponding to  the  integrated  themes
described above. The  first effort develops an
integrated sustainability assessment framework
based on linkages among drinking water, post-
use water, stormwater, and natural infrastructure
contained within a watershed. The  framework
will integrate various complementary system-
based tools,  such  as   life-cycle assessments,
life-cycle  costs, advanced water footprinting
approaches, energy analyses  and  resiliency
to climate-induced  events to  quantitatively
evaluate  alternative, innovative water system
approaches. The second effort focuses  on
the development of real-time  (or near-real-
time)  measurements for  monitoring potential
chemical and microbiological risks from recycled
water and other alternative sources. The third
focus  area emphasizes the demonstration and
evaluation of alternative  systems to generate

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performance  data. Market  adoption  factors
will be considered, including public acceptance,
regulatory  and  policy  drivers/barriers  and
business and economic development potential.
The final area involves the development  of
transformative  approaches  to  waterborne
human health risk measurements,  including
high-throughput sequencing to identify novel
indicators/surrogates to  assess the efficacy of
water reuse systems.

Integration and Collaboration
The Water  Systems research  links  with the
other ORD  research programs. Particularly,
the energy  footprint reduction connects  with
ORD's ACE. The  work to increase  resiliency
and preparedness for extreme weather events
links with ORD's  Homeland Security research
program. The monitoring protocols and health-
risk  assessment   research  relate  to ORD's
CSS. Human  health  risk  data development
will also link  with  research  in ORD's  Human
Health   Risk  Assessment  program.  Finally,
the demonstrations and acceptance  at the
community  level, along with testbed research,
will interact with ORD's SHC.

The Water Systems topic research will provide
input  to  EPA's  Nitrogen  and  Co-Pollutant
Roadmap,  particularly in the  area  of water
quality nutrient and co-pollutant removal from
post-use water in reuse and post-use water
treatment. Pilot-scale research on monitoring
and treatment systems will help underserved
communities challenged  by water  treatment
issues and  aligns with EPA's  Environmental
Justice   Cross-Cutting  Research   Roadmap
and EPA Administrator's initiative on making
a  visible  difference in  communities.  The
research projects align  with  EPA's  Children's
Environmental   Health   Roadmap   through
research  on health risks from  exposure  to
contaminants in drinking water (e.g., cell-based
bioassays).  Additionally,  this  research  links
with EPA's Climate Change Research Roadmap
through research on energy reducing or energy
producing treatment processes and broad life-
cycle assessments for maximizing water system
efficiency.

ORD  researchers  enjoy a  long  history  of
collaboration with EPA's programs and regional
offices. In addition to EPA partners,  researchers
working under the Water Systems topic expect
to continue collaborations with municipalities,
utilities, and state officials and organizations
(e.g., the Association of State Drinking Water
Administrators and the Environmental Research
Institute of the States). Collaborations will also
continue with the Water Research Foundation,
Water  Environment  Research  Foundation,
and  the  Water Reuse  Research  Foundation
and  academia  on  research  involving water
treatment and reuse.


Anticipated  Research

Accomplishments and

Projected  Impacts

SSWR research is using an  integrated, systems
approach to develop scientific and technological
solutions  to protect  human  health  and  to
protect and restore watersheds and aquatic
ecosystems. This research will have the greatest
impact when  products are  developed  and
delivered in ways most useful to SSWR partners
and  stakeholders.  ORD products  specifically
designed  to be useful in the hands of  partners
are termed  "outputs."  The proposed SSWR
outputs for FY16 to FY19 are listed in Appendix
A. Examples of anticipated accomplishments
for each research topic are summarized below.

Watershed Sustainability
Research   on  watershed  sustainability  will
produce   integrated  water   resource  and

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watershed   management   approaches,
models, and decision making tools to ensure
sustainable water  resources. The anticipated
accomplishments  include   innovative  tools
for  multi-scale  assessment,  mapping  and
prediction  of  multimedia  effects  on  the
condition, integrity, and  sustainability of the
Nation's waters and  cost-benefit analysis and
modeling  tools for estimating the economic
benefits  of water-quality improvements  for
surface  waters,  from headwater streams to
downstream   lakes,  estuaries,  and  coastal
ecosystems. In addition,  anticipated  research
accomplishments will  advance  the  science
and  provide approaches  and  modeling  tools
to strengthen  ambient water-quality criteria
for chemical  and  microbial  contaminants to
protect human health and aquatic life, as well
as for assessing risks to watershed  integrity
and  sustainability over the entire life-cycle of
conventional and unconventional energy and
mineral  extraction technologies and practices.
The  research  will  advance  the sustainable
management of the  Nation's water resources
to ensure  sufficient water quality and quantity
to support environmental, socio-economic, and
public health needs now and  into the future.

Nutrients
Anticipated  accomplishments  will  improve
our ability to analyze and detect harmful algal
blooms,  better  understand  the  interactive
effects of temperature and nutrient loadings on
harmful algal bloom development, and provide
drinking water  treatment system operators with
improved  methods for detecting and treating
toxins on  site.  Research will also target where
the  greatest improvements  can be achieved
by reducing point-source  and nonpoint-source
nutrient  loading. Specifically,  this work will
support the development of numeric nutrient
criteria  and improved technologies,  as  well
as  best   management practices,  inspection
and  maintenance practices to cost-effectively
monitor and  reduce nutrient  loading  using
current   regulatory,  voluntary,  and  green-
infrastructure  approaches.  In  addition,  a
multimedia approach to evaluate management
practices  from  a  multi-sector,   multi-scale
systems perspective will improve management
of nutrient loadings in the Nation's water bodies
toward the full restoration of designated uses,
while meeting future demands for sustainable
clean sources of water.

Green  Infrastructure
Anticipated accomplishments for this research
include the development and implementation
of innovative models, tools, technologies and
strategies for managing stormwater runoff and
other flooding events, using natural and built
green infrastructure in combination with gray
infrastructure over the long-term.  This will be
especially valuable when existing infrastructure
will require repairs or replacement and improved
resiliency  is needed  for  climate  change,
extreme  events, and security threats. Another
accomplishment will be to verify reliability and
explore  with partners the ability  to quantify
the comparative costs and  benefits of gray
and green  infrastructure  for managing water
volume and improving water quality and other
benefits  (groundwater  recharge,   rainwater
harvesting  for  irrigation,  improving  human
health by  reducing ground-level  ozone  and
particulate  matter and providing opportunities
for  recreation,  reducing  urban heat  islands,
creating  habitat,  improving  property  values,
creating  new jobs, etc.). This work also aims
to anticipate any  unintended  consequences
related  to  increased  water  permeation  into
soil and groundwater. We expect that research
results from this topic will increase the ability
for community planners to make well-informed
decisions concerning implementation of green
infrastructure.

Water  Systems
This  research will continue the high level of
public health protection and research supportto

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the program and regional offices with a focus on
sustainable treatment technologies to address
existing and emerging chemical  and microbial
contaminants, both as individuals  and groups.
Anticipated impacts  include increasing water
reuse (and public acceptance of its use). Water
reuse research will include efforts to maximize
the recovery  of other resources embedded  in
post-use waters,  such as  nutrients,  energy,
and  materials (e.g.,  metals,  chemicals), using
resilient  and  energy-efficient  technologies.
Our aim is for the resource recovery studies to
increase energy efficiencies and reduce costs for
post-use water treatment. Water Systems topic
research will advance cost-effective treatment
technologies, operations, and maintenance for
small water systems by providing evaluations
of novel  treatment  processes and  assessing
sustainable  approaches  including   effective
decentralized   systems.    Using    resilient
approaches  for all  systems will make  them
more prepared for  extreme  events,  climate
change, and security threats, resulting in better
protection  of  water quality and availability,
human and environmental health, and capital
investments.
Conclusions
Water  knows  no borders.  From the  highest
headwaters to the farthest oceans  and back
again as water  vapor,  it flows in a  highly
interrelated  cycle. Consequently, threats to
our water  resources, such as contaminants,
increased  use, aging infrastructure,  climate
change, and extreme events, affect not just one
river, reservoir or estuary, but instead ripple
through the whole system.

Our  Nation's  response  to these  challenges
must be equally  dynamic. The SSWR research
program takes  an integrated  approach that
looks at the entire cycle to develop long-term,
real-world  solutions. This Strategic Research
Action  Plan maps out the targeted steps that
will be  taken  in the next four years.  It  was
developed  in  collaboration  with other  EPA
research programs,  federal agencies,  private
and  public  stakeholders,  and  colleagues in
the scientific community. Such  cross-cutting
communication  and all-level partnerships are
key to seamless, effective responses.  Progress
made in one area can cascade through different
scales—local, state, regional, and national.

This research is guided by overarching objectives
that change the water-management paradigm:
"wastewater" becomes a valuable commodity;
undervalued water  becomes a resource with
quantified  benefits; and  isolated quick fixes
become system-wide solutions. This work will
yield  the innovative  tools  and information
needed  to  protect the  quality, supply  and
resiliency of America's waters, sustaining them
so that they, in turn, can sustain our Nation.

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References
AWWA  (2012).  Buried  No  Longer:  Confronting  America's  Water  Infrastructure  Challenge.
(http://www.awwa.Org/portals/0/files/legreg/documents/buriednolonger.pdf)

EPRI (2002). Water andSustainability (Volume 4): U.S. Electricity Consumption for Water Supply and
Treatment-The Next Half Century. EPRI Technical Report. (http://www.epri.com/abstracts/Pages/
ProductAbstract.aspx?Productld=000000000001006787)

Garfin, G.,  G. Franco, H. Blanco, A. Comrie,  P. Gonzalez, T. Piechota, R. Smyth, and R. Waskom
(2014). Ch.  20: Southwest. Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate
Assessment, J. M. Melillo, Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and G. W. Yohe, Eds., U.S. Global Change Research
Program, 462-486. doi:10.7930/J08G8HMN.

Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments  Act of 2014, Pub.  L. No.
113-124, 128 Stat.1379 (2014)   (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsvs/pkg/PLAW-113publl24/pdf/PLAW-
113publl24.pdf)

Hoerling, M.  P., M. Dettinger,  K. Wolter, J. Lukas, J. Eischeid, R. Nemani,  B. Liebmann, and K. E.
Kunkel, (2013).  Ch. 5: Present weather and climate: Evolving conditions.  Assessment of Climate
Change in the Southwest United States: A Report Prepared for the National Climate Assessment, G.
Garfin, A. Jardine, R. Merideth, M. Black, and S. LeRoy, Eds., Island Press,  74-97.

Millennium Assessment (MA) (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Health Synthesis: A Report
of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. World Health  Organization. 53  pp. (http://www.who.int/
globalchange/ecosvstems/ecosvstems05/en/)

Melillo, Jerry  M., Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and Gary W. Yohe, Eds.,  (2014). Climate Change Impacts
in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program,
841 pp. doi:10.7930/JOZ31WJ2.

NOAA (2013). NOAA's State of the Coast: National Coastal Population Report - Population Trends
from 1970-2020. (http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/features/coastal-population-report.pdf)

U.S. EPA (201 la). CERCLA Overview, (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policv/cercla.htm)

U.S. EPA (2011b). Memorandum, "Working in Partnership with States to Address Phosphorous and
Nitrogen Pollution through Use of a Framework for State Nutrient Reductions." Nancy K. Stoner,
Assistant Administrator to Regional Administrators. March 16, 2011. (http://www2.epa.gov/sites/
production/files/documents/memo  nitrogen framework.pdf)

U.S. EPA (2012).  Technology Innovation for Environmental and Economic Progress: An EPA Roadmap.
(http://www2.epa.gov/envirofinance/innovation)

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U.S. EPA (2013a). Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities. A Guide to Developing and
Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs. EPA-430-R-09-038

U.S. EPA (2013b). Summary of Clean Water Act. (http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-
clean-water-act)

U.S. EPA  (2014a).  EPA Strategic  Plan FY 2014-2018.  (http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/
strategicplan)

U.S. EPA (2014b). Promoting Technology Innovation for Clean and Safe Water: Water Technology
Innovation  Blueprint  -  Version  2.  (http://www2.epa.gov/innovation/water-innovation-and-
technology)

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index.cfm)

U.S. EPA  (2015a). Laws, Regulations, and  Policies Pertaining  to Underground Storage Tanks.
(http://www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/)

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laws-regulations/summarv-resource-conservation-and-recoverv-act)

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Appendix A
Table of  Proposed Outputs, Safe and  Sustainable Water  Resources  research  program
FY 2016-2019
The following table lists the expected outputs from the Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
research program, organized by topic. Note that outputs may change as new scientific findings
emerge. Outputs are also contingent on budget appropriations.
Project Area
Area-Specific Outputs
Watershed Sustainability
Sustainable Water
Water-Quality Criteria
Minerals and Energy
Water-Quality Benefits
FY2018 - Guidance to characterize and predict the condition and
integrity of aquatic systems and their watersheds at multiple scales.
FY2019 - Scientific tools for multi-scale assessments of multi-media
effects on the condition, integrity and sustainability of the Nation's
waters.
FY2019 - Scientific basis and tools for expanded water-quality criteria
capability to protect human health and aquatic life.
FY2017 - Synthesis of the science on groundwater quality impacts
around uranium in situ recovery sites.
FY2019 - Proactive approaches to assessing risks to watershed integrity
and sustainability associated with current, transitioning or emerging
technologies and practices, including water use, for the life cycle of
conventional and unconventional energy, minerals and other materials.
FY2019 - Provide economic analyses, water-quality models and
knowledge to program offices, to support the economic valuation
of changes in water quality, water availability and related ecosystem
services, at appropriate scales for the Nation's main water body types.
Nutrients
Harmful Algal Blooms
Nutrient Threshold
Targets and Nutrient
Management
FY2019 - Science and tools that advance the ability of stakeholders to
more effectively, and economically, characterize and manage (prevent,
control and mitigate) risks posed by harmful algal blooms.
FY2019 - Methods, tools, data and scientific analyses to inform
prioritization of watersheds for management of nutrients and
set nutrient specific water quality and aquatic life thresholds;
and demonstrate and communicate new metrics, management
approaches, and use of monitoring data to verify the expected benefits
from applying nutrient reduction management practices.

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                                 Green Infrastructure
Gl Models and Tools
FY2016 - Provide performance information, guidance and planning
tools for program offices and community partners to facilitate
increased adoption of Gl.
FY2019 - Demonstrate modeling tool approaches for program
offices and community partners to assess green infrastructure (Gl)
effectiveness for managing both runoff volume and water quality at
multiple watershed scales.
Gl Community
FY2019 - Advance the ability of communities and watershed
organizations to make informed decisions on whether and how to
implement Gl for stormwater and post-use water treatment, water
capture  and aquifer recharge.
                                    Water Systems
Water Systems -
Regulatory Support
FY2017 - Advanced monitoring and analytical tools (multiple
parameters) for effective integrated water system management to
minimize human and ecological risk.
FY2019 - Develop and demonstrate individual technologies and
integrated systems to optimize the collection, treatment and
distribution of water (drinking water and wastewater) and the recovery
of resources.
FY2019 - Communication of technological advancements for
measuring health risks in current and future systems.
Next Generation Water
Systems
FY2018 - Advanced monitoring and analytical tools (multiple
parameters) for effective integrated water system management to
minimize human and ecological risk.
FY2019 - Develop and demonstrate individual technologies and
integrated systems to optimize the collection, treatment and
distribution of water (drinking water and wastewater) and the recovery
of resources.
FY2019 - Communication of technological advancements for
measuring health risks in current and future systems.
Water System
Approaches
FY2017 - Integrated assessment tool to define optimal resource
recovery-based water systems including water fit for purpose at
various scales.
FY2018 - Advanced monitoring and analytical tools (multiple
parameters) for effective integrated water system management to
minimize human and ecological risk.
FY2019 - Develop and demonstrate individual technologies and
integrated systems to optimize the collection, treatment and
distribution of water (drinking water and wastewater) and the recovery
of resources.
FY2019 - Communication of technological advancements for
measuring health risks in current and future systems.

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Appendix B
Partners and Stakeholders for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research

Note: SSWR works with many partner and stakeholder organizations and new partnerships are
continually forming; therefore, this list is not comprehensive.

Federal Agencies
    Department of Agriculture
       U.S. Forest Service
    Department of Commerce
       National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    Department of Defense
       U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    Department of Energy
    Department of Interior
       U.S. Geological Survey
       U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    National Science Foundation

State/Local Organizations
    Environmental Council of the States/ Environmental Research Institute of the States
    National Association of Clean Water Agencies
    Association of State Drinking Water Administrators

Non-governmental Organizations
    Water Research Foundation
    Water Environment Research Foundation
    Water Reuse Foundation
    The Nature Conservancy

International Organizations
    Global Water Research Coalition
    Environment Canada
    United Nations Environment Programme
       Project on International Nitrogen Management System

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
PRESORTED STANDARD
 POSTAGES FEES PAID
         EPA
   PERMIT NO. G-35
Office of Research and Development (8101R)
Washington, DC 20460

Official  Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300

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