science in ACTION

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

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REGIONAL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

The Regional Research Partnership Program (RRPP) is an Office of Research and
Development (ORD) program administered by the Office of Science Policy. The
program provides short-term (up to six months) training opportunities for regional
technical staff to travel to ORD laboratories or centers and work with ORD scientists
on top regional priorities.

Each year, ORD can fund up to 10 regional
technical staff to participate in the program.
Selected program participants should
complete their assignments by the end of
the calendar year.

Goals of the Regional
Research Partnership
Program

Establish short-term
collaborative research
opportunities between
regional staff and ORD
colleagues in ORD
laboratories and centers
to foster long-term
relationships that help
link regional science
needs with ORD research
objectives

Establish a formal
professional development
opportunity for regional
staff to perform field or
laboratory research in their
discipline

Sample RRPP Projects

Region 6 Mobilization
and Fate and Transport of
Minerals in Aquifer Storage
and Recovery Systems

Aquifer Storage and Recovery
(ASR) technology is used in
Texas and New Mexico to assist
with water quantity issues. Little
information is currently available
about the effects of aquifer storage
011 mineral mobilization and the
role of water conditioning on the
fate and transport of contaminants
in treated wastewater effluent.

RRPP Process

Each year regional offices, in collaboration
with ORD, solicit RRPP candidates to work
with an ORD mentor at an ORD laboratory
or center. The Regional Science Liaisons
facilitate early communication between
regional office scientists and ORD scientists,
ensure the projects are within the scope of
ORD's mission, and secure regional and
ORD management support for the nominated
candidates and their projects. Applications
must include a description of the proposed
project, products, the project's importance
to the regional office, a work plan, and
measurements of success.

Regional Science Liaisons
Contact Information

Regional Science Program
Chief, Washington, DC
Maggie LaVay, 202-564-5264
lavay.maggie@epa.gov

Program Coordinator
Washington, DC
Valerie Blank, 202-564-1720
blank.valerie@epa.gov

Region 1-Boston, MA
Robert Hillger, 617-918-8660
hillger.robert@epa.gov

Region 2-New York, NY
Marie O'Shea, 212-637-3585
oshea.marie@epa.gov

Region 3-Philadelphia, PA
Ronald Landy, 410-305-2757
landy.ronald@epa.gov

Region 4-Atlanta, GA
Tom Baugh, 404-562-8275
baugh ,thomasl@epa .gov

Region 5-Chicago, IL
Carole Braverman, 312-353-7359
braverman.carole@epa.gov

Region 6-Dallas, TX
Michael Morton, 214-665-8329
morton.michael@epa.gov

Region 7-Kansas City, KS
Brenda Groskinsky, 913-551-7188
groskinsky.brenda@epa.gov

Region 8-Denver, CO
Patti Tyler, 303-312-6081
tyler.patti@epa.gov

Region 9-San Francisco, CA
Matthew Small, 415-972-3366
small.matthew@epa.gov

Region 10-Seattle, WA
Bruce Duncan, 206-553-0218
duncan.bruce@epa.gov

Continued on page 2.

April 2013


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Region 6 Mobilization and Fate
and Transport of Minerals in
Aquifer Storage and Recovery
Systems, continued from page 1.

Angela Restivo from Region 6
worked with Jeff Yang at ORD's
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory to develop
a better understanding of the
utility of ASR as a national water
storage option, particularly in areas
experiencing water quantity issues.

Soil column tests were used to
assess the effect of water
conditioning on metal
mobilization in ASR systems.

Fate and transport of arsenic
were compared in one column
simulating natural groundwater
flow and one simulating ASR
using reclaimed and secondary
wastewater treatment effluent after
chlorination. Concurrent bench-
scale studies used atomic force
microscopy (AFM) to quantify the
dissolution of pyritc and subsequent
mobilization of arsenic in
reclaimed water.

The information gathered from
this project is available to the
Office of Water, as well as state
and local water utilities that are
considering ASR technology.
Experimental results have cost-
reduction implications in areas
where mineral mobilization could
prevent the use of ASR technology
due to levels in excess of the
Maximum Contaminant Levels.

Region 10 Aquatic Toxicology and Endocrine Disruptors,
Technology Transfer

The environmental impact of endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) is of
great interest to regulators, public health officials, and many other
stakeholders. Many chemicals have the potential for endocrine disruption.
Chemicals regulated individually may act synergistic ally and lead to impacts
greater than the sum of those from the individual chemical constituents. To
better understand the impact of EDCs, this project aimed to transfer real-
time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) technology from ORD's National Exposure
Research Laboratory (NERL) to the EPA Region 10 Laboratory. This newly
developed qPCR technique uses both fathead and sheepshead minnows to
detect EDC exposure in fresh and marine waters, respectively.

This project gave Region 10 scientists Stephanie Harris and Stephanie Bailey
the opportunity to train with Dr. David Lattier of NERL and learn how to
perform qPCR technology. During this one-week training, the scientists
learned to culture and raise fathead minnows and expose them to potentially
impacted water; sacrifice and dissect the minnows; extract and purify RNA;
and use qPCR to detect expression of a gene marker indicative of EDC
exposure.

This project will enable Region 10 to evaluate surface waters for biologically
active levels of EDCs. It will allow a comparison of the efficiency of
removal techniques for estrogenic compounds through joint efforts with the
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits unit and
wastewater treatment plant operators. Finally, Region 10 is collaborating with
Regions 5 and 8 and ORD to develop a standardized biological method for
measuring the estrogenicity of effluents that will be applicable nationwide.

For more information on the Regional Research Partnership Program,
please visit: http://www.epa.gov/osp/regions/rrpp.htm.

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