WERF Issues RFP for Trace Organics Impact to Aquatic Populations
The Water Environment Research Foundation has announced a request for proposals (RFP) for research that will develop technical tools and approaches to evaluate the impacts of trace organic compounds on aquatic populations in waters that receive discharges from wastewater treatment facilities.
Trace organic compounds (TOrC) generally encompass endocrine disruptors and compounds found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products.
This RFP is the first phase of a two-phase research effort. Researchers in this phase will interpret existing data and develop diagnostic tools and approaches to prioritize TOrC of concern. The integrative tools need to address the overarching question: what is the relationship between exposure to trace organic compounds and adverse impacts to aquatic populations and communities?
In the second phase (which will be announced in a later RFP, independent of this one), researchers will apply the tools in a field-based study. They will examine the aquatic effects from TOrC, in the context of other real life chemical and biological stressors.
This first phase of research has several deliverables that will help WERF subscribers, government agencies, and the water quality community make important management decisions. It will deliver a list of TOrC, prioritized on potential to impact aquatic populations and communities; and it will provide a screening tool to assess site-specific ecological impacts of TOrC. The findings will help determine whether a particular observed effect may be the result of exposure to TOrC.
WERF has engaged federal and state agencies, water associations, research institutes, municipalities, utilities, industry and others in a dialogue to define what research is needed to determine the ecological impacts of TOrC. This research will take the collaboration to the next step, by developing an effective partnership of stakeholders from the major organizations involved in the measurement and/or assessment of TOrC.
Proposals in response to RFP CEC5R08C must be received by 5 p.m. (EDT), Nov. 25.
Go to www.werf.org to access the complete request for proposals for Diagnostic Tools to Evaluate Impacts of Trace Organic Compounds on Aquatic Populations and Communities: Phase I – Prioritization, Development and Testing of Site-Specific Framework. Contact WERF program manager Lola Olabode at lolabode@werf.org for more information on this research effort or the proposal process.