TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF JANUARY 21, 2010
COMMITTEE ON MONITORING AND RESEARCH
Mr. Richard Lanyon, Executive Director
Title
Authority to Subscribe to the Water Environment Research Foundation for 2010, in an Amount Not to Exceed $117,300.00, Account 101-15000-612280 (Corporate Fund)
Body
Dear Sir:
The District is in receipt of the 2010 annual subscription renewal notice from the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) for the period January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.
WERF is currently sponsoring 105 projects totaling approximately $28 million, of which $20 million is WERF cost for the projects. Of these 105 projects, 28 projects, totaling about $8 million of expenditures, are especially applicable to the District and are summarized below.
1. Project 02-CTS-1/1a, Sustainable Technology for Achieving Very Low Nitrogen and Phosphorus POTW Effluent -1: Nitrogen Speciation and Bioavailability Studies - 1a, Budget - $424,310.00
2. Project 03-CTS-9A, Identifying & Controlling the Municipal Wastewater Odor Environment Phase 4a - Optimization of Post-Digestion Iron and Alum Addition for Odor Control, Budget - $57,500.00
3. Project 03-CTS-9C, WERF Biosolids Odor Reduction Project Development of Web-Based Decision Tool, Budget - $35,000.00
4. Project 04-CTS-10S, Integrated, GIS-Based Consequence Assessment Model for Sewer and Stormwater, Budget - $351,868.00
5. Project 04-HHE-5, A Risk-Based Approach to Optimize Filtration and Disinfection Systems, Budget - $299,845.00
6. Project 04-HHE-6, Fate of Estrogenic Compounds during Municipal Sludge Stabilization and Dewatering, Budget - $633,174.00
7. Project 04-SW-3, Phase 2, Project 03-SW-4: Development of a Guidance Document for Developing Strategies for Managing Municipal Stormwater: Trade-Offs between Infiltration and Discharges to Surface Waters (Phase II), Budget - $200,000.00
8. Project 08-HHE-5PP, Pilot Testing: Epidemiologic Surveillance and Investigation of Symptoms of Illness Reported by Neighbors of Biosolids Land Application Sites, Budget - $423,031.00
9. Project CC2R08, White Paper to Characterize Climate Change Impacts to Clean Water Sector, Budget - $68,724.00
10. Project CEC5R08, Diagnostic Tools to Evaluate Impacts of Trace Organic Compounds on Aquatic Populations and Communities: Phase I - Prioritization, Development and Testing of Site-Specific Framework, Budget - $633,223.00
11. Project DEC1R09, Evaluation of the Potential for Methane Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Septic Systems , Budget - $76,637.00
12. Project NUTR1R06-TO4, Efficient, Cost-Effective Nutrient Removal from Wastewater, Budget - $744,631.00
13. Project OWSO4R07-TO1, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO1, Budget - $101,585.00
14. Project OWSO4R07-TO2, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO2, Budget - $93,496.00
15. Project OWSO4R07-TO3, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO3, Budget - $222,012.00
16. Project OWSO4R07-TO4, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO4, Budget - $156,523.00
17. Project OWSO4R07-TO5, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO5, Budget - $102,950.00
18. Project OWSO4R07-TO6, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations - TO6, Budget - $75,290.00
19. Project OWSO4R07-TO7, Energy Efficiency in the Wastewater Treatment in North America: A Compendium of Best Practices and Case Studies of Novel Approaches, Budget - $149,780.00
20. Project OWSO6R07-TO1, Optimization of Wastewater and Solids Operations, Budget - $169,198.00
21. Project OWSO6R07-TO2, Green Energy Life Cycle Assessment Tool, Budget - $328,704.00
22. Project OWSO8C09, Demonstrating Power Production in Wastewater Treatment Processes on a Pilot Scale Basis, Budget - $364,435.00
23. Project SRSK2R08, Applying Advances in Pathogen Risk Assessment to Land Application of Biosolids and Communicating the Results, Budget - $257,000.00
24. Project SRSK4T08, Applying Advances in Pathogen Risk Assessment to Land Application of Biosolids and Communicating the Results, Budget - $753,184.00
25. Project SW1R06-TO5, Linking Stormwater Bmp Systems Performance to Receiving Water Protection to Improve Selection and Design, Budget - $255,648.00
26. Project U1R07, Sustainable Phosphorus Removal , Budget - $114,485.00
27. Project U2R07, QSPR for Wastewater Treatment, Budget - $141,064.00
28. Project U4R07, Greenhouse Nitrogen Emissions, Budget - $715,585.00
By remaining a subscriber to WERF, the District will reap the benefits of the findings from various projects in a timely manner through WERF's excellent progress reports and final reports. The information that will be gathered particularly in the areas of water quality, wastewater treatment, sludge processing, and risk assessment will be highly beneficial to the District's current operations and future planning of capital improvement projects. It is estimated that the District's annual investment of $117,300.00 to be a WERF subscriber saves the District many times that amount if this research were to be conducted in-house. In January 2009, Dr. Thomas Granato, Assistant Director of Monitoring and Research, began a three-year appointment to the WERF Research Council. This will further ensure that the District optimizes the benefits of this subscription.
In view of the above, it is requested that the District be authorized to subscribe to WERF from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. The total cost of the 2010 annual fee is $117,300.00. Funds have been approved and are available in the 2010 budget in Account 101-15000-612280.
Requested, Louis Kollias, Director of Monitoring and Research, LK:CO’C:AO:lmf
Recommended, Jill B. Horist, Manager, Office of Public Affairs
Respectfully Submitted, Mariyana T. Spyropoulos, Chairman Committee on Monitoring and Research
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for January 21, 2010