Innovation Applied: Streamlining Access and Approvals of Treatment Technologies

ASDWA is leading a research project by EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD)Innovation Applied: Streamlining Access and Approvals of Treatment Technologies for Small Systems and Private Wells. The primary objective of this project is to develop and validate programmatic approaches through research and technical assistance for obtaining approval for new or alternative treatment technologies in a state and how to ensure that, or to the greatest extent possible, approvals could transfer from state to state without compromising public health protection.

ASDWA is the principal investigator on this project and is partnering with the Water Research Foundation (WRF), the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass), and Corona Environmental Consulting. The research project has a three-year duration (August 1, 2021-July 31, 2024).

To address the most critical needs of the sector, the Research Team will focus our efforts in the final year of the project on building resources specifically to support evaluations of treatment technology for PFAS.

The project currently has the following goals:

  1. Developing a decision guide for small systems to use when evaluating innovative technologies.
  2. Configuring a shared resource for state regulators to accelerate research and foster greater knowledge transfer about innovative treatment technologies, including lessons learned and important considerations to ensure successful deployment and speed regulatory review.
  3. Generating resources for vendors to learn more about bringing their technologies to market, emphasizing increasing their understanding of the state regulatory review process and expectations.
  4. Creating online training courses to support a rules-based understanding of treatment options to assist state regulators. Less technical content should be available for small and rural systems and private well owners to understand how best to evaluate innovative treatment options.

If you’d like to participate in the project or provide feedback for the research team, please fill out the form below:

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