NEBRA Writes Letters in Support of EPA Biosolids Research Grants

As reported in NEBRAMail back in November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Request for Applications for biosolids research grant proposals to identify, characterize and manage risks of known and emerging chemical pollutants found in biosolids. EPA is making nearly $6 million available to private nonprofit institutions and public and private universities and colleges within the U.S. doing this kind of research. The grant solicitation opened on October 13th and closed on January 5th.

Back in December, NEBRA was asked and signed on in support of several of the research proposals including the Water Research Foundation’s project which will look at “Unregulated Chemicals in Biosolids: Chemical Prioritization, Fate and Risk Evaluation for Land Applications.” NEBRA also wrote in support of the University of Buffalo’s project is titled “Prioritization of Pollutants in Land-Applied Biosolids Based on Occurrence, Fate, and Risks”. North Carolina State is hoping to get funding to work on “Identification of “At Risk” Organic Chemicals of Concern for Class A Biosolids and Exceptional Quality Products across the United States and Major Soil Regimes”. If successful, NEBRA will support this NC State project by helping to collect biosolids samples from its members. The fourth research project of interest to NEBRA was from the University of Albany which plans to develop a tool for biosolid risk assessment using site-specific information.