Water infrastructure modernization gets a modest monetary infusion of $27.5 million in project funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 16 water infrastructure projects. The selected initiatives offer potential to reduce carbon emissions and water treatment costs while improving water quality and equity of distribution nationwide.

The projects in 13 states reflect the transition of a growing number of water utilities from a focus on wastewater treatment to a broader model of water resource management. This involves collecting and treating wastewater along with cleaning waterways, producing water grades suitable for industry and agriculture along with drinkable water for households, and recovering energy. The funded programs help provide sustainable water sources and affordable treatment options to industry, municipalities, agriculture, utilities and the oil and gas sector.

The projects selected are expected to develop widely applicable treatment processes to produce renewable power, extract chemicals and fertilizers, and reuse water locally, while simultaneously minimizing energy consumption and waste generation. Efforts will also be devoted to evaluating flexible grid service for opportunities to generate biopower from wastewater and deploying artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive process controls to improve resilience and efficiency. Additional research will address environmental justice and social inequities produced by lack of access to clean water among rural and Native communities, and improve wastewater treatment options for agriculture and livestock.