The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a 5-year, $477,883 Project Grant under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst. The goal of this CAREER award is to test the hypothesis that local water storage can be designed to preserve or improve water quality following contamination events while achieving resiliency through interruptions to water supplies. The key objectives are to: 1) quantify the effects of contamination on the accumulation, persistence, and release of indicator bacteria and pathogens in home water storage tanks; 2) investigate interventions to minimize microbial growth in home water storage while reducing water consumption, supply interruption, and cost; and 3) develop a framework for optimizing water storage volumes to meet safety, supply, and reliability goals. The research will integrate experiments and modeling to uncover critical design and operational parameters that control tradeoffs between water quality and storage capacity in premise plumbing systems. Additionally, the project will implement educational initiatives, including a hands-on design competition and new graduate course, to train students in use-inspired design thinking for innovative water system solutions.
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