The project aims to find sustainable technologies, methods, and cost-effective opportunities for more efficient nutrient removal in lagoon wastewater systems serving small, rural communities

The Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development awarded $1,538,477 under the Innovative Water Technology Grant Program (CFDA 66.521) to the West Virginia University Research Corporation from January 2023 through December 2025. The project aims to identify sustainable technologies, methods, and cost-effective opportunities for more efficient nutrient removal in lagoon wastewater systems serving small, rural communities of less than 10,000 people. Under the award, the West Virginia University Research Corporation will receive $403,039 and the University of California, Davis will receive $390,000 in subawards. The subrecipients will conduct life cycle cost analyses, life cycle assessments, and develop lagoon-specific wastewater process modeling approaches and cost models to evaluate nutrient removal performance of different technologies in various lagoon systems and climates. Deliverables will include annual and final reports, case studies, modeling procedures, and a decision support tool to promote contextual and cost-effective technology options for improved nutrient management in small community lagoons.

Activities:activities include (1) identifying the various technology options currently implemented at lagoon facilities serving less than 10,000 people that consistently remove ammonia, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus to low levels, (2) determining the nutrient removal performance and contextual challenges of technologies that can efficiently and consistently remove nutrients in different types of lagoon systems in different climates, (3) determining the economic performance of technologies that can efficiently and consistently remove nutrients in different types of lagoon systems in different climates, and (4) determining the life-cycle environmental impacts of technologies that can efficiently and consistently remove nutrients in different types of lagoon systems in different climates. Subrecipient:subaward to california state university at chico ($403,039) for the life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment. Subaward to university of californiamdash; davis ($390,000) for analyzing lagoon process configurations, synthesis of process data obtained from literature and other sources, evaluation of process data using probability distributions, development of lagoon-specific wastewater process modeling approaches to improve the potential for nutrient management in lagoons, and assisting with the cost models for lagoon capital and operational costs.outcomes:deliverables include annual and final reports, as well as case studies, modeling procedures, and a decision-support tool to promote contextual, cost-effective technology options to improve nutrient removal in lagoon systems in small communities. Intended beneficiaries include small rural communities, lagoon wastewater operators and stakeholders, and state, tribal and local water resource managers.