Brazos Research Wetland: An Evaluation of an Innnovative Constructed Wetland Designed to Attenuate Endocrine Disrupting Compounds from Reclaimed Wastewater | R 16 NOI DO 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for R 16 NOI DO 003

The Brazos Research Wetland grant opportunity supports a focused applied research project in Waco, Texas, aimed at answering a practical question facing water utilities that are considering (or expanding) potable reuse: can a constructed wetland serve as a reliable environmental buffer that further reduces endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in treated wastewater before that water is ultimately used to help augment drinking water supplies. The need for this kind of work was flagged as a high priority in the 2011 Texas Water Reuse Research Agenda and echoed nationally by a 2012 National Academy of Sciences report, largely because EDCs have drawn attention for their potential to affect human health and aquatic ecosystems even at very low concentrations. In this context, the project is meant to produce real performance data showing whether a carefully engineered wetland can measurably attenuate these compounds and reduce endocrine disruption effects as water moves through a buffer system.

A central feature of the opportunity is the evaluation of an "innovative" constructed wetland design rather than a standard, single-zone wetland. The design is described as innovative because it deliberately combines and sequences multiple engineered surface and subsurface treatment zones, and it adds passive aeration elements that use flowing cascades and turbulent stream channels. In plain terms, the wetland is set up to push water through different physical and biochemical environments (for example, oxygen-rich versus oxygen-poor zones, surface flow versus subsurface flow) that may encourage different removal mechanisms such as sorption to sediments, microbial transformation, plant uptake, and oxidative degradation. The passive aeration pieces matter because they can change dissolved oxygen conditions and mixing without relying on energy-intensive mechanical aerators, potentially improving treatment while keeping operating complexity and costs lower.

The work is structured around a formal monitoring effort. The City of Waco is constructing the Brazos Research Wetland using local resources and separate grant funding from the Texas Water Development Board, while the Bureau of Reclamation support described here is aimed at the monitoring and evaluation needed to determine how well the wetland actually performs. In 2014, Waco partnered with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Baylor University to develop a peer-reviewed Hydrologic, Chemical, and Biological Monitoring Plan. That plan lays out the protocols for collecting the data needed to quantify wetland performance, including tracking hydrologic conditions (how water moves through the system), chemical measurements (including the presence and reduction of EDCs), and biological indicators tied to endocrine disruption effects. The opportunity emphasizes that the research depends on consistent, routine sampling and field work, not just occasional testing, because wetland performance can vary with flow, temperature, season, and other changing conditions.

Roles and resourcing are split across partners in a way that is typical for field-based demonstration research. Waco and Baylor University are expected to provide substantial local effort and expertise, including daily, weekly, and monthly monitoring activities required to generate a usable performance dataset over time. The Bureau of Reclamation, through its Science and Technology Program, would provide partial funding to support the monitoring, with additional in-kind contributions from the participating entities. The overall intention is to combine federal support with on-the-ground capacity so that the project produces credible, decision-useful information rather than one-off results.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Bureau of Reclamation under a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning the federal agency is likely to remain involved during the project rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The eligible applicant type listed is city or township governments, consistent with the project being led locally by the City of Waco. The opportunity number is R 16 NOI DO 003, the CFDA number is 15.560, and the posting indicates an expected single award with a maximum (award ceiling) of $340,925. The original closing date listed for applications was 2015-12-18, reflecting that this was a time-bound competition aligned with the wetland construction and the planned monitoring timeline.

In practical terms, the output of this grant-supported work is expected to be a defensible set of hydrologic, chemical, and biological performance data showing whether, and under what conditions, this particular multi-zone, passively aerated constructed wetland design can reduce EDC concentrations and associated endocrine activity as treated wastewater moves through an environmental buffer prior to potable reuse. That kind of evidence can help utilities and regulators evaluate constructed wetlands not just as habitat or polishing systems, but as engineered components within potable reuse frameworks where public health protection and consistent performance are the main benchmarks.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Brazos Research Wetland: An Evaluation of an Innnovative Constructed Wetland Designed to Attenuate Endocrine Disrupting Compounds from Reclaimed Wastewater" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-12-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-12-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $340,925.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: City or township governments.

Apply for R 16 NOI DO 003

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