Brown and Caldwell receives $650,000 from The Water Research Foundation for projects supporting climate resilience and sustainability

Collaborative research to provide solutions for water industry challenges

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown and Caldwell, an engineering consulting firm creating and delivering water and environmental solutions throughout North America and the Pacific, has been awarded $650,000 in funding from The Water Research Foundation (WRF) to lead three innovative research projects.

Each project aims to equip the water industry with solutions to help them be more resilient and operate more efficiently and sustainably in the face of growing climate change impacts and community needs. When the research is complete, water sector leaders can expect to benefit from the industry's first greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions library, proven processes to help meet stringent nutrient limits while reducing carbon footprints, and a guidance manual for regional collaboration to manage brine waste streams.

"While the three research projects vary in technical approach and outcomes, each is highly responsive to the complex climate and operational challenges that the water sector and our clients are facing," said Allegra da Silva, PhD, P.E., Director of Research & Innovation, Brown and Caldwell. "We are proud to receive this funding from WRF so that Brown and Caldwell can continue to collaborate with research partners and utilities in identifying and sharing industry-wide, innovative solutions that ensure efficient, sustainable water supplies for communities. A more resilient water sector supports a more resilient world."

The three research projects and anticipated impact are:

• Developing a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Library for Unit Processes by Water Utilities and Decentralized Systems (WRF 5255). Project researchers will develop and establish a first of its kind GHG emissions library for the water industry. As part of this data repository, the project team of scientists and engineers are working with more than 30 utilities to collect data on emissions and electricity use. Once well-populated, the library will allow the water industry and utilities to more precisely and accurately predict GHG emissions in water, wastewater, reuse water and stormwater processes or facilities, helping them improve safety, resource recovery, and address their own climate action goals. The team's principal investigator is Brown and Caldwell's John Willis, PhD, P.E., Vice President, Wastewater Technical Solutions. The $956,150 project is partly funded by a $250,000 award from WRF and contributions from supporting research participants. Project results are expected to be available in late 2027.
  
  
• Unlocking the Advantages of Internally Stored Carbon for Nutrient Removal (WRF 5245): Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) in the U.S. and internationally face increasingly stringent nutrient limits. Traditionally, WRRFs have used energy-intensive biological nutrient removal (BNR) methods that often require costly external carbon sources and significant operational expenses. This project aims to advance BNR processes, including investigating the use of Internally Stored Carbon (ISC), which has the potential to help facilities meet nutrient limits while also improving efficiency and reducing energy, carbon footprints and overall costs. The team's principal investigator is Brown and Caldwell's Mark Miller, PhD, P.E., Senior Process Engineer. The nearly $725,000 project is partly funded by a $250,000 award from WRF and contributions from supporting researchers and participants. Project results are anticipated to be available in 2027.
  
  
• Regionalized and Integrated Solutions for Brine Management and Recovery (WRF 5256): Brine streams from water reuse, industrial wastewater, produced water and groundwater desalination processes present a costly and challenging infrastructure issue for municipal and industrial facility owners to individually manage. This project seeks to create a framework and guidance manual for the industry to regionally collaborate on effective solutions to manage brine streams – an important challenge given the growing need to diversify water supplies and be more resilient in the face of climate-related changes. The team's principal investigators are Brown and Caldwell's Krystal Perez, P.E., Industrial Water National Practice Leader; and Lenise Marrero, P.E., One Water Integrated Resource Planning Leader. The nearly $303,000 project is partly funded by a $150,000 award from WRF and contributions from the research team and participants. Results are expected in 2026-2027.

WRF is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of the water sector. For more information, visit www.waterrf.org. Stay up to date on project progress by visiting each project's page on the WRF website.

About Brown and Caldwell
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 50 offices and over 2,100 professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 75 years, our creative solutions have helped municipalities, private industry, and government agencies successfully overcome their most challenging water and environmental obstacles. As an employee-owned company, Brown and Caldwell is passionate about exceeding our clients' expectations and making a difference for our employees, our communities, and our environment. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com.

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