Water Desalination Research and Development

There are three goals for the program: (1) augment the supply of usable water in the United States; (2) understand the environmental impacts of desalination and develop approaches to minimize these impacts relative to other water supply alternatives; (3) develop approaches to lower the financial costs of desalination so that it is an attractive option relative to other alternatives in locations where traditional sources of water are inadequate.

The three principal parts of the program are: (1) perform research on desalination technologies and related issues to advance the state of the art forward (research and studies), (2) conduct development and demonstration activities to test technological advancements, confirm economics, and gain public acceptance (development projects), and (3) support operation and maintenance at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF)

Any responsible source, to include individuals, State and local entities, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, and other private institutions/organizations may submit a proposal which will be considered by Reclamation. Foreign entities are not eligible for funding. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply.

Individuals, State and local entities, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations and other private institutions/organizations.

A full proposal solicitation package is issued at minimum annually by Reclamation. The package may solicit laboratory and/or pilot-scale research projects. Submission of a complete application, including all applicable forms in accordance with the instructions stated in the announcement document is mandatory.

The number of awards, maximum funding amount per award, and areas of interest for which proposals will be considered, are determined on an annual basis and are dependent upon the annual appropriation from Congress. Proposals received in response to the annual solicitation are reviewed on the basis of a competitive, merit- review process, and are rated in accordance with evaluation criteria stated in the solicitation document. Reclamation will make awards for the highest rated proposals based on the amount of funding available each year. Reclamation reserves the right to make awards to maintain balance among the program objectives listed in the solicitation document.

Contact Reclamation for the range of time when proposals are approved or disapproved.