Desalination and Water Purification Research Program Pitch to Pilot for Fiscal Year 2020 | BOR DO 20 F014

Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program Pitch to Pilot (FY 2020) - FAQs

1) What is the DWPR Program Pitch to Pilot opportunity?

It is a Bureau of Reclamation (U.S. Department of the Interior) funding opportunity designed to move promising desalination and water purification innovations out of the lab and into real-world pilot testing. The focus is on generating practical, technical, and economic information needed to judge whether a technology is feasible at realistic operating conditions.

2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The overall purpose is to lower the cost, energy demand, and environmental footprint of treating impaired or otherwise unusable water supplies so they can be reliably used for clearly identified beneficial purposes.

3) What does "Pitch to Pilot" mean in this FOA?

"Pitch to Pilot" means proposed work should be at a pilot scale rather than purely bench-scale or laboratory research. Reclamation is looking for projects that are far enough along to be meaningfully demonstrated under realistic field conditions.

4) Are laboratory-only or bench-scale projects eligible?

The FOA targets pilot-scale efforts. Projects that remain purely bench-scale or laboratory-only would not align with the stated emphasis on field-realistic pilot testing.

5) What are the water testing requirements for the pilot?

A key requirement is that the technology or process must be tested using natural source waters (not synthetic or lab-made feed water).

6) Is there a minimum flow rate requirement for pilot testing?

Yes. The pilot must operate at flow rates above one gallon per minute.

7) Why does the FOA require natural source waters and realistic operating conditions?

Reclamation wants pilots that can reveal real-world complications such as operational constraints, variability in water chemistry, and practical deployment issues that may not appear in controlled laboratory settings.

8) What kind of results are pilots expected to produce?

Pilots are expected to generate technical, practical, and economic information needed to judge feasibility, including the ability to develop preliminary cost estimates for capital expenses and for operations and maintenance.

9) What does Reclamation mean by "nationally significant" in this program?

Reclamation frames this work as nationally significant because the problems being addressed are large in scale and the benefits are expected to extend beyond a single site or organization, creating broad public value.

10) Why is the program focused on research where private investment may be limited?

The FOA emphasizes broad public value in areas where the private sector may be reluctant to invest due to high technical risk, long timelines, or uncertain returns.

11) How important is "innovation" for this opportunity?

Innovation is a central theme. Applications are expected to clearly explain what makes the technology or process unique and why it should be considered innovative or disruptive, either because the underlying method is new or because the testing/validation approach represents a step-change from conventional practice.

12) Are incremental improvements to existing processes competitive under this FOA?

The program is trying to accelerate improvements that could meaningfully change performance or economics, rather than incremental tweaks that do not materially shift outcomes.

13) What technical areas does the FOA prioritize?

The FOA highlights multiple challenge areas, including brackish groundwater treatment; reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration concentrate management; overall process efficiency improvements (including pre-treatment, post-treatment, monitoring, sensors, and process control); and seawater desalination challenges (especially intake and outfall costs, energy use, and environmental impacts).

14) What is the focus for brackish groundwater treatment projects?

Brackish groundwater treatment is a priority, with an emphasis on approaches that reduce energy intensity compared to current technologies and standard processes.

15) What types of concentrate-related projects are in scope?

The FOA prioritizes management of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration concentrate, including methods that cut costs and energy use or reduce environmental impacts associated with concentrate handling, disposal, or further treatment.

16) What does the FOA mean by improving "overall process efficiency"?

It includes advances across the treatment train such as improved pre-treatment and post-treatment approaches, better monitoring and sensors, and other process-control innovations that make systems more robust, less wasteful, or easier to operate.

17) Are seawater desalination projects eligible under this FOA?

Yes. Seawater desalination challenges are in scope, especially solutions addressing costs, energy use, or environmental impacts tied to intake and outfall systems.

18) What is meant by a "beneficial use" of the treated water?

The FOA emphasizes producing water that meets standards required for a clearly identified beneficial use, using technologies that minimize energy and environmental burdens.

19) What type of award will be used for this opportunity?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement.

20) What does a cooperative agreement imply about Reclamation's role?

A cooperative agreement typically signals substantial agency involvement during project execution, such as collaboration on technical direction, review points, or coordination to ensure results are transferable and useful to the wider community.

21) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this FOA?

BOR DO 20 F014.

22) Which agency is administering this opportunity?

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.

23) What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

CFDA 15.560.

24) What funding category/domain is this opportunity listed under?

It is categorized as discretionary funding within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development domain.

25) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); individuals; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

26) Why does the FOA have such broad eligibility?

The wide eligibility reflects the program's emphasis on practical pilot demonstrations, which often require partnerships among utilities, universities, technology developers, and public agencies.

27) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The stated award ceiling is $150,000.

28) How many awards did Reclamation expect to make?

Reclamation anticipated making about six awards.

29) When was the FOA created?

May 4, 2020.

30) What was the original application deadline?

June 17, 2020.

31) How does this FOA connect to broader federal priorities?

The DWPR program is positioned as supporting broader federal priorities noted in the FOA, including the 2018 Presidential Memorandum on reliable water supply and delivery in the West and the 2020 National Water Reuse Action Plan, reinforcing resilience, reuse, and more sustainable treatment approaches.

32) What is the program ultimately trying to achieve for impaired or unusable waters?

The program seeks technologies that can turn impaired or unusable water into water that meets the standards for an identified beneficial use, while minimizing energy demands and environmental impacts.