The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a seminar series to highlight SRP-funded projects around the country that support innovation in water technologies and research. In Session I of this series, SRP staff and grantees will introduce challenges and opportunities to protect water quality and promote access to safe, drinkable water.
SRP Director Bill Suk, Ph.D., will begin the session by making the connection between SRP research and water innovation. The SRP funds multidisciplinary research addressing the complex and evolving challenges associated with Superfund and related hazardous waste sites. Some of this funded research, however, can be directly applicable to addressing challenges in water quality and the development of the next generation of water technologies.
David Sedlak, Ph.D., from the University of California, Berkeley SRP Center will introduce the challenges in the water sector and discuss opportunities for boosting water sustainability. He will also discuss water reuse¬—the practice of using municipal wastewater effluent to sustain aquatic ecosystems and augment drinking water supplies—as well as the treatment and use of contaminated groundwater as water supplies.
Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Ph.D., and Madeleine Scammell, D.Sc, from the Boston University SRP Center, will discuss their work with a Massachusetts town after the discovery of 1,4-dioxane in private drinking water wells, and concerns regarding a capped landfill as the source. They will provide an overview of relevant aspects of the safe drinking water act as per this particular unregulated drinking water contaminant and potential health risks.
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