February 10, 2009

For more newsletters, visit the H₂OSU index: http://water.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/.

Jim Thebaut’s Visit. It was a great pleasure to visit with Jim Thebaut, writer-director-producer of the film, The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry? Todd Jarvis and I invited Jim to host the showing of his film at our weekly water film series. Questions for Jim were so numerous that we had to be reminded to leave the room for the next meeting.

His next project will deal with water and security issues. Jim and I are of like mind when it comes to support for water projects in developing countries: we’ll take it not only from the “usual suspects” but also from agencies like DoD. 

I did hear something disturbing from him, and that’s how he’s treated by some of my fellow WaterWonks. In the vernacular, he’s ‘dissed”, perhaps because he’s from Hollywood (actually San Pedro, CA – hardly Hollywood or Malibu!), not perceived as a ‘true believer’, or just viewed as a dilettante filmmaker who’s a Johnny-come-lately. One person I know and admire actually told Jim, “We’re really not interested in what you have to say.” He proceeded to snub Jim during introductions of movers-and-shakers in the hydrophilanthropy realm. Whatever the reasons (jealousy?), such treatment is unwarranted. Jim is a ‘true believer’ and his films have moved millions. He was also instrumental in getting the Sen. Paul Simon Water for the Poor bill enacted.  

And one thing I love about Jim’s films: they energize and educate the viewers. Jim is a stickler for getting the facts right, a refreshing change from some of the water films out today. I won’t mention any names.

Congratulations To…Professor Jeff McDonnell of the College of Forestry, recently elected as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, an honor accorded to no more than 0.1% of AGU’s membership…Dr. Mary Santlemann, Director of the Water Resources Graduate Program, for an excellent WRGP Open House and her hard work in making the WRGP the premier such program in the USA…Professor John Selker, whose stream temperature measurements with fiber-optic techniques was featured on OPB’s Oregon Field Guide last week.

The CAVE in Reno. There are actually many caves in Reno – they’re called “casinos”. Seriously - I just returned from a brief trip to Reno for a meeting at my old employer, the Desert Research Institute. I left there in 1989 and the place has taken off since I left, so I can take some of the credit for its meteoric rise.

While there for the Advisory Board meeting of the Nevada EPSCoR project we toured CAVCaM -  the Center for Advanced Visualization, Computation, and Modeling where CAVE (acronym for Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) is housed. There, you can indulge in virtual reality to your heart’s content. CAVE is a smaller version of one at Iowa State University, and a number of energy companies have their own versions. The DRI CAVE is not yet completely enclosed like the ISU version; two faces of the cube – top and front - are open. Nonetheless, it’s quite impressive. We managed to get burned in a wildfire and had a mole’s eye view of stratigraphy.

One last nonaqueous observation: from the looks of things in the casino of the El Dorado Hotel (where I stayed) I would say that the long-held belief that gambling -- ooops, I mean gaming -- is a recession-proof industry has just gone down the toilet. Talk about a cave…

Peak Water: A Useful Concept? The recent volume of the Pacific Institute’s The World’s Water 2008-2009 contains an article by Meena Palaniappan and Peter Gleick on ‘peak water’, a concept analogous to peak oil. From the Institute’s WWW site:

“Is there such a thing as ‘peak water’? There is a vast amount of water on the planet—but we are facing a crisis of running out of sustainably managed water,” said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute. “Humans already appropriate over 50 percent of all renewable and accessible freshwater flows, and yet billions still lack the most basic water services.”

You can download a presentation by Palaniappan from last November and view a short (4 minutes) video by Gleick on peak water.

As applied to nonrenewable ground water, the peak water concept makes sense, except that there still is recharge occurring as the aquifer’s water is drawn down. Panlaniappan and Gleick go a bit further, discussing ‘peak ecological water’. That sounds intriguing. I confess I’ve not yet read the entire article but will get my copy soon enough.

Fifth World Water Forum. The World Water Forum, a triennial event organized by the World Water Council, will take place in Istanbul 16-22 March. Next month’s forum will be the fifth in the series. The theme is Bridging Divides for Water. The 5WWF promises to be a spectacular affair, with perhaps 10-15,000 (or more!) water people running amok. Yours truly will be there, co-convening a session (one of only 100 sessions on all topics) on ground water. The fact that ground water got its own session is somewhat of a triumph, as previous fora gave ground water little consideration. We may also be able to swing a ‘side event’ on transboundary ground water. I will let you know more in next month’s newsletter.

One thing worth waiting for will be the ministerial declaration, as many government ministers attend this meeting. Statements such as ‘water is good’ and similar controversial, explosive verbiage are sure to abound.

‘Coyote Warrior’. You may have seen him in the rotunda of The Valley Library - thin, animated, with curly blonde locks and blue eyes. He’s Paul VanDevelder, journalist, author, and local celebrity. Paul’s most recent book is Coyote Warrior: One Man, Three Tribes, and the Trial That Forged a Nation. So what does such a book have to do with water?

It tells an all-too-familiar tale of how the U.S. government, led by Congress, bamboozled the Hidatsa, Arikara, and Mandan tribes, taking their best land for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam and reservoir on the Upper Missouri River. The effect of Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea, named for the young Indian woman who aided Lewis and Clark, was devastating. Alcoholism, diaspora, and despair all took hold.

VanDevelder's book also tells the story of Martin Cross, who died alone on the prairies after fighting the government for forty years. His son Raymond, armed with degrees from Stanford and Yale Law School, vindicated his father's memory by taking the fight to the nine blackrobes in Washington, DC, where he won. 
Paul’s done a remarkable job telling an even more remarkable story. You can read more on my blog, Waterwired.

My Film Review and Galileo’s Persecution: Similarities. My recent WaterWired review of Sam Bozzo’s film Blue Gold: World Water Wars, has attracted the attention of Mr. Bozzo himself, who compares my criticism of Slovak scientist Dr. Michal Kravcik’s belief that ground water pumping can induce tsunamis to the persecution of Galileo for believing that the Earth revolves around the sun. 

As long as he spells my name right, I’m fine with that.

Till next month,

Michael

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.”

– President Barack Obama, 20 January 2009

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To Eric Sproles, graduate student in Water Resources Science. Eric has received an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award for his project entitled "Modeling Basin Scale Snow Water Equivalent: Present Day and  Projected Future Impacts On Stream Flow in the Oregon Cascades". Eric's dissertation advisor is Anne Nolin of the Department of Geosciences.

To the 2009 IWW-USGS Minigrant Recipients. IWW is pleased to announce the recipients of the IWW-USGS mini-grants for 2009.  Sixteen proposals were received.  The selection was difficult this year for many reasons; first and foremost the current economic climate continues to place the USGS funding at risk; state budget forecasts are tenuous at best, especially as the investment in the Oregon University System remains in a state of flux; and the proposals were all excellent, thus making the selection process particularly challenging.  Given the current economic crisis, many of the selected proposals may be given partial funding, with the final decision resting on the final federal budget selected by the new administration and Congress.  The selected proposals in no particular order follow:  

Detecting Heavy Metal Contamination in the Umatilla River of Eastern Oregon, Dr. Sandra DeBano, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Hermiston Ag. Research & Extension Center, Oregon State University.

A Local Assessment of “Abandoned Wells” in Linn and Benton Counties, Deron Carter, Geology and Physical Science Faculty, Linn-Benton Community College, Adam Stebbins, Benton County Water Projects Coordinator, Benton County Board of Commissioners Office.

Synthesis of Traceable Nanoparticles for Studying the Fate and Transport of Engineered Nanomaterials in Aquatic Systems, Dr. Jeff Nason and Dr. Alex Yokochi, School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University.

Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD): Developing an Integrated Water Resource Strategy, Dr. Gregory M. Perry, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Oregon State University, and Oregon Water Resources Department.

Vegetation and Soil Processes in Restored Wetlands, Dr. Mary Santelmann, Water Resources Graduate Program & Dept. of Geosciences, and Dr. David Myrold, Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Oregon State University.

Dams and Development: Ecological, Socioeconomic, and Policy Dimensions, Dr. Bryan Tilt, Anthropology, Dr. Desiree Tullos, Biological and Ecological Engineering, Dr. Aaron Wolf Geosciences, Oregon State University, and Dr. Philip Brown, Economics, Colby College.

Colloidal Transport in Variably Saturated Porous media: A Detailed Evaluation of Colloid Mobilization Mechanism, Dr. Dorthe Wildenschild, School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University

Short Course on Isotope Hydrology and Isotope Biogeochemistry: Developing a Critical Mass of Knowledge and Experience, Dr. Anne Nolin, Dept. of Geosciences, Dr. Jeff McDonnell, Dept. of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management.

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Coal Creek rebirth: Just add explosives (The Oregonian, 2/8/09) -Early in September an explosion leveled a 30-foot dam on a tributary of the Kilchis River in Tillamook County. That's a good thing. The blast, so powerful it destroyed two remote cameras set up to record it, was intentional -- set to remove the unneeded dam that for nearly six decades blocked Coal Creek, a key salmon stream. It worked perfectly. Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist at the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station said as more and more older dams are removed to benefit fish, it's become clearer that rivers rework themselves quickly. "Where the dam is relatively small, it's a quick response," he said. "The river quickly forgets." Gordon Grant is a Courtesy professor in the Departments of Geosciences, Forest Engineering Resources & Management.

Dry Lands, Turmoil Provide Perfect Forum for Student Venture (OSU News and Communicatios Services, 2/6/09) - A group of students from Oregon State University who want to learn how to balance water management with conflicting interest groups are headed to one of the most arid, conflict-riddled regions of the world to see what lessons it can offer. In March, 19 undergraduate and graduate students from varying disciplines will travel to Israel and Palestine for two weeks to see how water conflicts have been dealt with in a very dry region that has experienced one conflict or war after another for generations. Leaders of the expedition, which is being organized by two OSU student organizations, say it may be the perfect place for what they need. “We’re going to see the geology, meet the people, and see what’s working in one of the driest parts of the world,” said Elina Lin, an OSU masters student in the Water Resources Policy and Management program. “It’s somewhat amazing that Israel and Palestine have found ways to cooperate on water issues when they can’t seem to get along on almost anything else.”

OSU Fiber-Optic Stream Temperature Work Featured on OPB's Oregon Field Guide (Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2/5/09) - The February 5 edition of Oregon Field Guilde featured John Selker, professor of Biological and Ecological Engineering, and his research team.

OSU Oceanographer, Forest Hydrologist Named AGU Fellows (OSU News and Communications Services, 2/3/09) – Clare Reimers, a professor of chemical oceanography at Oregon State University, and Jeffrey McDonnell, an OSU forest hydrologist, have been elected fellows of the American Geophysical Union.

Absence of wolves causes imbalance in US ecosystem, say scientists Oregon biologists claim loss of landscape's predators has led to the 'unravelling' of environment (McClatchy Newspapers, 1/29/09) - No trace remains of the wolves whose howls ricocheted for millennia down the lush valleys of the Olympic peninsula in Washington state. Settlers and trappers killed them all in little more than three decades. But the loss of the stealthy predators in the early 1900s left a hole in the landscape that scientists say they are just beginning to grasp. The ripples extend throughout what is now Olympic National Park, leading to a boom in elk populations, overbrowsing of shrubs and trees, and erosion so severe it has altered the very nature of the rivers, says a team of Oregon State University biologists.

Willamette River is topic (Corvallis Gazette-Times, 1/27/08) - The Corvallis Environmental Center and Institute for Water and Watersheds is inviting the public to a “State of the Willamette” river panel discussion 7 p.m. Thursday at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Todd Jarvis, the associate director of the Institute for Water and Watersheds, is expected to moderate. Panelists include Travis Williams, the executive director of Willamette Riverkeepers; Mark Taratoot, the water resources specialist for the City of Corvallis Public Works Department; Mindy Simmons, the Willamette program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Jared Rubin, Willamette Basin coordinator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Karen Hans, a biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife specializing in salmon and trout enhancement.

EPA finds toxins throughout Columbia Basin (Associated Press, 1/15/2009) - The Environmental Protection Agency said in a report Thursday that toxins remain at levels harmful to people, fish and wildlife throughout the Northwest, despite decades-long cleanups. A 2007 survey by EPA and Oregon State University found mercury in every fish and every river sampled in 12 Western states.

Oregonians are concerned about water, survey says (Daily Journal of Commerce, 1/7/09) Oregon’s water supply and water infrastructure concern many Oregonians, according to a recent survey performed by Oregon State University. The university’s Institute for Water and Watersheds surveyed 301 people during five different water roundtables throughout the state last fall and found that two-thirds of respondents believe that Oregon’s quantity of water won’t meet future needs.

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Stephanie Ogden is a Master’s student in public policy, where she has focused her studies on international water policy and is working with sociology professor Denise Lach. She is particularly interested in water issues in developing countries, where many communities struggle for access to potable water, and water policy is either non-existent or too weak to be effective. Stephanie hopes to later apply her work to the international development sector.

Stephanie talks about water with an El Salvadoran woman washing clothes at a spring.

With the help of a grant from the IWW, Stephanie traveled to El Salvador in December of 2008 to conduct her Master’s research.  She suspects that there is a marked difference in the vocabulary used by the rural water users of El Salvador, and the government officials and written policy that legally govern water use.  This difference in discourse between water policy and water users may be responsible for policy gaps and inefficiencies that render current policy ineffective or unimplementable at the rural level.  As a result, families may be left without the water rights or services guaranteed in the Salvadoran Constitution.

Stephanie conducted interviews with Salvadoran government officials, heads of non-governmental and development organizations working in El Salvador, and rural water users in the arid communities of northeastern El Salvador where access to potable water is limited to local springs.  She plans to conduct a discourse analysis of each of the recorded interviews in order to distinguish whether or not there exists a significant discourse gap between the different groups regarding water sources, use and allocation.  She hopes to make subsequent policy recommendations that will be beneficial to the rural communities of El Salvador in their struggle for more secure access to potable water.

Upon completion of her degree, Stephanie hopes to create a small, non-profit organization with the help of OSU Water Resources Policy and Management students Paris Edwards and Elina Lin.   The organization will operate both locally and internationally, helping to establish active water committees in rural, developing communities abroad, while simultaneously engaging Americans in activities that foster a greater understanding of their own water use, as well as their respective roles in assuring a more equitable and sustainable use of water at the global scale.

For more information about Stephanie's projects, please contact her.

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Field Equipment Available. It is the time of year when a lot of you are getting ready for the spring and summer field season.  Don’t forget that the IWW Collaboratory has basic field equipment available for use.  Instrumentation such as YSI pH and conductivity meters, Onset Hobos, pumps and filtering equipment are ready to go!  Contact Kathy Motter at the collaboratory for more information; 541-758-8764 or kathryn.motter@oregonstate.edu.

Water Resources Graduate Program Holds a Successful Open House. The event highlighted the research of faculty and students in the program and provided an opportunity for members of the OSU hydro-community to connect with one another.  Several prospective students were among those attending the Open House, held on January 28th. Attendees also included the WRGP external advisory board, as well as members of the program and the broader OSU and Corvallis community.  The poster session was followed by the IWW Film Series offering The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry which was hosted by the film director, writer and executive producer, Jim Thebaut.

This year, as a result of generous donations by faculty members to our discretionary awards funds, we were able to provide two awards of $100 to graduate student posters, one in the policy and management topical area and the other in the science and engineering topical area. The poster entitled, "A Multidisciplinary Approach to Enhance Sustainability of Dams" , authors Elina Lin, Marco Clark and Kelly Kibler, received the WRGP Best Poster Award in the Policy and Management area. Jay Zarnetske won the WRGP Best Poster award in the Science and Engineering topical area for his poster, "Hyporheic Denitrification in an Upland Agricultural Stream: a 15N Tracer Study". In addition, External Advisory Board member Terrence Conlon of the USGS continued the tradition begun by Erick Burns two years ago, and provided a USGS Best Poster Award of $100 to Travis Roth of the water resources science program for his poster entitled, "Stream Scale Restoration Simulation and the Response on Stream Temperature Using DTS Technology and a Physically Based Temperature Model".

The External Advisory Board members met at noon; those members attending this year included Mark Taratoot (City of Corvallis), Robert Lackey (OSU Fisheries and Wildlife, retires from US EPA), Charles Logue (Cleanwater Services), Terrence Conlon (USGS), Michael Campana (IWW) and graduate student representative Jason Frentress. Brenda Bateman (OWRD), Michelle Girts (CH2M Hill) and Eric Strecker (GeoSyntec) were unable to travel to Corvallis for the Open House this year, but will particpate in our "Virtual Meeting " follow-up in February.

We thank all those who attended, who gave presentations, contributed posters to the poster session, judged posters, and those who brought their colleagues with them to this event. Your participation makes the Open House a success! We look forward to the next event for the Water Resources Graduate Program in May, which will be the annual Awards Luncheon.

- Mary Santelmann, WRGP Director

State of the Willamette Panel Discussion Draws Standing-Room Only Crowd. More than 100 people came out to the Corvallis-Benton County Library on January 29 to hear experts from government agencies and non-profits describe the health of the Willamette River. The IWW's associate director, Todd Jarvis, moderated the event which was sponsored by the Corvallis Environmental Center and the Institute for Water and Watersheds. Travis Williams (Willamette Riverkeeper), began the evening with a headwaters to mouth photo tour of the river. Mindy Simmons (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) gave an overview of the network of 13 dams and reservoirs the Corp operates on the river and the Corp's efforts to meet the needs of the river's endagered fish species. Karen Hans (ODFW) provided more fisheries information by showing photographs and described the life history of many of the smaller, lesser known fish in the system. Mark Taratoot (City of Corvallis) and Jared Rubin (ODEQ) spoke about water quality concerns and regulations and actions citizens can take to reduce their footprint. Many of the speakers encouraged attendees to take advantage of the river's recreational opportunities. The event was held in conjunction with the release of a new Willamette River Water Quality Map, produced by the Corvallis Environmental Center with a small grant from the Institute for Water and Watersheds.

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Wednesdays, February 11,18 and 25, 4:00-5:30 p.m., MU 208. More films from the IWW 2009 Water Film Series. Many of the films will also be shown in Newport at free evening film events at the Hatfield Marine Science Center through a partnership between IWW, the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Sea Grant, and HMSC.

Tuesday, February 17, 10 a.m.-noon, 107 Richardson Hall. Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics Seminar. Please join the Institute for Natural Resources for the first of four seminars conducted for the Oregon Department of Forestry and Department of Environmental Quality which describe ways that current regulatory frameworks may be incompatible with ecosystem dynamics, and helps identify alternative regulatory and non-regulatory options. The seminar will explore flooding dynamics, riparian forest management, Clean Water Act regulation and much more and will include presentations by Drs. Gordon Reeves, David Hulse, and Stan Gregory.

Wednesday, February 18, 4-5 p.m., 206 Nash Hall. Effects of Land Use Change and Climate Change on Native Fish Communities in the Willamette River: The Role of Floodplain Processes in Conservation and Restoration of Thermal Refuges. OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar. Speaker: Stan Gregory, OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Wednesday, February 25 - Friday, February 27, Bend, Oregon. Oregon AFS Annual Conference. The theme is Sharing our Passion.

Monday, May 11 - Thursday, May 14, Portland, Oregon. Fifth National Conference for Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Outreach. Sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Water Program. The theme of the conference is "Achieving Results with Tight Budgets."

Read about more upcoming events on the IWW's calendar.

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University of Vermont, Fellowships for Multicultural Graduate Students in Watershed Science and Ecosystem Science - Multicultural Fellows will work with internationally-renowned faculty at UVM and will be part of an academically stimulating environment centered at The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Students can choose from a wide variety of research areas ranging from hydrologic processes to natural resources policy. The fellowship includes three years of tuition, healthcare, and a stipend. The February 1 deadline has been extended.

OSU EcoInformatics Summer Institute (EISI) for undergraduate and early graduate students - The program will be held at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in the Oregon Cascades from June 15 - August 21, 2009. Students receive a stipend, course credit, and hand-on experience in ecoinformatics - the integration of mathematics, computer science, statistics, and engineering with the study and management of ecosystems. The program is led by OSU faculty and sponsored by NSF and NIH. Applications due: February 16, 2009.

Udall Environmental Public Policy & Conflict Resolution Ph.D. Fellowship - The Udall Foundation awards two one-year fellowships of up to $24,000 to doctoral candidates whose research concerns U.S. environmental public policy and/or environmental conflict resolution and who are entering their final year of writing the dissertation. Fellowships are intended to cover both academic and living expenses from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Applications due: February 20, 2009.

Nation Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship - This program provides a unique educational experience to students enrolled in graduate programs in fields related to marine or Great Lakes studies. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative branch, the executive branch, or appropriate associations and institutions located in the Washington, D.C. area. Recipients spend one year working on substantive national policy issues related to marine issues; a stipend is provided. Applications due: February 20, 2009.

Virginia Tech NSF-REU Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Watershed Sciences and Engineering -
This is the second year of a 10-week summer program. Successful applicants will join one of the ongoing research projects in water environment sciences and engineering at Virginia Tech and conduct individual research under the supervision of one or more faculty member/s. Applications due: March 2, 2009.

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(listed by due date)

16 February 2009. OSU General Research Fund (GRF).

Description: The intent of the GRF is to enable OSU faculty to carry out scholarly, creative work that should lead to the pursuit of other funding sources, or promote the development of scholarly activities. Projects funded through the GRF could include: pilot research, emergency funding, emerging research opportunities, new research field or new research field for investigator, developing research laboratories, or centrally-shared research resources.
Funding Details: Maximum award is $10,000.

26 February 2009. Water Reuse Foundation: Evaluating Long and Short Term Planning under Climate Change Scenarios to Better Assess the Role Of Water Reuse.

Description: The objective of this study is to better understand the role of water reclamation and reuse in a changing climate. Insight is to be gathered from sources such as historical weather patterns, accepted climate change model predictions over the next 50 years, existing water utility long term plans for accommodating population or demand change and emergency response plans for local catastrophic events. Case studies will be used to assess how well partner utilities’ emergency and long range plans will prepare them for predicted weather changes. The report will offer recommendations for improved plans and document where deficiencies are found. The end result will be a methodology that utilities can use to determine water reuse needs based on predicted water supply and demand conditions under climate change.
Funding Details: Max award $200K and requires a 25% match.

26 February 2009. Water Reuse Foundation: Implications of Future Water Supply Sources on Energy Demands.

Description: The objective of this study is to quantify the impacts of future water supply portfolio changes on the energy demand. The proposed work will address the impacts of increasing population and water conservation measures on water demand by 2030. Climate change impacts, development of new water supply sources, increased treatment of emerging contaminants, penetration of energy intensive treatment technologies, and potential shifting of agricultural water to the urban sector along with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green-house gas reduction policies and targets will be considered in the energy demand analysis. The literature review will take a national perspective while the developed tool should be developed to quantify this question at a regional scale.
Funding Details: Max award $200K and requires a 25% match.

Preproposal due: 3 March 2009. WaterReuse Foundation 2009 Unsolicited Research Program (Full Proposal due: 13 July 2009).

Description: Unsolicited research projects typically address emerging issues and involve original concepts, novel techniques, and other scientific research needs. Consistent with the Foundation’s other research programs, the Unsolicited Research Program is designed to meet the future needs of the water reuse and desalination community by encouraging innovative and creative research solutions to priority issues. These projects are intended to have long-term benefits to the water reuse and desalination community.
Funding Details: The Foundation anticipates funding between two and four projects with a maximum funding level for any single project of $175,000.

10 March 2009. Water Reuse Foundation: Water Reuse Requirements and Opportunities for Energy and Biofuels Production .

Description: The objective of this project is to clarify water reuse opportunities by determining the potential application and requirements for using recycled and other non-traditional waters in energy production. More particularly, for the use of these waters in energy production, this project will: Help establish water quality criteria, Survey and assess cost/benefit tradeoffs, Define impacts on human health and the environment, and Identify opportunities, issues, gaps, barriers, and areas needing further development or investment to help.
Funding Details: Up to $300K with a 25% match required.

10 March 2009. Water Reuse Foundation: Renewable Energy Technologies and Energy Efficiency Strategies: Guidelines for Water Desalination and Reuse Systems to Optimize Energy Use and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Description: The objective of this project is to provide advanced water treatment facility managers within the United States information on ways to increase the use of renewable energy sources, develop management strategies to reduce peak power use, optimize advanced treatment technologies to save on energy and costs, and reduce the overall output of greenhouse gases (GHG) at utilities. Projects to be contracted under this RFP will develop analytical and quantitative guidelines on technologies to reduce energy use, overall facility costs and GHG emissions from water reuse and desalination facilities.
Funding Details: Up to $200K with a 25% match required.

10 March 2009. NSF: Collaboration in Mathematical Geosciences.

Description: The purpose of the Collaboration in Mathematical Geosciences (CMG) activity is to enable collaborative research at the intersection of mathematical sciences and geosciences, and to encourage cross-disciplinary education. Projects should fall within one of three broad themes: (1) mathematical and statistical modeling of complex geosystems, (2) understanding and quantifying uncertainty in geosystems, or (3) analyzing large/complex geoscience data sets. Research projects supported under this activity must be essentially collaborative in nature. Research groups must include at least one mathematical/statistical scientist and at least one geoscientist. Proposals that address problems with relevance to global change and sustainability are especially encouraged.

16 March 2009. OSU Research Equipment Reserve Funds (RERF).

Description: Research Equipment Reserve Funds (RERF) may be used to acquire, repair, renovate, or improve EQUIPMENT directly used for research. The equipment may be inventoried capital equipment =>$5,000 per unit, fabricated capitalized equipment, or minor equipment costing less than $5,000 per unit which lasts at least two years.
Funding Details: Award amounts vary and require a 20% match from department, college or other funds. The Research Office has budgeted approximately $200,000 for the 2009 Spring solicitation.

17 March 2009. James S. McDonnell Foundation: Studying Complex Systems.

Description: The Complex Systems program supports scholarship and research directed toward the development of theoretical and mathematical tools that can be applied to the study of complex, adaptive, nonlinear systems. It is anticipated that research funded in this program will address issues in fields such as biology, biodiversity, climate, demography, epidemiology, technological change, economic development, governance, or computation. While the program's emphasis is on the development and application of theoretical models used in these research fields and not on particular fields per se, JSMF is particularly interested in projects attempting to apply complex systems approaches to meaningful problems. Proposals attempting to apply complex system tools and models to problems where such approaches are not yet considered usual or mainstream (for example, differentiating normal physiology from disease) are encouraged.
Funding Details: Investigator-initiated research awards providing up to $450,000 for up to 6 years.

15 April 2009. USDA CSREES AFRI - Water and Watersheds.

Description: FY 2009 Priorities for Research Projects – applicants must address at least one of the following priorities: 1. Understand the source, fate and transport of veterinary pharmaceuticals and farm animal hormones in soil, surface and ground water, and irrigation systems of agricultural and rural watersheds to reduce their impact on human and aquatic habitat health. 2. Identify, evaluate and understand producer management behaviors that improve agricultural water conservation in crop, livestock and poultry, forest and range production with a multidisciplinary emphasis on a) projects that integrate hydrologic, economic, and policy components; b)social determinants of water use; and c)documented water savings, especially at spatial scales greater than a single field. 3. A national synthesis workshop proposal is requested for calendar year 2010 to summarize existing research on rural and agricultural pathogens of bacteria, viruses and protozoa to document the latest understanding of their sources, fate and transport, and possible mitigation measure, not to exceed $300,000.
Funding Details: Proposed research project budget requests must not exceed $400,000 for project period of 2-4 years.

A list of additional water-related external funding opportunities is available on the IWW Web site.

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H₂OSU is a periodic e-mail news briefing provided by the Institute for Water and Watersheds. It is distributed primariliy through the OSU Hydro Email lists and The Oregon Water List and the Web. Questions, comments and ideas for news briefs may be sent to the IWW at iww@oregonstate.edu. Past newsletters can be viewed at: http://water.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/index.htm.