NSF Convergence Accelerator, Future Water Systems VersaWater: Community Water that Weathers the Storm.

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $5,000,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

The 140,000 small public water systems across the U.S. face major challenges in maintaining or gaining access to safe drinking water. These include escalating construction costs, limited access to federal funding, diseconomies of scale, and turbid source waters due to more frequent storms. Exacerbating these hurdles is the lack of affordable drinking water treatment options. Small public water systems need access to technology that makes it easier and less expensive to treat water, financing that eases the burden of capital costs, and capacity-building to ensure reliable delivery of safe drinking water. VersaWater - a collaboration of researchers and practioners - offers a community-centered approach for water treatment that will increase the number of Americans with access to safe clean drinking water. Specifically, VersaWater offers a community-centered approach for the implementation of reliable and safe water treatment. These systems are electricity-free prefabricated water treatment plants (WTPs), designed to reliably treat turbid waters at a lower cost using gravity power alone. These systems have elegantly simple flow control, chemical dosing, self-cleaning features and easy to replace parts. VersaWater's implementation process includes support for the community in accessing federal funds, regulatory compliance, and hands-on learning for system's operators and managers. VersaWater does the behind-the-scenes work of converging the right partners to accompany small com

Key facts

NSF award ID
2452527
Awardee
Cornell University (NY)
SAM.gov UEI
G56PUALJ3KT5
PI
Ruth Richardson
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Estimated total
$5,000,000
Funds obligated
$2,000,000
Transaction type
Cooperative Agreement
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2028