Title
Resolution to Accept Grant from the Water Research Foundation ($100,000.00), Approve a Multi-Funded Research Agreement with the Water Research Foundation ($341,649.00), and Approve a Research Agreement with the University of Michigan ($204,366.00)
Memorandum
This resolution requests approval for the research project, funding mechanisms, and agreements for the research project entitled "Optimizing Filter Backwashing Procedures to Reduce Selection for Opportunistic Pathogens in Drinking Water". In collaboration with the University of Michigan, the City submitted a grant proposal to the Water Research Foundation's Tailored Collaboration Research Program to seek funding for this project. The project is designed to further the City's understanding of the microbiology that exists in its filters and ultimately develop opportunities to improve the quality of the City's drinking water.
The City of Ann Arbor was awarded a grant from the Water Research Foundation in the amount of $100,000.00. The award requires the approval of two research agreements, one with the Water Research Foundation ($341,649.00) and the other with the University of Michigan ($204,366.00). This memorandum summarizes the background on this project for Council's information as they consider this award.
In 1999, the City constructed a pilot filter plant at the Water Treatment Plant. This pilot plant was constructed to evaluate the performance of different filter media and instrumentation prior to a filter rehabilitation project. The plant was operated for a period of 12 months before it was decommissioned for potential future use.
In the interim years, several University of Michigan doctoral students have studied the City's filters and ozone disinfection system, focusing on microbiology that inhabits these processes. In 2016, the Water Research Foundation-- an organization that supports and advances research in the water industry -- identified biofiltration and waterborne pathogens in ...
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