CLARK COUNTY Water Reclamation District
Board of Trustees
AGENDA ITEM
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Petitioner: |
Thomas A. Minwegen, General Manager |
Recommendation:
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Approve the District's participation as a pilot host site in support of a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding of a research project entitled "Integrated Treatment and Beneficial Reuse of Non-traditional Waters for Colorado River Basin Water Security"; or take other action as appropriate. (For possible action)
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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Fund #: |
N/A |
Fund Name: |
N/A |
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Fund Center: |
N/A |
Funded PGM/Grant: |
N/A |
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Amount: |
N/A |
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Description: |
National Science Foundation Pilot Host Participation |
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Additional Comments: |
N/A |
BACKGROUND:
The District has been invited to collaborate with a consortium in support of a research proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The consortium is led by the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Ardurra Group, Inc., in partnership with the University of Nevada Reno (UNR), the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and New Mexico Tech.
The proposed project would evaluate innovative, energy-efficient technologies for the treatment and beneficial reuse of non-traditional water sources, including brackish groundwater, municipal wastewater, and industrial process water. The research aims to expand available water supplies within the Colorado River Basin by generating the scientific, engineering, and operational knowledge needed to reduce technical, economic, energy, and regulatory barriers and support future large-scale implementation.
Under the proposed collaboration, the District has agreed to serve as a host site for pilot-scale treatment systems utilizing treated wastewater effluent and brackish groundwater at the Flamingo Water Resource Center (FWRC). The research partners would be responsible for installing, operating, and removing the pilot systems over an approximate six-month period. The District's responsibilities would include providing access to the site and water resources, limited coordination during installation and operation of the pilot systems, and executing a letter of collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in support of the funding proposal.
The District would not be required to provide any funding for the proposed project. All project costs, including equipment, installation, operation, sampling, laboratory analysis, maintenance, technical support, and site restoration would be funded by the project partners.
Participation would provide the District with treatment-performance data specific to its water sources, access to advanced treatment technologies and AI-enabled optimization tools, and technical support from leading research institutions. The research findings could also inform future water treatment and reuse strategies, including potential full-scale implementation. Additionally, the District's participation would support regional efforts to advance water supply resilience and sustainability throughout the Colorado River Basin.
NSF funding is competitive and not guaranteed; however, staff believes the District's participation as a pilot host site would strengthen the proposal and improve its likelihood of selection. Because deadlines to confirm participation preceded the next scheduled Board meeting, the District has already committed to serve as a pilot host site. However this commitment can be withdrawn and was otherwise conditioned on the approval of this Board.
Staff recommends that the Board approve the District's participation as a pilot host site in support of the NSF funding proposal.
This agenda item has been reviewed and approved by the District General Counsel.