Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Water management”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

IrrigationViz: A Geospatial Visualization Application to Facilitate Irrigation Modernization

Irrigation water delivery infrastructure, such as canals and pipelines, are essential to agriculture in the Western U.S., yet many of these systems are reaching the end of their useful lives. Reinvestment can achieve a wide variety of benefits, from water conservation to energy savings or renewable energy generation. Modernization requires significant planning, design, and implementation funding which can be a challenge for many irrigation districts. Here, this paper introduces IrrigationViz, a web-based mapping application designed to help irrigation districts visualize and generate high-level cost and benefit estimates for infrastructure modernization projects. These estimates can help water managers identify projects that benefit from additional engineering resources and ultimately obtain funding. IrrigationViz includes map interactions, graphs, and visualization components to facilitate planning and communication to stakeholders and funders. IrrigationViz combines user-provided information about a water-delivery system with public datasets and basic engineering formulas to generate estimates of the benefits of reinvestment. Estimates include the amount of water seepage in earthen canals, potential hydropower generation associated with replacing a canal with a pressurized pipe, and pipe size recommendations. We found that hydropower generation estimates compared favorably with real world projects, but seepage loss estimates showed high variability relative to on-the-ground measurements

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Decision making for implementing non-traditional water sources: a review of challenges and potential solutions

Abstract The effects of climate change, population growth, and future hydrologic uncertainties necessitate increased water conservation, new water resources, and a shift towards sustainable urban water supply portfolios. Diversifying water portfolios with non-traditional water sources can play a key role. Rooftop harvested rainwater (RHRW), atmospheric and condensate harvesting, stormwater, recycled wastewater and greywater, and desalinated seawater and brackish water are all currently utilized and rapidly emerging non-traditional water sources. This review explores the status and trends around these non-traditional water sources, and reviews approaches and models for prioritizing, predicting, and quantifying metrics of concern. The analysis presented here suggests that understanding the challenges of location specific scenarios, socioeconomic knowledge gaps, water supply technologies, and/or water management structure is the crucial first step in establishing a model or framework approach to provide a strategy for improvement going forward. The findings of this study also suggest that clear policy guidance and onsite maintenance is necessary for variable water quality concerns of non-traditional sources like harvested rainwater and greywater. In addition, use of stormwater or reuse of wastewater raises public health concerns due to unknown risks and pathogen levels, thus rapid monitoring technologies and transparent reporting systems can facilitate their adoption. Finally, cost structure of desalination varies significantly around the world, largely due to regulatory requirements and local policies. Further reduction of its capital cost and energy consumption is identified as a hurdle for implementation. Overall, models and process analyses highlight the strength of comparative assessments across scenarios and water supply options.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

A coupled equilibrium boundary layer model with stable water isotopes and its application to local water recycling

The contribution of evapotranspiration (ET) to regional precipitation, known as “local water recycling”, is a key process in the water cycle that can affect water management. However, the amount of planetary boundary layer (PBL) moisture that arises from ET is highly uncertain due to complex atmosphere and land surface conditions. In this study, an idealized two-layer equilibrium boundary layer model was coupled with a stable water isotope module including HDO and H 2 18 O to constrain PBL growing season water transport processes. The model was validated using turbulent heat fluxes and isotope ratios of water vapor (δ m ) and precipitation (δ P ) measured at a cropland site and a nearby tall tower in the Upper Midwest, United States. The results show that the PBL equilibrium features of δ m and δ P are well-constrained by thermal and moisture equilibrium in the PBL. For this study region, the summer values of rain evaporation fraction (f) and local water recycling ratio (LRR) are estimated to be 0.09 and 0.29 ± 0.12, respectively. The summer LRR values for the years 2006–2010 were 0.35, 0.36, 0.17, 0.29, and 0.29, respectively. The small value of LRR in 2008 corresponded to a drought condition with the lowest precipitation and second lowest ET among the five years. The summer magnitude of the amount effect is –2.8‰ (mm day –1 ) –1 and –0.8‰ (mm day –1 ) –1 for HDO and H 2 18 O, respectively. The local water recycling is identified as a significant factor influencing the continental isotope effect. Cropland has likely changed the regional LRR by –7.6 to 19.5% under different pre-agriculture land use scenarios. In conclusion, the feedback processes revealed here indicate that local water recycling is expected to be weakened under drought conditions, but it will be enhanced if irrigation is applied more intensely with more frequent drought events as the climate continues to warm.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparing multi-source urban flood indicators: satellite, simulation, and citizen-reported data

Urban flooding arises from complex mechanisms, making it challenging to capture accurately with a single detection method. This study evaluates three complementary approaches to detect flooding across three Chicago neighborhoods: (i) Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR), offering weather-independent, high-resolution (10 m) imagery of surface inundation; (ii) the storm water management model (SWMM), simulating combined sewer overflow and drainage performance; and (iii) citizen-generated 311 service requests, capturing observed flooding impacts. By analyzing six storms ranging from severe to mild, we examine how each source uniquely contributes to identifying urban flood events. SAR imagery effectively identifies standing water but can miss brief flooding due to satellite revisit constraints. SWMM provides detailed insights into system-wide drainage behavior yet may underestimate localized street-level flooding. Meanwhile, 311 calls reflect real-world flooding impacts but are vulnerable to underreporting. Statistical overlap analysis highlights chronic flood hotspots repeatedly identified across multiple detection methods, indicating persistent infrastructure and topographic vulnerabilities. Temporal analysis further reveals that while SWMM flooding aligns closely with rainfall peaks, 311 calls typically precede or persist beyond these peaks. Our findings emphasize the value of using satellite observations, hydrological modeling, and resident-reported data in a complementary manner to better interpret patterns in flood timing, severity, and spatial distribution—providing insights that can inform targeted infrastructure improvements and contribute to urban flood resilience planning.

311↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of Block Length on the Properties of Multiblock Polysulfone-Poly(diallylpiperidinium hydroxide) Anion Exchange Membranes

Research in anion exchange membranes (AEM)s has continued with the development of materials bearing base stable cations. Designing AEMs that microphase separate into hydroxide conductive, hydrophilic domains within a hydrophobic and mechanically robust matrix has been shown to be successful for improving AEM performance. A series of multiblock polysulfone-poly(diallylpiperidinium hydroxide) copolymers (PSf-PDApipOH) of similar hydrophobic/hydrophilic composition was prepared in which the molecular weight of the hydroxide conducting PDApipOH segments was varied. The variable hydrophilic segment molecular weight was designed to assess the impact on microphase separation, hydroxide conductivity, and water management. The multiblock copolymers investigated were prepared by condensation polymerization of preformed4-fluorophenyl sulfone terminated poly(diallylpiperidinium hexafluorophosphate) (PDApipPF6) oligomers with polysulfone monomers. The structure-property relationship between the molecular weight of the conductive PDApipOH segments and AEM performance was demonstrated by evaluation of the microphase separation, water uptake, and hydroxide conductivity. Further, membranes fabricated from the polysulfone-poly(diallylpiperidinium hexafluorophosphate) (PSf-PDApipPF6) multiblock copolymers were shown to form well-connected conductive domains by SAXS and atomic force microscopy experiments. The PSf-PDApipOH membranes were highly conductive with the maximum hydroxide conductivity reaching 62.9 mS∙cm -1 at 60°C and 95% relative humidity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the conductivity increased with increasing PDApipOH segment molecular weight.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measuring environmental and cost benefits of riparian buffers for drinking water production in a Midwest watershed

Here, this study focuses on the economic value and carbon benefits of riparian buffers in urban drinking water production. The impact of riparian buffers on the waterworks operation in the Raccoon River watershed was quantified using the following metrics: nitrate concentration, days of nitrate removal operation, material and energy cost (based on 17 years of historical records with a watershed model), regression, and cost analysis. The findings indicate that the presence of riparian buffers in agricultural land can substantially decrease nitrate concentration in the water intake of the waterworks during the crop-growing season: 19% in April, 9% in May, and 11% in June. These reductions mean less nitrate treatment of the plant intake flow: 23% in April, 12% in May, and 3% in June. These changes lead to significant resource savings: 425 metric tons of sodium chloride (NaCl), 147 810 kWh of electricity, 253 metric tons of powdered activated carbon, and 20.8 million liters of fresh water. The buffers would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 86.9 metric tons (CO 2 equivalent) in 17 years. The total cost saving was estimated at $\$$327 326, with the highest potential savings in May ($\$$215 100), followed by April ($\$$65 465), and June ($\$$46 761). When factoring in buffer installation, cropland loss, nitrate removal, and cost associated with buffer harvest for biofuel in an established biomass market, the benefit to the entire watershed community would be $\$$2.63 million annually. The results underscore the significant cost benefits and environmental benefits associated with cropland riparian buffers in a watershed community. The approach employed in this study holds promise for assessing riparian buffer benefits in other watersheds, contributes to an understanding of sustainable water management practices, and provides a basis for decision making in a wide range of agricultural regions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

A multistage distributionally robust optimization approach to water allocation under climate uncertainty

This paper investigates a Multistage Distributionally Robust Optimization (MDRO) approach to water allocation under climate uncertainty. The MDRO is formed by creating sets of conditional distributions (called conditional ambiguity sets) on a finite scenario tree. The distributions in the conditional ambiguity sets remain close to a nominal conditional distribution according a ø-divergence (e.g., Kullback-Leibler divergence, Hellinger distance, Burg entropy, etc.). Here, the paper discusses a decomposition algorithm to solve the resulting MDRO with ø-divergences, which uses the dual formulation and solves only linear subproblems instead of convex ones. Some properties of the algorithm such as generating feasible policies and valid upper/lower bounds are established. The paper then applies the modeling and solution techniques to allocate water in a rapidly-developing area of Tucson, Arizona. Tucson, like many arid and semi-arid regions around the world, faces considerable uncertainty in its ability to provide water for its citizens in the future. The primary sources of uncertainty in the Tucson region include (1) unpredictable population growth, (2) the availability of water from the Colorado River, and (3) the effects of climate variability on water consumption. This paper integrates forecasts for all these sources of uncertainty into a single optimization model for robust and sustainable water allocation. Then, it uses this model to analyze the value of constructing additional treatment facilities to reduce future water shortages. The results indicate that the MDRO approach can be very valuable for water managers by providing insights to minimize their risks and help them plan for the future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Regional patterns in hydrologic response, a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis and implications for ecohydrology, Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area, USA

Spatial patterns of hydrologic response were examined for the Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (NVASA). The utility of established hydrograph-separation methods for assessing hydrologic response in permeable volcanic terranes was assessed and a new three-component metric for hydrograph analysis was developed. The new metric, which partitions streamflow into subcomponents defined by the timescales of hydrologic response (e.g., fast-runoff, intermediate-interflow and slow-baseflow), was used to gain a fundamental understanding of the regional hydrology, investigate sub-regional differences, influencing factors, and ecohydrological implications. The combined effects of NVASA’s physiography, climate and geology create a strongly coupled surface-groundwater system that produces copious baseflow and limited quantities of runoff and interflow. Patterns of hydrologic response are influenced by the type and rate of precipitation and permeability of the underlying geology. Under variable precipitation conditions the hydrologic response of volcanic terranes with similar permeability and subsurface-storage capacity can be significantly different. From a water management and ecohydrology perspective, understanding regional patterns of hydrologic response and sub-regional differences is fundamental. Results indicate that minimum-flow methods provide the most conservative estimate of baseflow and may be the most robust for filtering out snowmelt bias in baseflow estimates. Baseflow contributes ~75% of the perennial streamflow across the NVASA and represents a critical component of the regional water supply that provides critical cold-water habitat.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Sensitivity Analysis of Drivers Water Shortage in the Los Angeles Region During Drought

The code and detailed step-by-step instructions for generating the model output data, processing results, and analysis and plotting are provided at https://github.com/IMMM-SFA/Ferencz_et_al_2026_ER_Water. The PyArtes model is a python adaptation of the Artes model. PyArtes uses many of the same input data and optimization model architecture as Artes. Documentation for the PyArtes model is provided in the Supplement to the paper. The primary data product are simulated monthly water shortages for indoor and outdoor demand under a large ensemble of drought scenarios (>13,000). The droughts are hypothetical and are not based on historical time series data of supply sources - though historical data did help inform ranges explored for supply parameters. Demands are informed by recent 2017-2021 water supply data. Demands used for the model can be accessed at https://github.com/IMMM-SFA/Ferencz_et_al_2026_ER_Water. Simulations resolve demand for over 90 water providers in the study region. The results report 36 months of water shortage data for each indoor and outdoor demand node. The study also developed a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network trained on a subset of the simulated shortage ensemble to emulate worst annual water shortage for a given set of parameter multipliers -- provided the parameter values fall within the ranges sampled in the ensemble. Emulated water shortages for synthetic ensembles are in the MLP-generated shortages folder. The MLP model was used to generate larger ensembles to support Sobol analysis that would have been extremely computationally expensive to simulate. Datasets provided in this repository*: Simulated shortages. These results are used for the analysis for Figures 5, 8, and 9 in the paper, and also to train the MLP emulator. .zip file containing outputs for the 13,312 scenario ensemble. Separate .csv files for indoor and outdoor shortage for each scenario. Rows = demand ids (~100), Columns = months (36) Units = acre-feet/month of shortage (shortage = monthly demand - supply). 1 acft = 1233.48 m^3 .csv files of aggregated shortages derived from the 13,312 ensemble Rows = scenarios (13,312), Columns = demand ids (~100) Units = acre-feet/year (either worst annual shortage or total shortage over the 3-year drought) .csv file of the parameter multipliers scenarios for the ensemble .csv file of the parameter ranges and baseline values the multipliers were applied to MLP-generated shortages. These results are used for Figures 4, 6, and 7 in the paper. mwd higher folder: scenario ensembles, emulated worst year total shortages (acft), and Sobol results Emulated shortages. Rows = scenarios, columns = demand ids, units acft Sobol results. Rows = demand ids, columns Sobol (S1, ST, or 95% confidence interval) value for each parameter mwd lower folder: scenario ensembles, emulated worst year total shortages (acft), and Sobol results same organization as mwd higher MLP performance: performance metrics (R^2, RMSE, BIAS, MAPE) for the testing subset (20% or 2,662 scenarios) and simulated vs emulated worst year shortage (acre-feet/year) for every demand node, MWD wholesale regions, and the entire study region (LAC). Supporting data for figures. Figure plotting scripts in the associated GitHub repo. These files support analysis and visualization. Geospatial Data used for plotting simulated water shortages and Sobol results. Dictionary of full names for demand nodes in the model and estimates of water supply by source type informed by Artes input files and California Urban Water Management Planning data: https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/Urban-Water-Use-Efficiency/Urban-Water-Management-Plans *Readme files provided for each folder.

drought↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sandia National Laboratories Annual Site Environmental Report, 2019: Tonopah Test Range, Nevada and Kaua'i Test Facility, Hawai'i

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at Sandia National Laboratories, Tonopah Test Range (SNL/TTR) in Nevada and Sandia National Laboratories, Kaua‘i Test Facility (SNL/KTF) in Hawai‘i. Activities at SNL/TTR are conducted in support of DOE weapons programs and have operated at the site since 1957. SNL/KTF has operated as a rocket preparation launching and tracking facility since 1962. DOE and its management and operating contractor are committed to safeguarding the environment, assessing sustainability practices, and ensuring the validity and accuracy of the monitoring data presented in this Annual Site Environmental Report. This report summarizes the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place at SNL/TTR and SNL/KTF during calendar year 2019. Environmental topics include air quality, ecology, environmental restoration, oil storage, site sustainability, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, water quality, and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. This report is prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE O 231.1B, Admin Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and has been approved for public distribution.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Improving snow albedo modeling in the E3SM land model (version 2.0) and assessing its impacts on snow and surface fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau

With the highest albedo of the land surface, snow plays a vital role in Earth's surface energy budget and water cycle. Snow albedo is primarily controlled by snow grain properties (e.g., size and shape) and light-absorbing particles (LAPs) such as black carbon (BC) and dust. The mixing state of LAPs in snow also has impacts on LAP-induced snow albedo reduction and surface radiative forcing (RF). However, most land surface models assume that snow grain shape is spherical and LAPs are externally mixed with the snow grains. This study improves the snow radiative transfer model in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 2.0 (E3SM v2.0) Land Model (ELM v2.0) by considering non-spherical snow grain shapes (i.e., spheroid, hexagonal plate, and Koch snowflake) and internal mixing of dust–snow, and it systematically evaluates the impacts on the surface energy budget and water cycle over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A series of ELM simulations with different treatments of snow grain shape, mixing state of BC–snow and dust–snow, and sub-grid topographic effects (TOP) on solar radiation are performed. Compared with two remote sensing snow products derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, the control ELM simulation (ELM_Control) with the default configurations of spherical snow grain shape, internal mixing of BC–snow, external mixing of dust–snow, and without TOP as well as the ELM simulation with new model features (ELM_New) can both capture the overall snow distribution reasonably. Additionally, ELM_New overall shows smaller biases in snow cover fraction than ELM_Control in spring when snowmelt is important for water management. The estimated LAP-induced RF in ELM_New ranges from 0 to 19.3 W m -2 with the area-weighted average value of 1.5 W m -2 that is comparable to the reported values in existing studies. The Koch snowflake shape, among other non-spherical shapes, shows the largest difference from the spherical shape in spring when snow processes related to the surface energy budget and water cycle have high importance. The impacts of the mixing state of LAP in snow are smaller than the shape effects and depend on snow grain shape. Compared to external mixing, internal mixing of LAP–snow can lead to larger snow albedo reduction and snowmelt, which further affect the surface energy budget and water cycle. The individual contributions of non-spherical snow shape, mixing state of LAP–snow, and local topography impacts on the snow and surface fluxes have different signs and magnitudes, and their combined effects may be negative or positive due to complex and nonlinear interactions among the factors. Overall, the changes in net solar radiation in spring due to individual and combined effects range from -28.6 to 16.9 W m -2 and -29.7 to 12.2 W m -2 , respectively. This study advances understanding of the role of snow grain shape and mixing state of LAP–snow in land surface processes and offers guidance for improving snow simulations and RF estimates in Earth system models under climate change.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Understanding Multi-Ion Transport Mechanisms in Bipolar Membranes

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) have the potential to become critical components in electrochemical devices for a variety of electrolysis and electrosynthesis applications. Because they can operate under large pH gradients, BPMs enable favorable environments for electrocatalysis at the individual electrodes. Critical to the implementation of BPMs in these devices is understanding the kinetics of water dissociation that occurs within the BPM as well as the co- and counter-ion crossover through the BPM, which both present significant obstacles to developing efficient and stable BPM-electrolyzers. In this study, a continuum model of multi-ion transport in a BPM is developed and fit to experimental data. Specifically, concentration profiles are determined for all ionic species, and the importance of a water-dissociation catalyst is demonstrated. The model describes internal concentration polarization and co- and counter-ion crossover in BPMs, determining the mode of transport for ions within the BPM and revealing the significance of salt-ion crossover when operated with pH gradients relevant to electrolysis and electrosynthesis. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis reveals that the performance and lifetime of BPMs can be improved substantially by using of thinner dissociation catalysts, managing water transport, modulating the thickness of the individual layers in the BPM to control salt-ion crossover, and increasing the ion-exchange capacity of the ion-exchange layers in order to amplify the water-dissociation kinetics at the interface.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance of Windows in Walls With Continuous Insulation

Window openings in walls are a significant contributor to poor thermal performance because of thermal bridging through the framing members (e.g., studs, joists, plates, bracing) and because windows lack the thermal properties of insulation. Window installation guidance for walls with continuous insulation (CI) is critical for continued market growth of this energy efficiency technology. This research project offers window manufacturers a starting point and a potential path toward developing installation instructions for windows over CI. The objectives of the research include evaluating the common method for installing windows in walls with CI, as well as establishing acceptance criteria for evaluating the performance of windows installed in walls with and without CI. The research measures: 1. The performance characteristics (e.g., water management, structural integrity) of windows in walls without CI. 2. The performance of different thicknesses and types of CI used in walls. 3. The performance of different types of window assemblies (e.g., double-hung windows, mulled double-hung windows, mulled casement windows, and slider windows) installed over CI. 4. The performance of window flange types (e.g., rigid mounting and less robust flanges) installed over CI. 5. Installing windows over CI using baseline installation instructions versus window manufacturer installation instructions. The project’s sequential testing protocol consists of the following: • A water penetration resistance testing adapted from two ASTM standards: E331 (uniform static air pressure in four steps) and E547 (cyclic static air pressure) • A temperature cycling adapted from ASTM E2264 Method B (convective hot air) • A service condition wind loading test adapted from ASTM E330 • A six-month vertical displacement observation phase prior to the structural performance testing • A final water penetration resistance test after vertical displacement observation • A structural performance test adapted from ASTM E330. Key research findings include: • The criterion for passing a water penetration resistance test is that there is no water overflowing at the interior face of the studs. If there is any bubbling or slight pooling of water at the sill, then it must recede after the pressure is removed. Excessive leakage and/or water leaking to the interior face of the framing around the window constitutes a failure. • All single double-hung windows installed directly to lumber or over oriented strand board passed all test protocols. • For most wall specimens, the test results showed that the use of foam sheathing did not affect the performance of the window for water leakage. • All wall specimens underwent temperature cycling. The results indicated that temperature cycling had little to no effect on windows installed over foam sheathing. • For wall specimens that underwent six-month vertical displacement monitoring, the results showed that windows installed over foam sheathing do not sag over time. • The single-hung and double-hung windows installed using window manufacturer installation instructions passed the structural performance test, compared to failures observed in windows that were installed using generic installation instructions. The generic and manufacturer installation methods differed on the following construction details: type of fasteners, fastening patterns on the flanges, and window shimming details. • Additional testing is required to determine methods to improve structural pressure performance of slider windows. Potential solutions that would require additional testing may include fastener spacing, different types of fasteners, masonry window clips, construction adhesive, foam sealant, stronger window flange material, and/or straps.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST) for the Recovery/Removal of Critical/Heavy Metals from Fossil-Related Wastewater

A collection of remediation and recovery technologies like those predicated on photocatalytic-, electric-, chemical-, membrane-, and adsorptive-based processes currently exists in different stages of development or deployment between these methods of water management. Among these technologies, solid sorbent processes embody an optimal balance between cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and technological maturity. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory developed a suit of cross-linked, functionalized silica sorbents tailored to eliminate the most toxic metals regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); critical metals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and harmful organics like the infamous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). An array of laboratory and field tests proved that the MUST sorbents removed ppb-level lead from drinking water, selenium from FGD wastewater below EPA limits, aqueous dyes and PFAS; and fractionated low ppm-level critical metals (CM) from AMD and simulated produced water. Proof-of-concept for commercial CM recovery was verified through obtaining milligram-quantities of purified Al solids from a sorbent multi-bed AMD field-site test. Commercial efficacy was further supported by achieving purified fractions of adsorbed Mn upon treating both the AMD and synthetic produced water with the laboratory multi-bed test unit.

Wilfong, Walter C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Port Hope Areas Initiative's Port Granby Project: The Decontamination of Site Equipment from a Low Level Waste Facility - 20330

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) is the Government of Canada's response to the community recommended solutions for the remediation and safe, long-term management of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) that was the result of uranium and radium processing operations in the Municipality of Port Hope, Ontario from the 1930's to the 1980's. The Eldorado refinery, on the shores of Lake Ontario, began refining radium-226 from pitchblende ore, later transitioning to the refining of uranium ore. Process residues were deposited at the Welcome Waste Management Facility in Port Hope until the mid-1950's switching to the Port Granby Waste Management Facility (PGWMF), which continued to accept waste until the late 1980's. The Port Granby Project involves the construction of a new, secure long-term waste management facility (LTWMF) and supporting infrastructure, and the excavation and relocation of approximately 1,200,000 m{sup 3} of historic low-level radioactive waste and marginally contaminated soil from the PGWMF to the newly constructed LTWMF. Since the project's inception in 2016, the bulk of the material has since been moved to the final long term storage cell. This has taken over 500,000 person-hours and a large amount of one site heavy equipment to accomplish including excavators, bulldozers, rock trucks, baker tanks and vacuum trucks. While many of the pieces of heavy equipment and water management equipment has further work to do on site, several of the sites larger items have already undergone the decontamination process prior to release from the site. This process has posed a serious challenge as the waste has a caustic nature to it and over the last few years it has had time to work its way into the metallic structures and framework of the equipment. Coupled with the tight work spaces and in some cases confined work areas there have been many issues that needed to be addressed to successfully reach a state where items can be free released to the unrestricted limits of the sites license. This ongoing process has led to a more refined decontamination program at the Port Granby Facility and has had a rather high success rate considering the length of time the equipment has been exposed to the waste materials on site. This paper discusses the varied challenges of decontamination faced at a low-level radioactive waste facility with a focus on the following aspects: - Challenges faced regarding different equipment types and the solutions implemented by Wood to address these challenges; - An examination of various decontamination methods employed throughout the project; and - Lessons learned over three years of remediation work and how they impact the decontamination process. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Causes of Missing Snowmelt Following Drought

Abstract Water management in snowy mountainous regions hinges on forecasting snowmelt runoff. However, droughts are altering snowpack‐runoff relationships with ongoing debate about the driving mechanisms. For example, in 2021 in California, less than half of predicted streamflow arrived. Mechanisms proposed for this “missing” streamflow included changes in evapotranspiration ( ET ), rainfall, and subsurface moisture conditions. Here, we demonstrate that ET in drought years generates dry subsurface conditions that reduce runoff in subsequent years. A model including this legacy of depleted moisture storage reduced median error in 2021 forecasts from 60% to 20% at 15 minimally disturbed basins and from 18% to 2% at 6 water supply basins in the Sierra Nevada (basins range in area from 5 to 23,051 km 2 and mean annual precipitation from 814 to 1,549 mm). Our findings indicate that the relationship between snowpack and runoff will evolve as plant ecosystems respond to climate change and alter subsurface water storage dynamics.

Lapides, Dana A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Environmental Flow Requirements from FERC Licenses Across the US

Environmental flow requirements included in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower licenses are important for balancing natural properties and benefits of river ecosystems (e.g., healthy species, recreation, water supply, flood control) supporting hydropower production. In some cases, environmental flow requirements may limit operational flexibility given current operational schemes and make a hydropower plant less able to provide power to the electric grid on demand. Hydropower plants may gain some flexibility as hydropower scheduling time periods are made to be more responsive to the short-term needs of an energy grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables. However, many flow requirements focus on the daily, monthly, or seasonal flow fluctuations which matches the time scale of most paradigms linking flow alterations to the health of river ecosystems. This dataset seeks to provide a greater understanding of how flexibility in environmental requirements can be leveraged to create positive outcomes for both the power system and the environment. It contains information on environmental flow requirements from the Protection, Mitigation, and Enhancement section of 50 randomly selected FERC licenses: 25 issued from 1998-2013 that were also included in the ORNL Mitigation Database (Schramm et al. 2015) and 25 issued from 2014-present. The information on environmental flow requirements was extracted from the PM&E section of 50 randomly selected FERC licenses: 25 issued from 1998-2013 that were also included in the ORNL Mitigation Database (Schramm et al. 2015) and 25 issued from 2014-present. The flow requirements were then categorized into flow augmentation categories based on whether the license stated a specific water management purpose for the given requirement called augmentation categories (i.e., fisheries or habitat, recreation or boating, industry, and general or unspecified; Table B). Requirements were also grouped into flow type categories (e.g., minimum flow rate, maximum flow rate, ramping rate). Additional information related to flow requirements such as the augmentation time-period and whether the flow rate was continuous (i.e., condition must be present at all-times) or instantaneous (i.e., condition present at a point in time) was also extracted from the licenses. Some licenses had specific flow requirements based on whether the project was in a wet, dry, or normal water year. If that information was presented in the license, it was also included in the data set. The location within the project was noted, hereafter, zone, in the dataset for flow requirements relating to specific areas of hydropower projects (Dam, Powerhouse, Bypass Reach). Maximum discharge capacities of hydropower facilities were also extracted from both the Existing Hydropower Assets (EHA) data set and the National Inventory of Dams (NID) databases. Each facility was coded with project identification codes from the EHA dataset to facilitate cross-referencing between datasets.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

FEMP Facility Evaluation (Audit) Decision Tree

This document is a resource to be used in concert with FEMP Audit Definitions, FEMP Consolidated Facility Management Guidance, and agency best practices and expert judgment—for agencies to use to determine the best approaches to evaluate their facilities. It features a decision tree that provides a framework for agencies to interpret gathered facility data to understand the existing conditions; benchmark the facility against others in the portfolio to determine whether an on-site or remote audit is appropriate for a facility; determine the best remote or on-site audit level of detail to meet agency facility auditing goals, such as meeting Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requirements and developing projects; and improve their energy and water management programs.

auditing↗