science BRIEF
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
www.epa.gov
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/
Water Quality Research Program
Providing Research Solutions to Manage Water Quality
The Test and Evaluation Facility
Cincinnati, Ohio
Introduction Background • A 275-square-foot greenhouse for
The Test and Evaluation Facility (T&E) Designed in 1977 and opened in 1979, agricultural studies of pollutant
is located on the grounds of Cincinnati’s T&E is a multipurpose research facility application to soils
Mill Creek wastewater treatment plant. in Cincinnati, Ohio. The research • 10,000 gallons of stainless steel tank
There, scientists and engineers in the encompasses drinking water treatment, storage; drum storage areas for twenty
Water Quality Research Program in EPA’s wastewater treatment, and hazardous 55-gallon drums
National Risk Management Research waste, soil, and ground water remediation.
Laboratory conduct studies on new T&E is a two-story building with 33,000 • Hazardous waste tank leak and spill
treatment technologies for contaminants in square feet of space subdivided into monitoring and alarm capability tied
water and wastewater. This unique facility 16 work areas. It was designed with into an automatic facility shutdown
has a high-bay area for bench-, pilot-, functional versatility for future use. system
and full-scale research. It is supported by Under the Resource Conservation and To allow for installation and removal of
analytical laboratories, chemical storage, Recovery Act, T&E is a permitted experimental equipment and units, several
and office space. treatment, storage, and disposal facility large rollup doors facilitate the movement
A wide variety of innovative water, that holds an Ohio EPA treatability of trucks and large equipment, including
wastewater, and soil/sediment treatment exclusion. This exclusion allows the trailer-mounted pilot plants, in and out of
technologies and environmental facility to conduct treatability studies the building.
monitoring and control systems are using quantities of all categories of T&E is equipped with:
conceived, designed, fabricated, hazardous waste. This is unmatched by
and evaluated at T&E. Innovative any similar facility in the nation. • Chlorinated, dechlorinated, and
environmental management concepts deionized water supplies
may be subsequently field-validated and Features • Low- and high-pressurized air
nationally applied. T&E researchers T&E is a ventilated, fully heated and supplies
verify water security monitoring and lighted facility. Its features include: • Electrical supply (110, 240, 480 volts)
treatment technologies as part of EPA’s
Environmental Technology Verification • Wastewater flows to the 16 • Analytical chemistry laboratories
Program. experimental locations in the 24,000- (2,000 square feet)
Administered by NRMRL, T&E is square-foot high-bay area • Chemical storage area
managed by a highly experienced EPA • Two 5-ton bridge cranes for • Hazardous liquid and solid storage
technical team. The team is complemented ease of relocating large pieces of facilities
by Shaw Environmental, Inc. and its experimental equipment
subcontractors (University of Cincinnati, • Liquid pumping systems
• A well-equipped, 700-square-foot
Miami University, etc.). • Environmental chambers
machine shop for fabricating specialty
items and building or repairing • Office space (5,800 square feet)
experimental apparatus
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
The on-site chemistry laboratories give
scientists the flexibility to study:
• Phytoremediation
• Drinking water contaminants
• Biosensors (devices that determine
the concentration of substances
and other biological parameters of
interest)
• Small systems (public water systems
serving fewer than 10,000 people)
• Water distribution systems, using two
water distribution system simulators
The T&E facility may be used by
scientists and engineers from other federal
COnTaCT
agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit Results
Bio-monitoring – Joel Allen
organizations, and private companies. Research conducted at T&E has led (513) 487-2806
Provisions are in place to ensure that to technologies and strategies for allen.joel@epa.gov
EPA research will not be impacted by controlling and monitoring drinking Small systems – Craig Patterson
any agreements. In most cases, EPA will water contaminants, including microbial (513) 487-2805
provide in-kind services and contractor pathogens and inorganic and organic patterson.craig@epa.gov
support for studies at the T&E facility. chemicals. Water distribution systems – Christopher Impellitteri
Drinking water and wastewater studies at (513) 487-2872
impellitteri.christopher@epa.gov
Objectives T&E support EPA regulations and provide
EPA’s objectives are to reduce the risk regulators and utilities with environmental SEE alSO
to public health, ensure clean and safe results. Studies promote the development Water Quality Research Program
drinking water, and enhance science and and commercialization of practical and http://www.epa.gov/ORD/npd/waterqualityresearch-
innovative technologies that enhance intro.htm
research. T&E research supports these by
conducting leading-edge, sound scientific drinking water quality. T&E provides
research that reduces human exposure to diverse opportunities to convert drinking
contaminants in drinking water. water and wastewater research into
solutions for public water systems in the
The Water Quality Research Program
United States.
conducts research at T&E to develop
technologies and strategies for
controlling and monitoring drinking
water contaminants, including microbial
pathogens and inorganic and organic
chemicals. The primary areas of research
at T&E are:
• Drinking water and the Contaminant
Candidate List
• Bio-monitoring
• Package plants (technologies
packaged together to provide an
affordable solution for small-system
operators who may not otherwise be
able to efficiently treat water)
• Distribution systems
• Remote monitoring demonstrations
Specific contaminants are also investigated
to determine treatment and analytical
alternatives.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA/600/F-08/004
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory July 2008