NSF Convergence Accelerator Track K: Water for Small And Very Small Systems (WaterSAVerS) - A Convergence Framework for Expediting Equitable Water Systems Deployment

More than 30 million Americans and billions of people worldwide live in small communities of less than 10000 persons. Water and wastewater infrastructure can be especially challenging for these Small and Very Small communities (SaVerS). SaVerS water systems are stuck in the middle between large cities that favor centralized water systems and household level point-of-use systems. Though centralized water treatment and distribution is beneficial to communities, they may lack resources to plan, design, implement, and operate and maintain a water treatment system. For example, a full-time operator may be unaffordable for small communities. SAVerS infrastructure must support semi-autonomous operations to reduce the economic burden of operator salaries. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is making available significant financial support for water infrastructure in small communities but there is a disconnect between the available support and the SaVerS communities’ capacities to access that support. The proposed project will focus on SaVerS in Puerto Rico, a US Commonwealth, as a case study for developing a replicable framework for getting BIL funds towards SaVerS water systems that are sustainable and resilient and are a point of pride in the community. The project brings together stakeholders and disciplinary experts to bear on the development of a framework for supporting SaVerS water systems. The project team coPIs represent Cornell University, Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Education, Conservation and Research, and the non-profit AguaClara Reach. The team’s focus will be Puerto Rico (PR)- a US commonwealth with economic challenges as well as severe natural disaster risk, particularly in the face of climate variability. The team’s project will have three convergent Focus Areas (FA) to achieve the ultimate goal of a framework for rapid deployment of SAVerS water systems in the US and beyond: FA1) Governance and Financing; FA2) Community Education and Workforce Training; and FA3) Resilient Water System Technologies. This project will benefit society by advancing an integrated package of community engagement practices, financing, water infrastructure, governance, and O&M practices that are specifically designed for SAVerS. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.