ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) is requesting proposals for research that will provide education, outreach, and training on decentralized stormwater management techniques to critical target audiences. The program has the following goals:

• supplement existing stormwater management approaches;
• create more hydrologically functional site designs;
• provide new tools for urban retrofit;
• reduce overall design, construction, and maintenance costs of the stormwater management infrastructure; and
• help address larger watershed-scale goals.

WERF will provide $112,000 for development of innovative tools and training that lead to greater awareness, understanding, and use of decentralized stormwater management techniques; appropriate implementation for stormwater management; improved water quality; energy savings; and other benefits such as aesthetics.

Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT), June 20, 2008. Visit WERF’s Open RFPs page for more information, as well as complete instructions and associated forms for preparing proposals. Contact Program Manager Jane Casteline at jacasteline@werf.org for more information on this research effort or the proposal process.