The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced a new partnership with the state’s public universities to accelerate and develop solutions to persistent air and water quality challenges in the state.
The Arizona Board of Regents established Regent’s Grants to collaborate with Arizona DEQ, announcing five proposals for over the next three years including:
- Improving the air we breathe – Researchers will conduct field studies to verify ground-level ozone emissions, work to model and predict Arizona ozone concentrations, and identify opportunities to mitigate high ozone levels, including development of potential incentives addressing ozone reduction strategies. ($2.8M)
- Controlling Valley Fever and dust – Researchers will work to develop a better understanding of how Valley Fever is transmitted via wind-blown dust and test technologies to suppress dust and Valley Fever in fallow fields. Valley Fever is estimated to have a nearly $700M direct economic impact in direct costs. ($4.5M)
- Removing PFAS from water supplies – Researchers are working to create cost-effective technologies to measure and remove PFAS compounds from water. ($1.5M)
- Managing waste from abandoned Arizona mines – Researchers will inventory abandoned mines to identify potential risks and work to create environmental management options. ($1.5M)
- Making recycling economical again – Researchers will develop computer models and tools to evaluate recycling options to help different-sized municipalities explore feasible recycling strategies. ($1.6M)
For more information, contact Caroline Oppleman of Arizona.
