“In Defense of Water,” a research initiative at Marquette University, has received its third grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, the university announced Thursday.
The $4.2 million grant follows two previous $3.8 million grants — the first in 2021 and another in 2023 — from the DOD. The first round of funding established Marquette University’s partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2021. The “In Defense of Water” initiative aims to create sustainable technology that can be used to ensure clean drinking water and treat sewage, as well as develop emergency response plans for dealing with water contamination, according to the news release.
The initiative also addresses the improvement of water security and efficiency at military installations, according to the news release. Another focus area of the project includes cleaning up PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” at military installations. Researchers have removed “more than 90% of PFAS from real-world samples” and are looking to perform “field-scale tests” in Wisconsin.
A growing public health concern, PFAS contamination has been found in drinking water and sewage sludge. PFAS exposure has been linked to cancers. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a rule designating two PFAS as hazardous substances.
The new round of federal funding for “In Defense of Water” extends six areas of research and launches another area of focus, according to the news release. Marquette University faculty will lead a new emphasis of the project focused on creating sensors to “detect and monitor” water contaminates like PFAS, heavy metals and hydrocarbons.
This new phase of the initiative has also expanded the team to 17 total Marquette University researchers.
Brooke Mayer, a Marquette University professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, said that the partnership with the DOD created “a tremendous opportunity to expand our water research capabilities at Marquette.” Mayer is a principal investigator on this third phase of the initiative.
“This continued partnership and support are opening the door to address critical water-related challenges,” Mayer said. “It’s such a unique opportunity to develop interdisciplinary solutions to enhance water resiliency while providing dual benefits to the public good and military operations.”
