News Release Archive

Reclamation launches prize competition seeking new inland purification methods to increase usable water

Media Contact: Peter Soeth, 303.910.7473, psoeth@usbr.gov

For Release: October 28, 2020

Finalists will participate in a demonstration event at Reclamation’s Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico.WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is launching a prize competition seeking innovative, affordable and environmentally sound solutions to improve inland purification processes for brackish water. The new techniques should produce more usable water while reducing salt byproducts that require additional treatment and disposal.

"There are locations in this country where brackish water has the potential to become a usable water supply, especially where traditional supplies may be scarce," said Chief Engineer David Raff. "We hope to spur innovation for inland desalination that will increase useable water supplies while reducing water treatment costs."

This is a multi-phase competition culminating with finalists with the most compelling solutions participating in a demonstration event at Reclamation’s Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The five most compelling solutions will each receive $115,000 to build a prototype. The demonstration event winner will receive an additional $150,000 with the remaining finalists eligible to receive awards from a pool of $100,000.

Reclamation is partnering with NASA Tournament Lab and Common Pool on this prize competition. To learn more about this prize competition, visit https://www.usbr.gov/research/challenges/morewater.html.

Reclamation conducts prize competitions to spur innovation by engaging a non-traditional, problem-solver community. Through prize competitions, Reclamation complements traditional design research to target the most persistent science and technology challenges. It has awarded more than $1,000,000 in prizes through 22 competitions in the past six years. Visit Reclamation's Prize Competition website to learn more.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.