RTI International Awarded Watershed Protection Contract

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – RTI International is one of five firms selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide technical support for watershed assessment and protection to the agency’s Office of Water.

Under terms of the five-year contract, RTI researchers will provide a broad range of technical support to EPA’s Assessment and Watershed Protection Division to assess water quality, produce reports on water quality information, and develop and implement activities to improve water quality nationwide. The contract has a ceiling of $107 million.

“This contract will help establish pollution controls and develop tools for ecosystem restoration that achieve EPA’s strategic goal of protecting America’s waters,” said Peter Ilieve, RTI program manager for the project. “The contract is accessible to all 10 of EPA’s regional offices, including states and tribal authorities.”

RTI will work with the EPA to place emphasis over the next five years on implementation of EPA’s Healthy Watersheds program, identification and control of nonpoint sources of water pollution, and continued development of total maximum daily loads for impaired water bodies. RTI has supported this program and predecessor programs for 25 years.

“There is a worldwide movement toward more integrated approaches for managing watersheds,” said Bob Dykes, director of RTI’s Water and Ecosystems Management Center. “Work performed under this contract enables RTI to stay at the forefront of the science and technologies needed to design and apply those approaches.”

RTI International offers extensive experience in a full range of technical, analytical and logistical services and expertise in water resources, water quality and watershed management. RTI's water resources and water quality research helps federal, state and local governments, as well as international clients, identify and assess point and nonpoint pollutant loadings to watersheds and target pollution control resources effectively.