EPA Research Partner Support Stories
How can EPA research help states, Tribes and communities address their on the ground environmental challenges?
EPA’s Office of Research and Development compiles stories to illustrate how our collaborative work has supported our partners’ efforts to protect human health and the environment. These stories provide examples in particular how state environmental agencies and public health departments are using EPA research results, decision support tools, and technical solutions to address a wide variety of environmental issues, including air and water pollution, harmful algal blooms, PFAS and other chemicals, homeland security, and contaminated sites remediation.
These support stories can also be found on individual webpages. Navigate to story webpages by topic.
EPA Research Partner Support Stories Story Map
View the full screen EPA Research Partner Support Stories story map.
EPA Research Partner Support Stories Webpages
Air
Ozone and Particulate Matter
- Meeting air quality and climate goals simultaneously (CT)
- Exploring the cause of persistent high ozone in the New York City region (CT, NJ, NY)
Quality
- Detecting and measuring ethylene oxide (MO)
- Near-road air pollution exposure in vulnerable student populations (IL)
- Emissions measurement methods (UT, CO, WV)
- Reducing harmful air pollutants (CA, GA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, UT, VA)
Sensors
- Loaning air quality monitoring technology (CNMI)
- Mitigating rising ozone concentrations (AZ)
- Demonstrating the utility and challenges of low-cost sensors used for citizen science (AZ)
- Long-term performance evaluation of popular air sensor types at locations across the U.S. (AZ, CO, DE, GA, OK, WI)
- Increasing community awareness of air quality and making air sensor technologies more accessible (CA)
- Development and implementation of sensor system to detect elevated volatile organic compounds (KY)
- Evaluating next generation emission measurement technologies to quantify landfill air emissions (MI)
Wildfires and Prescribed Burns
- AirNow Fire and Smoke Map (Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states)
- Prairie Rangeland burning (KS)
- Planning framework for protecting commercial building occupants from smoke during wildfire events (MT)
- Smoke Sense mobile app translated into Spanish (NC, WA)
- Listening sessions with state, local, and Tribal representatives to discuss research needs concerning wildland fires (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY)
- Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology pilot (multistate)
Chemicals
Assessments
- Resources and education for understanding microplastics (all states)
- Addressing contaminants of emerging concern (all states)
- Screening and prioritizing chemicals to protect public health (MN)
- Chemical exposures via seafood consumption (WA)
- Evaluating chemicals for health effects (CA)
- Priority Products identification (CA)
- Tapping data from the latest innovations in toxicology to advance chemical risk assessments (MN)
- Evaluating risk of aquatic contaminants (MN)
- Persistent environmental health disparities research (AZ, CO, NM, UT)
Mercury
PFAS
- Optimizing the Operation of a full-scale PFAS Treatment Facility (NC)
- Air emissions of PFAS at an industrial facility (NC)
- Treatment options for PFAS-contaminated stormwater (IA)
- GenX PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear River (NC)
- Removing PFAS from community drinking water with granular activated carbon (NC)
- Contaminated site due to PFAS (AK)
- Evaluating granular activated carbon technologies for removing PFAS from drinking water (GA)
- Sampling and analysis of PFAS in fume suppressants at electroplating facilities (MI)
- Determining scope of PFAS contamination (NJ)
- Mapping PFAS levels (NC)
- Understanding VOC and air emissions from PTFE product manufacturing facilities (NY)
- Sharing latest advances in PFAS destruction research and technologies (MI)
- Crowdsourcing innovative solutions for non-thermal ways to destroy PFAS in concentrated firefighting foam (CO, MI, all states)
- Need for improved understanding of the current science regarding PFAS (all states)
- State-federal dialogue and presentations on evolving PFAS science (all states)
- Risk communication resources for PFAS and harmful algal blooms (CO, IN, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NY, OH, OR, PA, UT and VT)
Community Resources
- Chesapeake Bay Solutions-Driven Research Project (MD)
- One Health collaborations with state environmental, health, and fish & wildlife agencies (all states)
- Population and land use projections (CA)
- Social science-based risk communication tools to promote community resilience after flooding events (FL)
- Technical support to identify and quantify ecosystem services (AL, MA, PA, PR)
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education (NC)
- Improving the value of participatory science data in environmental decisions (all states)
- Collaborative projects with state environmental health experts (all states)
COVID-19
- Evaluating filtering and disinfection efficiency of various face coverings (NC)
- Monitoring levels of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage to assess community infection rate (OH)
Habitat
- Evaluating the use of the flocculant, chitosan, on Hawaiian stony corals (HI)
- Evaluating effects of microplastics on Atlantic stony corals (FL)
- Monitoring the health of the Perdido Bays Estuary (FL)
- Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) to improve Pickle Pond (MN, WI)
- Potential hazards to bees associated with the consumption of pesticide contaminated pollen (CT)
- Assessing sediment habitat quality using novel remote sensing technologies (FL)
- Coastal acidification effects on fisheries (OR)
- Environmental DNA (eDNA) for species inventory (CA, KY, MD, WV)
- Identifying cold water refuge areas for trout and salmon (ME)
Homeland Security
- Facilitating Closure of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (NY)
- Water-On-Wheels Mobile Emergency Water Treatment System (KY, NC)
- Decontaminant testing to effectively degrade fentanyl and its analogs (IN, MA, MI)
Superfund and Contaminated Site Remediation
- Assessing conditions at Bristol Landfill to determine the potential source of local odors (VA)
- Health Impact Assessment for neighborhood revitalization (IL)
- Heavy metal soil contamination from past mining activity (OR)
- Effects of climate change on contaminated sites and waste facilities (AZ)
- Arsenic bioavailability in contaminated creek sediment (FL)
- Identifying locations of metals loading to surface waters from active and abandoned mines (CO)
- Contaminated groundwater from former battery demolition site entering neighborhood creek (LA)
- Determining extent of contaminant impacts (MA)
- Suitable groundwater remediation (NH)
- Thermal remediation of waste oils (NH)
- Gold King Mine Spill local waterways/sediment sampling (NM)
- Remedial investigation/feasibility study technical support (WA)
- Passive remediation alternative (ID, WA)
- Risk assessment training (all states)
Waste and Materials Management
- Elevated temperatures at a municipal landfill (OH)
- iOS application to real time track waste from rural communities to final disposal destinations (AK)
- Synthetic turf field study (CA)
Water
Drinking Water
- Using water filters to reduce lead in drinking water (MI)
- Applications of the Water Network Tool for Resilience to assess drinking water systems’ resiliency to natural disasters (NY, VI)
- Resources for small drinking water systems (all states)
Nutrients
- Resources and education for preventing and managing cyanobacterial blooms (all states)
- Evaluating non-traditional approaches for reducing excess nutrients entering Cape Cod's coastal waters (MA)
- Managing excessive nutrient runoff causing HABs (OH)
- Water nitrate contamination (OR)
- Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (DE, DC, MD, VA, WV)
Quality
- Remediation and restoration of Great Lakes Areas of Concern (OH)
- Impacts of Enhanced Aquifer Recharge (EAR) on groundwater quality and quantity (OK)
- Monitoring technologies to characterize fecal pollution sources in regulated MS4 discharge (DC)
- Development of Biological Condition Gradient models to advance assessment of non-wadeable rivers (NM)
- Watershed condition improvements (WA)
Source and Recreational Protection
- Predicting water quality at beaches (IL, IN, MI, MN, NY, OH, PA, WI)
- Stream monitoring network (AL, CT, DE, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, NV, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV)
- River Spill model (IL, IN, KY, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV)
- Satellite derived measures of cyanobacteria (AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, IA, KS, KY, LA, MO, ND, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY)
Stormwater
- Monitoring the Performance of Stormwater Best Management Practices (CA)
- Ecosystem services assessment of the Ouachita River ecosystem (LA)
- Interactive story map to provide resources and inform decisions around green infrastructure (GA)
- Obtaining water quality data to inform processing and treating stormwater reuse (MN, OH)