About Us

Background
Faculty
Staff
Students

Situated within the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at the University of New Hampshire and associated with the Civil Engineering Department, the NE-WTTAC specializes in multidisciplinary research and development, piloting, verification, and diffusion of innovative, water treatment technologies. Frequently, partnerships are formed between the private sector, a host community, and relevant regulatory agencies at the local, state, regional and national level.

The faculty and staff of the NE-WTTAC have expertise in the development of new technologies, field-based pilot testing in host communities, third-party verification of technology performance and reliability, and the diffusion of appropriate technologies to end-users through technology transfer processes. Technologies that have been developed or evaluated include:

• slow sand filtration
• GAC/biological filtration
• membrane filtration
• roughing filtration
• precoat pressure filtration
• air-stripping
• GAC adsorption
• advanced oxidation
• UV disinfection
• conventional treatment.

Since its inception, faculty have been involved in over 30 research projects funded by the private sector, water utilities, state government, USEPA, and the American Water Works Association Research Foundation. Typical piloting and verification studies involve working closely with a host community. As part of our education and scholarship mission, studies frequently are used to support graduate student research under the careful supervision of faculty. The research that is conducted is widely disseminated and published. The NE-WTTAC is well equipped to conduct these studies, with facilities to conduct bench and pilot scales studies both at UNH and at host community locations.

The NE-WTTAC has been certified by the U.S. EPA/ National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) as an Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) facility. In this capacity, the NE-WTTAC serves as an independent third party in the process of verifying the viability of new drinking water treatment technologies.

NE-WTTAC's New Information Sheet - See it here!

The NE-WTTAC at UNH has been officially operational since October 1, 1999. The NE-WTTAC has grown out of UNH's Environmental Research Group's (ERG) extensive work with communities, regulatory agencies, and the private sector in developing or reinventing technologies to meet ongoing legislative requirements associated with the Safe Drinking Water Act Reauthorization, the Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, the Lead and Copper Rule, the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule, the Radionuclide rule, and the Groundwater Disinfection Rule.

Dr. M. Robin Collins
348 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.1407
robin.collins@unh.edu
ne.wttac@unh.edu

Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH
Director of the New England Water Treatment Technology Assistance Center

Dr. M. Robin Collins is the Director of the NE-WTTAC and a professor in the Civil Engineering Department at UNH with an emphasis on environmental engineering topics and also holds a PE license. Dr. Collins primary research interests are water filtration processes, physical-chemical treatment applications, water chemistry, aquatic humic substances and natural organic matter, disinfection by-product precursor characterization and treatability, technology adoption, and pilot testing. Current research projects being conducted under Professor Collins' supervision include the evaluation of riverbank filtration for removals of viruses, E. coli, and bacillus spores; the evaluation of chloramination factors and natural organic matter characteristics in the formation of DXAA; and removal of arsenic and natural organic matter from drinking water by coating of diatomaceous earth with sorbents.

Dr. Jim Malley
342 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.1449
jim.malley@unh.edu

Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH

Professor Malley's research interests include aquatic and surface chemistry, oxidation processes (UV, ozone, UV-peroxide), innovative technologies, dissolved air flotation, activated carbon, pilot testing, and technology adoption. Jim is the principal investigator for the NE-WTTAC research project aimed at finding a simple test procedure that treatment plant operators can use to verify UV disinfection performance.

Dr. Kevin Gardner
336 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.4334
kevin.gardner@unh.edu

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH
Director, Environmental Research Group

Professor Gardner's research interests span a wide range of environmental processes with the common theme of environmental chemistry, particularly related to environmentally significant surfaces and particles. The Center for Contaminated Sediments Research at the University of New Hampshire is directed by Dr. Gardner. He is also involved with the NE-WTTAC research project investigating the removal of arsenic and natural organic matter from drinking water by coating diatomaceous earth with sorbents.

Dr. Tom Ballestero
244 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.1405
tom.ballestero@unh.edu

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH

Professor Ballesteros's primary interests include hydrogeology, hydrogeologic monitoring, water resources and hydrology. Dr. Ballestero is the principal investigator for the NE-WTTAC project evaluating radioactive contamination at leach fields resulting from the disposal of small water system treatment byproducts.

 

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NE-WTTAC Staff Members

Peter Dwyer
344 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.1106
pdwyer@cisunix.unh.edu

Research Engineer

Peter Dwyer is a research engineer for the New England Water Treatment Technology Assistance Center. He holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. Mr. Dwyer oversees pilot studies, analyzes results, and performs laboratory analyses.

 

Vasiliki Partinoudi
342 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862.1412
vasiliki.partinoudi@unh.edu
ne.wttac@unh.edu

Project Director

Vaso Partinoudi is the Project Director of the New England Water Treatment Technology Center. She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from UNH and was the recipient of the 2005 American Water Works Association Academic Achievement Award for her master's thesis "Riverbank Filtration as a Viable Treatment and Pretreatment Process." She participates in WTTAC projects and oversees EPA-funded research projects.

 

Damon Burt
347A Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-969-5574
damon.burt@unh.edu

Research Scientist

Damon Burt is a Research Scientist for the New England Water Treatment Technology Assistance Center. Mr. Burt is a Certified Wetland Scientist and Certified Professional in Sediment and Erosion Control (CPESC) and is the principal of a small environmental consulting company specializing in wetland permitting, wetland restorations, NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) stormwater inspections and compliance. He is involved with a number of WTTAC projects and currently working on Assessing Metal Oxide Coatings on Filter Media for Arsenic Removal.

 

Kellen Sawyer
Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
k_r_sawyer@hotmail.com

Lab Manager

Kellen Sawyer graduated from UNH in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree.  He majored in Bioscience and Technology and minored in Genetics.

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NE-WTTAC Graduate Students

	Ethan Brooke Department of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1197 B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Sculpture from Antioch College, 2000 Project Title: Assessing Post Treatment Aeration Variables to Reduce Disinfection Byproducts for Small Systems
	Ashlee Fuller Department of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1172 B.A. in Zoology & Spanish, University of Maine, Orono, 2004 Project Title: Evaluating the Disinfection of Particle Associated Virus
	Sarah Lilley Department of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1172 B.S. in Biology and B.S. Environmental Studies, Gettysburg College, 2006 Project Title: The Role of Protists in Slow Sand Filters
	Paul Pepler Department of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1197 B.S. in Environmental Science: Ecosystems from the University of New Hampshire, 2007 Project Title: Assessing Arsenic Removal by Zero-Valent Iron Under Various Water Quality Conditions
	Cyrus Perron Departent of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1197 B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Clarkson University, 2007
	Jeff Senders Department of Civil Engineering, M.S. Student Phone: 207.615.2219 B.S. (Cum Laude) in Environmental Engineering with a focus in Municipal Processes from the University of New Hampshire, 2008. Other collegiate studies: University of Southern Maine, focus: Environmental Science (2004-2005); Lesley University, Audobon Expedition Institute, focus: Environmental Studies & Ecological Design (2001-2004) M.S. Project Title: Evaluation and optimization of an intermittent slow sand filter for small scale drinking water supplies.
	Jessica Tockson Department of Civil Engineering M.S. Student Phone: 603.862.1197 B.S. in Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire Year, 2005 Project Title: Evaluating the Disinfection of Particle Associated Virus