WET Center Serves as Invaluable Resource for Facing Water Challenges
Content

UMass Amherst is blessed with its own secret weapon for researchers pursuing sustainable, efficient solutions for current water-treatment and water-energy challenges. This wonder of wonders, surprisingly enough, is “raw wastewater, directly on tap.” This startling fact was illuminated by the UMass Amherst News Office in an informative article posted in January. As the article explained, “The UMass Amherst Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center offers a unique setting to test new technologies in water treatment and purification.”
What’s the great advantage of wastewater on tap? According to Patrick Wittbold, the research engineer at the WET Center, “If you’re a researcher trying to study wastewater, there’s an inherent challenge in getting access to it—all the logistical complications around transporting, storing, and disposing of wastewater. Having wastewater on tap is quite a valuable asset that we offer clients using this space.”
According to the News Office piece, “The WET Center is believed to be the only university-based testing facility on the East Coast, and one of only a few in the United States, with direct piped access to municipal wastewater.”
The WET Center is situated on the far western side of the UMass Amherst campus, between the Town of Amherst’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Mill River, and the UMass Central Heating Plant. And it couldn’t be more convenient for water researchers and educators of all kinds.
“For UMass faculty, the WET Center is an incredible resource to bridge partnerships with industry, government agencies, and utilities,” said Caitlyn Butler, the faculty lead at the center, a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department, and the associate dean of research and graduate affairs in the College of Engineering. “This site allows for collaborations at scale, bringing the research and demonstration closer to the application and giving our students exposure to real-world nuances of technology development.”
The News Office story said that the WET Center also provides access to local surface water from the Mill River, rainwater from a roof-based catchment system, and treated tap water from the Town of Amherst. The center is also hoping to offer groundwater through an on-site well by 2026.
As the News Office article explained this multi-functional center, “The center supports research targeting critical challenges in water treatment, including addressing both conventional and emerging contaminants—such as PFAS [perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances] chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and disinfection byproducts—and seeking to lower energy costs for conventional treatment through approaches like Internet-of-Things-based energy monitoring and real-time, motor-performance analysis. It also aids in evaluating new and emerging treatment methods and technologies.”
Today, the WET Center supports about half-a-dozen projects each year, according to the News Office story. “It is used by researchers in academia and at state agencies—as well as entrepreneurs and established companies—for testing, product development, and piloting new water-treatment devices.”
In addition, the center’s base at UMass Amherst offers researchers access to experts from a variety of disciplines and state-of-the-art research facilities, both at the WET Center and across the campus. For many more details about the WET Center, its brain trust, its functions, its affiliations, and its history, follow the story link in the first paragraph. (January 2025)