Water security is central to functioning societies, yet our existing water resources are under multiple pressures. We need to rapidly adapt how we use water for cities, energy production, agriculture, and other societal needs. Our scientists are applying their expertise in hydroclimatic prediction, groundwater recharge, and the water-food-energy nexus to develop solutions and technologies for enhanced water resilience.

 Peter Fiske, a short-haired person wearing a collared shirt, smiles for a headshot against a gray background.

Sustainable groundwater management

Evaluating managed aquifer recharge techniques with advanced computer modeling.

Integrated watershed science and management

Predicting the cumulative impact of environmental change on the fate of nutrients and contaminant transport in the watershed.

Hydroclimatic prediction

Modeling climate, snowpack, and streamflow and their interconnections.

Water security

Developing innovative solutions for sustainable groundwater management, recycling and reuse, water-use efficiency, and desalination.

Desalination

Developing new technologies to reduce the energy intensity of desalination technologies.

 Birdseye view of desalination plant.

NAWI focuses on early-stage research on desalination and associated water-treatment technologies to secure affordable and energy-efficient water supplies for the United States from nontraditional water sources.

 Wildflowers in front of the East river watershed winding river.

The Watershed Function SFA is developing a predictive understanding of how mountainous watersheds retain and release water, nutrients, carbon, and metals.

 Green mountains and river in the East River catchment in Crested Butte Colorado.

Using leadership-class computers, big data, and machine learning — combined in learning-assisted physics-based simulation tools — to fundamentally change how watershed function is understood and predicted.

 Flooded almond field in California.

Combining traditional geophysical methods with novel sensors and modeling to answer questions about groundwater charge across scales.

 Wet marsh and coastline with wind turbines in the background.

Delivering actionable climate data for water management.

 Birdseye view of green algal bloom.

As part of this multi-institutional effort, Berkeley Lab scientists are studying and modeling the exchanges of carbon, nutrients, and elements across coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.

 Blue wildflowers in front of a field of scientific instruments and green mountains.

An advanced atmospheric observatory to profoundly advance scientific understanding of the major atmospheric physical processes and land-atmosphere interactions affecting how mountainous watersheds in the Rocky Mountains deliver water.

 Blue waves and sky.

Demonstrating an integrated system of nontraditional water treatment and renewable energy generation sources and defining the feasibility and optimization paths for development of full-scale desalination system(s) with significant cost reductions.

 Scientist wearing goggles operates a small desalination experiment at a lab bench.

Developing desalination technologies based on novel materials and process configurations that can treat nontraditional water sources for beneficial reuse.

 Person with medium-length brown hair wearing a dark blue cardigan over a maroon shirt.

"This role combines my passion for developing and leading interdisciplinary and impact-driven research initiatives across both water and energy sectors. We're enabling cutting-edge scientific exploration that can simultaneously advance strategies for climate adaptation and mitigation."

 Susannah Tringe, a long brown-haired person wearing a white blouse and red cardigan, smiles outdoors.

“The human demand for freshwater is growing. Yet our natural resources are nearly tapped out, and climate change is expected to make it worse. It’s urgent that we find ways to reuse the water we’ve already taken from the environment.”

Robert Kostecki, a short-haired person poses for a headshot against a gray background.

“Our study is an important step toward lowering the cost of desalination. It’s also a great example of what’s possible in the national lab system, where interdisciplinary collaborations between the basic sciences and applied sciences can lead to creative solutions to hard problems benefiting generations to come.”

 Outstretched hand holding a bowl collecting natrual water. Peter Fiske, a short-haired person wearing a collared shirt, smiles for a headshot against a gray background.

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), which is led by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Berkeley Lab, has been extended for five more years with $75 million in funding from DOE. NAWI will continue its contributions to helping decarbonize the water and wastewater sectors through investments in technologies that enhance the efficient use of energy for water use, treatment, and distribution.

The National Alliance for Water Innovation, or NAWI, was founded in 2017 by three Department of Energy (DOE) national labs — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — to establish the next DOE Energy Innovation Hub. Along with a core group of industry and academic partners, NAWI formed a research consortium to examine the critical technical barriers and research needs to radically lower the cost and energy of desalination. NAWI is led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and headquartered in Berkeley, California.

 Photo collage of people interacting with water. Spring snowmelt in the Ansel Adams Wilderness of the California Sierra Nevada. Wildflowers against a winding river, green fields, and mountains at Crested Butte, Colorado. Charlie Koven conducting fieldwork outdoors. Scientist looks over plants in the EcoPOD. View of Earth from space.