Task 1.
Water Security on Tribal Lands: Reducing Disinfection Byproducts (THMs)

Sponsor: Souder, Miller & Associates

Summary:
Contribute to water security on tribal lands by exploring innovative approaches to reduce harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s (UMUT’s) water system in Towaoc¹, Montezuma County, Colorado. When DBPs reach unacceptable levels, water must be discharged from the pipeline, resulting in significant water losses in this water-scarce region. Your solution has the potential to strengthen water security for the Tribe, with broader applications in other communities.The design focuses on reducing trihalomethanes (THMs), such as chloroform, which have been rising since 2004 and, at times, exceed EPA’s drinking water limits by up to 31%. THMs form when chlorine used to disinfect the water reacts with dissolved organic matter, with formation increasing with higher chlorine concentrations, greater organic content, and longer contact time. Because UMUT water is conveyed 22 miles from Cortez, Colorado, extended contact time increases DPB formation, leading to elevated levels when it reaches Towaoc.

• Task Summary will be published by July 10, 2026. 
• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 20, 2026.

Task 2. Solar facility vegetation mitigation and control through passive systems

Diamond Sponsor: El Paso Electric Co.

Support sustainable energy by developing innovative solutions to one of the solar industry's most persistent challenges: keeping weeds from taking over solar farms. While solar panels generate clean energy, unwanted vegetation can shade panels, reduce power output, obstruct maintenance activities, increase fire risk, and damage equipment by creating hot spots that can permanently burn out modules.

Managing vegetation across hundreds or even thousands of acres is a continual challenge that costs the industry millions of dollars each year.

Teams will be challenged to develop a practical, scalable system that suppresses weeds with little or no human intervention. Solutions should provide long-term vegetation control while minimizing environmental impacts, maintenance requirements, and lifecycle costs. The most successful designs will not only keep solar farms clear and productive but also offer a sustainable alternative to conventional approaches such as mowing, herbicides, grazing, and gravel ground cover.

• Task Summary will be published by July 10, 2026. 
• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 20, 2026.

Task 3: Safe Drinking Water: PFAS Adsorption using Biomaterials

Platinum Task Sponsor and Developer: Freeport-McMoRan

Help small communities address PFAS contamination in drinking water. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," are contaminating drinking water supplies across the U.S. and around the world. The compounds accumulate in the human body, and exposure has been associated with increased risks of some cancers, impaired immune system function, developmental effects in children, and other adverse health outcomes.

While larger utilities may have the resources to install advanced treatment systems, many small and rural communities face significant financial and technical barriers.

Teams will develop an innovative, sustainable adsorption system using biomaterials to remove PFAS from drinking water, providing a practical and affordable treatment option for underserved communities.

Teams that can also demonstrate destruction or partial destruction of the adsorbed PFAS compounds will make a valuable contribution to advancing PFAS treatment and disposal technologies.

• Task Summary will be published by July 13, 2026. 
• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 22, 2026.

Task 4. NASA Challenge: Power on the Lunar South Pole

Diamond Sponsor: New Mexico Space Grant Consortium

Task Developers: NASA MSFC, JSC

NASA is seeking innovative concepts for the Artemis program. More information coming soon - We're waiting for the NASA subject-matter experts to connect with us. 

• Task Summary will be published by July 15, 2026. 
• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 23, 2026

Task 5: Out of Hydrogen Sulfide Comes Hydrogen

Sponsors: Chevron, NGL Water Solutions
Task Developers: Chevron

Your team is challenged to design innovative ways to produce hydrogen as fuel from hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Current technologies look at H2S in two ways: 

• H2S as Waste: Most H2S removal treats it as a waste product, rather than a resource (redox systems, amines with Claus process, etc.). What a waste! Read on for a better idea. 
• H2S as Resource for H2: This is an emerging area of research, including:
  • Reforming H2S & CH4 (similar to water-based reforming, but replacing H2O with H2S), but it is energy-intensive and requires costly infrastructure). 
  • The 2027 WERC Task: Thermochemical processes that can simultaneously remove H2S and produce H2 gas, thus reforming it, rather than decomposing it. This approach holds promise of being significantly cheaper than reforming and not requiring a distinct separation step. What can you design? 

• Task Summary will be published by July 13, 2026. 
• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 22, 2026.

Task 7. Open Task

Sponsor: Jacobs Engineering Group

Task Developers: Your team.

Propose your own environmental challenge. The tasks require innovation and a bench-scale demo. Teams are encouraged to identify needs of economically challenged communities in their region. 

Make sure your Open Task is competitive. Not sure? Email werc@nmsu.edu and our judges will review your plans.

• Full Task Problem statement will be published by July 22, 2026.
• For a preview of the general content of the 2027 Open Task, see the 2026 Open Task, below. 

2026 Task 7: Open Task