News From agricultural waste to water risk
MIT researchers received a 2026 J-WAFS Animal Ag Grant to study the impacts of agricultural runoff on drinking water treatment.
Sofia Rutman J-WAFS July 8, 2026
Desirée Plata and Glen Andrew de Vera have been awarded the 2026 J-WAFS Grant for Transforming Animal Agriculture Systems.
J-WAFS is excited to announce that Professor Desirée Plata and Research Scientist Glen Andrew de Vera have been awarded the J-WAFS Grant for Transforming Animal Agriculture Systems. Their project will examine whether nitrogen-rich agricultural wastes entering Laguna Lake in the Philippines can form toxic chemicals when the water is treated to become potable.
Desirée Plata is the School of Engineering Distinguished Climate and Energy Professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Dean of Engineering, and Glen Andrew de Vera is a Research Scientist in the Plata Lab within MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The project will involve collecting samples from Laguna Lake, partnering with local experts to compare results with existing lake data, measuring N-nitrosamines (a class of carcinogenic contaminants) and evaluating how they form. The results will help identify contamination hotspots and water quality indicators that can guide future treatment and management decisions. Prof. Plata will spearhead the analytical framework for measuring the levels of nitrosamines and for linking agricultural waste inputs to downstream water quality risks, and de Vera will lead field implementation, sample processing, trace nitrosamine analysis, and data synthesis with collaborators from the University of the Philippines.