2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

The 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium was held on September 13, 2021, at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Kentucky. The symposium opened with a plenary session moderated by KWRRI Director Dr. Lindell Ormsbee, featuring Carey Johnson, Director of the Kentucky Division of Water, and Dale Threatt-Taylor, Executive Director of the South Carolina Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Johnson provided an update on the Division's current priorities and Threatt-Taylor discussed the importance of communicating with stakeholders. Additional highlights from the day-long event were 22 platform and 18 poster presentations that allowed attendees to hear the latest in water research, practice, and education. Presenters included recipients of the USGS 104(b) student research enhancement grants funded through the Institute. During the awards luncheon, KWRRI presented KWRRI’s annual awards  acknowledging outstanding contributions in the areas of Water Resources Research, Water Resources Practice, and Water Quality. The 100 attendees included researchers; local, state, and federal agency personnel; undergraduate and graduate students; participants from volunteer groups and NGOs; water professionals; and members of the public. 

The agenda for the symposium is available for download here, 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium Agenda (PDF, 4 pgs). The proceedings document, which contains the abstracts for all poster and platform presentations, is available for download here, 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium Proceedings (PDF, 67 pgs). To access an album of pictures from the Symposium, visit the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium Photo Gallery. 

Bill Barfield Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Research

The 2020 Bill Barfield Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Research was presented to Dr. Chris Groves on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Barfield Award honors an individual who has developed a national or international reputation in a water related research field and has made significant contributions in developing new knowledge, methods, and/or applications in addressing water resource challenges. Dr. Groves is a University Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology at Western Kentucky University. He directs the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory, a nationally-leading lab for karst groundwater flow investigations, and has developed an international research program in hydrogeology, geochemistry and water resources, with fieldwork in 25 countries. 

The 2021 Bill Barfield Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Research was presented to Dr. Carmen Agouridis on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Barfield Award honors an individual who has developed a national or international reputation in a water related research field and has made significant contributions in developing new knowledge, methods, and/or applications in addressing water resource challenges. Dr. Agouridis is the Associate Dean for Instruction in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and an Extension Professor of Ecosystem Protection and Restoration in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Agouridis’s research focuses on using applied research to address current issues in the natural resource management, particularly restoration of water systems impacted by agricultural, urban, or mining activities.

Lyle V.A. Sendlein Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Practice

The 2020 Lyle V.A. Sendlein Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Practice was presented to Richard Walker on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Sendlein award honors a water resource practitioner who has made significant contributions in addressing water resource problems in Kentucky through water and environmental administration and management, water related public service, or engineering practice. Richard Walker is a Licensed Professional Engineer with 37 years of experience in water resources engineering. He is a Vice President of Tetra Tech, a worldwide consulting and engineering firm with 20,000 employees. Richard has led the Tetra Tech team as Lexington’s MS4 Program Management Consultant since 2008, where his team assists the city with complying with the MS4 Permit and the Clean Water Act Consent Decree.

 The 2021 Lyle V.A. Sendlein Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Practice was presented to Kurt Mason on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Sendlein award honors a water resource practitioner who has made significant contributions in addressing water resource problems in Kentucky through water and environmental administration and management, water related public service, or engineering practice. Throughout his 44-year career with USDA, Kurt has been able to assist individuals and communities (urban & rural) gain a better understanding of their connection and impacts to the slowly renewable natural resources of soil, water, woodland and wildlife. His career with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service spanned from the Eastern Kentucky coalfields to the Central Kentucky grasslands. In the early 1980’s he began to focus his attention on the Beargrass, Harrods and Floyds Fork watersheds in the Louisville area, leading community efforts to draw attention to watershed management and non-point pollution impacts.  From educational and outreach strategies to technical assistance, Kurt led efforts to change policies and minds to positively affect water quality. He is still engaged in those efforts chairing the boards of the Louisville/Jefferson County Environmental Land Trust, Bernheim Research Forest and Arboretum Board of Trustees and the West Jefferson County Community Task Force Board.  

Robert Lauderdale Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Quality

John Webb is the recipient of the 2020 Robert Lauderdale Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Quality. The award was announced on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Lauderdale award honors an individual who has helped improve the water quality and sustainability of Kentucky’s water resources through leadership and service with academia, environmental consulting, environmental NGOs, state and local government, and/or cooperative extension. John started with the Kentucky Division of Water in 2004 as a river basin coordinator, then served as the supervisor of the Basin Coordination Section and as an Environmental Scientist before moving into his current role as manager of the Watershed Management Branch. He has worked closely with the state nonpoint source pollution control program, watershed planning, and Watershed Watch volunteer monitoring programs. 

The 2021 Robert Lauderdale Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Quality was presented to Russ Turpin on September 13, 2021, at the 2021 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Lauderdale award honors an individual who has helped improve the water quality and sustainability of Kentucky’s water resources through leadership and service with academia, environmental consulting, environmental NGOs, state and local government, and/or cooperative extension.  Russ Turpin has served as a senior environmental specialist with EcoGro for 15 years. EcoGro is a professional contracting and consulting group based in Lexington, Kentucky, that uses ecological solutions to resolve the degradation of local natural areas. Russ has implemented number award-winning restoration and stewardship projects in the Central Kentucky area including the Coca Cola Rain Garden Project which he helped organize through the Bluegrass Rain Garden Alliance.  He has been involved in numerous projects including the Hatchery Creek project near Lake Cumberland, the UK FEMA Project along Alumni Drive, multiple stream restorations at schools in Lexington, and the Lexington Green pond bank stabilization project. 

 Most Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation: 

• Rebecca Piche, Department of Science and Health, Asbury University, Comparison of Leaf Litter Bag and Environmental DNA in Detection of Salamanders in Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory.

Most Outstanding Graduate Poster Presentation: 

• David Lu, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Development and Optimization of Green Polymer and Solvent-Based Ultrafiltration Membranes for Water Treatment Applications.