2019 KWRRI Annual Symposium

The 2019 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium was held on March 25, 2019, at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Kentucky. The symposium brought together nearly 170 researchers; local, state, and federal agency personnel; undergraduate and graduate students; participants from volunteer groups and NGOs; and members of the public.  The day-long symposium on water research, management, and education opened with a plenary session, moderated by KWRRI's Acting Director Kelly Dr. Pennell, featuring Charles Snavely, Secretary of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet; Spencer Bruce, President and CEO of Louisville Water Company; and Donna McNeil, Executive Director of the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority.

The panelists discussed policy and management challenges associated with drinking water and wastewater systems.  The plenary session was followed by two concurrent platform sessions featuring 24 oral presentations, two poster sessions featuring 33 poster presentations, and an awards luncheon. Recipients of the USGS 104(b) student research enhancement grants funded through the Institute during the previous award cycle presented their results at the symposium. 

The agenda for the symposium is available for download here, 2019 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, 2019 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium Proceedings (PDF, 92 pgs). To access an album of pictures from the Symposium, visit the 2019 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium Photo Gallery. 

The Bill Barfield Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Research was presented to Dr. Jimmy Fox on March 25, 2019 at the 2019 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. Fox is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Kentucky whose research has been instrumental in addressing water resource problems in Kentucky. Recent noteworthy method advancements by Fox and his collaborators include derivation of dimensionless numbers for sediment research and applications, derivation of an energy model for macroturbulence for rivers, development of watershed numerical models that couple stable isotope tracers, and development of new sensors and applications of sensors for watershed studies.  

The Lyle V.A. Sendlein Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Resources Practice was presented to Jack Stickney on March 25, 2019 at the 2019 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Sendlein award is presented to 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. Stickney is Registered Professional Geologist and he currently serves as a Source Water and Groundwater Protection Specialist for the Kentucky Rural Water Association, where he has worked for the last nineteen years.  He has developed Source Water and Wellhead Protection Plans for small water utilities throughout Kentucky and he also assists utilities with problems and technical issues that pertain to geologic and groundwater resources. 

The Robert Lauderdale Award for Outstanding Contributions in Water Quality was presented to Maggie Morgan on March 25, 2019 at the 2019 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The Lauderdale award is presented to 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.  Morgan has served as the Four Rivers Basin Coordinator in western Kentucky for the Jackson Purchase Foundation since 2008. She has overseen the development of four watershed plans and multiple large restoration projects in her basin and has several others in progress.  She has served on the Steering Committee of Watershed Watch in Kentucky, a statewide citizen science monitoring organization, since 2012 and became the chair of the organization in 2016.  In that role she has brought great leadership and vision to the organization and developing multiple new initiatives to expand its scope and reach.

Most Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation: 

• Alex Mills, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Fabrication of a Novel Reactive Membrane for Water Treatment.

Most Outstanding Graduate Poster Presentation: 

• Ciara Pickering and Gina DeGraves, Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky, Quantifying the Role of Particulate Nitrogen in Disturbed Forested Watershed Nitrogen Budgets: Influences of a Lowland Confluence Wetland.

Most Outstanding Student Platform Presentation: 

• Hongyi (Derek) Wan, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Nanotechnology and Membranes: Water Detoxification from Lab Scale to Real Site Applications.