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Success Stories
NRMRL and OW Sponsor Water Infrastructure WorkshopIn many communities across the United States, the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure is aged and failing. As part of EPA's continuing effort to address infrastructure issues, the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) and the Office of Water (OW) sponsored a workshop titled "The Fundamentals of Asset Management: A Hands On Approach," August 21–22, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Attendees from NRMRL Region 5 and local utilities were trained to better manage infrastructure issues. Trainers from EPA and the GHD Group used hypothetical situations to demonstrate best practices for real-world scenarios, with a focus on advanced asset management for addressing problems at water pump stations. Dr. Gray Addresses Fifth Annual Drinking Water Workshop Dr. George Gray, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), spoke about the importance of collaboration between “front line decision-makers” in addressing current and future environmental challenges. Dr. Gray outlined several NRMRL programs with significant roles in ORD’s mission to protect human health, including arsenic treatment technology demonstrations and research into aging water infrastructure. Attendees were urged to “take that next step into implementation” because “research is only helpful if we can get the results to the people that will use them.” Over 180 participants attended the workshop, including personnel from 39 state drinking water agencies. Participants received training on various solutions and strategies for complying with drinking water regulations. Discussion topics encompassed uranium, radium, arsenic, corrosion, nitrification, residual disposal, and treatment costs. Sally Gutierrez Participates in Hispanic ConferenceNRMRL Director Sally Gutierrez participated in EPA’s first Beyond Translation Forum on September 15 in Washington, D.C. The event, titled “EPA and the Hispanic Community: Partnering, Engaging, & Building Awareness,” was part of a continuing effort to effectively engage the Hispanic community as a partner in environmental stewardship. The forum explored career and networking opportunities, outreach strategies, and environmental priorities affecting Spanish-speaking communities (indoor/outdoor air issues, pesticides and toxics, etc.). Gutierrez participated in a discussion session titled “Promoting Higher Education and Careers in Science, Technology, and the Environment.” NRMRL Appoints New Deputy Director for ManagementEPA’s Dr. Andrew Gillespie has been appointed as NRMRL’s new Deputy Director for Management. Dr. Gillespie comes to NRMRL with extensive research and scientific management experience. From 1989–2004, Andy served in a variety of research and leadership positions in the research branch of the USDA Forest Service, including tours in Colorado, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Since 2004, he has served as Director of the National Center for Environmental Assessment’s Cincinnati office. He is also a graduate of EPA’s 2002 Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. Dr. Gillespie is recognized both nationally and internationally as a leader, innovator, advisor, and expert in forest ecosystem inventory and monitoring. Research Highlight from Sally GutierrezNRMRL develops scientific knowledge and technologies to reduce and prevent pollution, and restore ecosystems. NRMRL efforts focus on seven core research areas: drinking water protection, air pollution control, pollution prevention, remediation of contaminated sites, watershed management and protection, environmental technology verification, and technology and technical support.NRMRL Director Sally Gutierrez recently traveled to Argentina to share NRMRL’s research efforts internationally. Gutierrez provided an overview of ongoing drinking water research to the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering. She also led seminars at the Instituto do Recursos Hidricos do la Universidad Nacional in Cordova, and the National Technical University in Buenos Aires. She provided faculty and students a look at the latest technologies being developed for controlling arsenic in drinking water. Arsenic Removal Paper is 9th Most Viewed“Optimizing Arsenic Removal During Iron Removal: Theoretical and Practical Considerations," by Tom Sorg and Darren Lytle, is the 9th most viewed paper between 2004 and 2006 in the Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology – Aqua. Both NRMRL scientists work in the Water Supply and Water Resources Division.See AlsoNRMRL Research Highlights |