EPA Awards $75,000 To WKU
For Water Quality Research

August 27, 2004

Bowling Green, Ky. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $75,000 grant to Western Kentucky University's Center for Water Resource Studies for a project that will work to improve the safety of Kentucky drinking water supplies.

The statewide project will focus on the problem of drinking water contamination by atrazine, a commonly used herbicide. Much of the work will focus on Rough River Lake, which supplies water to Leitchfield in Grayson County and other small water systems, and where spring season concentrations of the atrazine have exceeded EPA's allowable limits.

"This award was made possible by the six years' experience of WKU scientists and students in the study of Kentucky drinking water sources and how science can be applied to protect the health of the state's residents," said Dr. Andy Ernest, director of the Center for Water Resources Studies within WKU's Applied Research and Technology Program. Since 1998 that work has been funded through congressional appropriations made possible by Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Primary partners in the project include the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky Agricultural Extension Service and the Kentucky Rural Water Association.

Those working on the project agree that this exemplifies the work of the university's Applied Research and Technology Program.

According to Dr. Chris Groves, lead author of the new grant, "this kind of project gets both undergraduate and graduate students involved in real world research as an integrated part of their academic programs, while simultaneously, WKU's expertise reaches out to the community to help solve critical problems dealing with human health."

The project has several components, including water monitoring, public education and a significant effort in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

"This is yet another example of how the university administration' s recent significant investment in GIS infrastructure is paying dividends in Western's ability to attract external funding," Dr. Groves said.

Dr. David Keeling, Geography and Geology Department Head, added that "student engagement through these projects is a critical component of the department's Quality Enhancement Program and is proving crucial in our efforts to prepare our students for success in a global society."

For more information, contact Chris Groves at (270) 745-5974. More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

-WKU-