Worth Noting - January 2026

PEOPLE/AWARDS

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, received the 2025 Wastewater Impact Award from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine for its $215 million expansion and rehabilitation of the city’s regional water reclamation facility.

Steve Dunn, superintendent of the Lynchburg Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility, received a William D. Hatfield Award from the Virginia Water Environment Association.

William Tarpeh, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, received a 2025 MacArthur Fellowship for his development of energy-efficient, scalable methods to recover valuable molecules from wastewater.

Lauren Stadler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, received the 2025 Paul L. Busch Award from the Water Research Foundation. Her research aims to advance wastewater monitoring through investigation of real-time biosensors that use synthetic biology.

The North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Legislative Initiatives from the National Rural Water Association.

Andy Koebel, executive director of Bonita Springs Utilities, won the William G. “Bill” Grubbs Special Recognition Award from the Florida Rural Water Association for exceptional service to the state’s water and wastewater industry.

The Victor Valley (California) Wastewater Reclamation Authority has been named a Water Resources Utility of the Future Today by the Water Environment Federation.

The Fort Pierce (Florida) Utilities Authority was named a 2025 Utility of the Future Today by the Water Environment Federation and its national partners for its work relocating the city’s wastewater treatment plant off the Indian River Lagoon.

Kevin McDonald joined the Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island) Commission as chief financial officer, where he will oversee a $302 million annual budget.

The Alcoa Water Treatment Plant’s hypochlorite generation upgrade was named the Bob Freudenthal Public Utility Project of the Year by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association.

The Milton (Pennsylvania) Water Treatment Plant received Director’s and President’s level awards from Partnership for Safe Water for achieving water quality excellence.

For the 15th consecutive year, Harnett Regional Water was recognized by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for outperforming federal and state drinking water standards. The utility received a 2024 Gold Star presented to water facilities that receive the North Carolina Area-Wide Optimization Program award for 10 or more years in a row.

Soquel Creek Water District was named the 2025 Medium Agency of the Year by WateReuse California.

Chad Eggers, a field technician III with Carolina Water Service, won the 2025 Living Water Award from the National Association of Water Companies for dedication and commitment during Hurricane Helene, which devastated western North Carolina in September 2024.