Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE
Dr. Ormsbee is the Raymond-Blythe Professor of civil engineering
at the University of Kentucky. Since joining the faculty of the
University of Kentucky in 1983, Dr. Ormsbee has been actively
engaged in research, teaching, and consulting in water resources
and environmental engineering and has published more that 250
technical papers and reports on various topics in this field. In
addition to serving on numerous international, national, and state
committees, Dr. Ormsbee has spoken to hundreds of audiences
at various technical conferences and other meetings across the
United States as well as overseas.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Civil Engineering, 1983
Purdue University
M.S., Civil Engineering, 1979
Virginia Tech
B.S., Civil Engineering, 1978
University of Kentucky
RESEARCH FUNDING STATISTICS
PI:
$21,875,965
NSF:
NIHS (DHS)
NIEHS (NIH):
DOE:
USGS:
EKP (NOAA):
US EPA:
US Corps of Engineers:
KY Environmental Cabinet:
Kentucky River Authority:
KY Health Cabinet:
$430,257
$2,310,757
$1,275,862
$8,721,573
$760,283
$1,384,150
$501,523
$42,789
$2,549,283
$1,656,270
$2,215,468
Co-PI:
$29,490,703
NIEHS (NIH):
NIH:
NIHS (DHS)
NSF:
DOE:
KY Environment Cabinet:
$16,465,858
$1,127,402
$3,919,496
$5,725,183
$1,108,946
$1,143,818
Dr. Ormsbee currently serves as the director of the Kentucky
Water Research Institute, the Kentucky Center of Excellence for
Watershed Management as well as the associate director of the
UK Superfund Research Program. In the past he has served in
several other research administrative capacities including,
Director of the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and
Environment (03-09), Director of the Tracy Farmer Center for the
Environment (02-03), Director of the UK-PRIDE Water Quality
Assessment Program (00-06), Director of the Kentucky River
Watershed Management Program (98-04), the Chair of the
Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission (04-06), and the
Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Kentucky Watershed
Watch Program (04-09). From 1985 to 1998 he served in various
capacities in the Kentucky Section of the American Society of Civil
Engineering, culminating as president in 1998. In 2003 he served
as Chair of the EWRI-ASCE Council on Emerging and Innovative
Technologies and in 2004 he was elected Vice-President of the
American Institute of Hydrology. In 2008, Dr. Ormsbee served on
a BOSC technical review committee for the EPA Homeland
Security Program.
Dr. Ormsbee's current research efforts are directed toward the
application of systems analysis methods to complex problems in
water resources and environmental systems. Over the last 30
years, Dr. Ormsbee's research program has helped generate over
50 million dollars in external contracts from such agencies as the
National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey, the
U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy, the
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Department of
Homeland Security.
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATIONS
Professional Engineer
Kentucky #21484
Professional Hydrologist
American Institute of Hydrology #1552
Diplomate
American Academy of Water Resource
Engineers #174
Secret Security Clearance
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE
Dr. Ormsbee is an international expert on water distribution system
modeling and security. He also has expertise in the following
areas: operations research, systems analysis, evolutionary
computing, neural network analysis, mathematical modeling of
physical and biological systems, watershed and groundwater
modeling, groundwater remediation, watershed and stormwater
management – including TMDL development, research translation,
and effective strategies for public engagement in environmental
issues.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
2010 – Present: Director of the Kentucky Center of Excellence for
Watershed Management
Designation of UK-KWRRI as an EPA
Center of Excellence for
Watershed Management
In 2010, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
designated the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute at
the University of Kentucky (UK) as a Center of Excellence for
Watershed Management. To become a recognized Center of
Excellence, the institution must demonstrate technical expertise in
identifying and addressing watershed needs; involvement of
students, staff and faculty in watershed research; capability to
involve the full suite of disciplines needed for all aspects of
watershed management; financial ability to become selfsustaining; ability to deliver and account for results; willingness to
partner with other institutions; and support from the highest levels
of the organization.
2004 - Present: Director of the Kentucky Water Resources
Research Institute
The Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute is one of 54
Institutes in the United States established under Public Law 88379, the Water Research Act of 1964. The institute currently
manages several different research, education, and technology
transfer programs. The Institute also provides technical support to
the Kentucky River Authority as well as the Kentucky Energy and
Environment
Cabinet.
For
more
information
see:
http://www.uky.edu/WaterResources/
Kentucky River
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
2009 – Present: Associate Director, the UK- NIEHS Superfund
Research Program
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
The University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program is part of a
national network of 13 other universities that focus on medical and
non-medical issues associated with the clean-up of the nation’s
superfund sites. UK’s program is composed of five separate projects
that are focused on the environmental and health impacts of
chlorinated organics with a specific focus on PCB’s and TCE. One of
the unique aspects of the UK program is its particular focus on the
role of nutrition in mitigating the impacts associated with such
exposures. As director of the Research Translation Core Dr.
Ormsbee is also responsible for translating the research results from
all of the projects to five targeted audiences: Government, Industry,
Broad Audiences, Health Professionals, and Academia. For more
information, see: http://www.uky.edu/Research/Superfund/
2003 – 2009: Director of the Kentucky Research Consortium for
Energy and Environment
UK Superfund Research Program
Jane Goodall Visit
The Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment
was created in 2003 as part of a $5 million contract with the U.S.
Department of Energy with a goal of providing technical support for
environmental issues associated with the uranium gaseous diffusion
plant in Paducah Kentucky. The Consortium involves a partnership
with several universities and is made up of several focused research
teams that are addressing a wide range of environmental issues at
the site and the surrounding area. To date, the Consortium has
funded 30 different research projects that have resulted in over 60
technical publications. For more information, see: http://
www.uky.edu/krcee
2001 – 2002: Director, Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment
In 2001, Dr. Ormsbee was assigned the responsibility for launching
the UK Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment. The Tracy Farmer
Center for the Environment was initially designated as the University
of Kentucky’s focal interdisciplinary center for the comprehensive
integration of research, education, and public service. As part of the
center’s mission, the center initiated several research programs
within the university as well as several educational and environmental
outreach programs across the state. Dr. Ormsbee’s tenure as the
initial acting director culminated in the visit of Dr. Jane Goodall to UK
as a guest of the Center in 2002.
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
SELECTED RESEARCH PROJECTS/SUMMARIES
2011-2012 Stakeholder Engagement Project for the Floyds Fork
Watershed
The Floyds Fork Watershed Engagement Project will implement a
community-based participatory engagement process employing
both quantitative and qualitative metrics to document stakeholder
preferences for future nutrient and management strategies. Funding
for this project is being provided through Kentucky Division of
Water.
2010-2013 Studying Distribution Systems Hydraulics and Flow
Dynamics to Improve Water Utility and Operational Decision
Making
Project objectives include: (1) testing the efficacy and resiliency of
the real-time hydraulic/water quality model using stored SCADA
data in order to understand the potential accuracy of such models,
and understand the relationship between observed water quality
changes and network flow dynamics and (2) developing a toolkit for
use by water utilities to select the appropriate level of operational
tools in support of their operational needs. The toolkit is expected
to have the following functionality: (a) a graphical flow dynamic
model, (b) guidance with regard to hydraulic sensor placement, and
(c) guidance with regard to the appropriate level of technology
needed to support their operational needs. The project is being
funded by the National Institute of Hometown Security through
funding from the water sector of the Department of Homeland
Security. The project involves a partnership with the University of
Cincinnati, the University of Missouri, and Western Kentucky
University.
2010-2012 Best Practice Protocols for Response and Recovery
Operations in Contaminated Water Systems
This project involves the development of a decision support tool for
providing post-contamination guidance for water utilities.
Components of the tool include an expert system which is linked
with a water distribution model for use in identifying impacted pipe
segments as well as associated system parameters and statistics
for use in managing a contamination event. The project is being
funded by the National Institute of Hometown Security through
funding from the water sector of the Department of Homeland
Security. The project involves a partnership with the University of
Louisville, the University of Missouri, and Western Kentucky
University.
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
2009-2010 Paducah End State Vision Project
MENTORING ACTIVITIES
Research Associates (10)
Post Docs (7)
PhD Students – Advisor (5)
PhD Students – Committees (13)
MS Students – Advisor (30)
MS Students – Committees (24)
Undergraduate Research Students (22)
CLASSES TAUGHT
CE330 Fluid Mechanics
CE421 Systems Analysis
CE461 Hydrology
CE561 Stormwater Hydrology
CE569 Water Resource Design
CE661 Advanced Hydrology
This project involved the development of an end state vision for the
community of Paducah for the PDGP for use in communicating
their preferences in response to the planned closure of the facility.
The project involved interacting with 17 different stakeholder
groups through the three basic steps: 1) interviews, 2) stakeholder
focus groups, and 3) community meetings. The project integrated
three new methodologies/technologies in identify community
preferences: 1) Community Based Participatory Communication, 2)
Structured Stakeholder Participation, and 3) Case-wise Visual
Evaluation. See: http://www.paducahvision.com
2009-2010 Field Implementation of Nano Remediation
Technologies at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
This project involved an investigation of the use of Fe nanoparticles in remediating TCE groundwater plumes associated with
the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Both ex-situ and in-situ
treatment schemes were examined. This project was funded by
the Department of Energy and the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
CE664 Water Resources Planning
2005-2011: Water Pioneers Program
CE665 Water Resources Systems
CE667 Stormwater Management
CE699 Watershed Management
CE699 Water Distribution Sys. Analysis
The Water Pioneers Program provides in depth educational
programming for 29 high school sophomores that come from
Appalachia and are part of UK’s Robinson Scholars Program. The
latter program was created for students from economically
depressed regions of the state where neither parent had attended
college. As part of Water Pioneers, students participate in a week
long summer environmental program as well as a leadership
development project that culminates with a community project. In
2010, a select group of students participated in a student exchange
program with Native American students from Montana. For more
information, see:
http://www.uky.edu/WaterResources/WaterPioneers.html
Water Pioneers
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS &
APPOINTMENTS
2003 – 2011: Louisville MSD Beargrass Creek TMDL
Director, Kentucky Water Resources
Research Institute
Dr. Ormsbee served as project manager of a comprehensive study
that focused on developing both pathogen and organic enrichment
TMDLs for the three tributaries of Beargrass Creek in Louisville,
Kentucky. The project involved a joint effort involving the Kentucky
Division of Water, Louisville MSD, Tetra Tech, O’Brion and Grier,
and Strand Engineers, Inc.
Director, Kentucky Center of Excellence
for Watershed Management
Associate Directory, UK-NIEHS
Superfund Research Center
Director, Research Translation Core,
UK-NIEHS Superfund Research Center
Director, Kentucky Research
Consortium for Energy and
Environment (03-09)
Raymond-Blythe Professor of Civil
Engineering – University of Kentucky
Director, University of Kentucky
Environmental Engineering Certificate
Program
Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board
of the Kentucky Watershed Watch
Director, Kentucky River Basin
Watershed Management Program
Member, BOSC Review Committee
EPA Homeland Security Program
(2008)
2000 – 2012: TMDL Projects for the State of Kentucky
Since 2000, Dr. Ormsbee has been assisting the Kentucky Division
of Water in developing a comprehensive TMDL program for the
state. Since that time he has developed 25 separate TMDLs for
streams impacted by pH impairment, pathogens, and nutrients.
2000 - 2006: UK/PRIDE Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment
Program
This project provided water quality monitoring and assessment for
Eastern Kentucky PRIDE – a comprehensive environmental
program that focused on both solid waste and wastewater issues in
a 40 county region that cut across five major river basins in eastern
Kentucky.
Chair, Kentucky Environmental Quality
Commission (2004-2006)
Director, UK Tracy Farmer Center for
the Environment (2002-2003)
Director, UK/PRIDE Water Quality and
Assessment Program (2000-2006)
Chair, ASCE/EWRI Emerging and
Innovative Technologies Council
Member, and Past Vice President for
Academic Affairs, American Institute for
Hydrology
Member, and Past President, Kentucky
Section, American Society of Civil
Engineers
Member, Governor’s Task Force on
Blackwater Issues in Kentucky (20042005)
Chair, Nuclear Subcommittee,
Governor’s Energy Policy Board (2002)
2001-2003 UK-PGDP Technical Liaison
In 2001, Dr. Ormsbee was appointed by UK president Lee Todd to
serve as the university liaison with regard to economic development
and environmental issues associated with the Gaseous Diffusion
Plant in Paducah, Kentucky. In that capacity he worked with USEC
representatives to investigate ways that UK could help support
economic development in the region by working to try and secure
the next generation enrichment plant to Kentucky. During 2002, Dr.
Ormsbee served as the chairman of the nuclear energy subcommittee of the Governor’s Energy Advisory Board and also
served on a UK task force on energy and environment. In 2003 Dr.
Ormsbee provided a comprehensive briefing to Kentucky Governor
Patton with regard to the status of clean-up activities at the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
.
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
HONORS AND AWARDS
Service to the Profession Award,
Environmental and Water Resources
Institute of ASCE (2010)
1998 - 2002: Director, Kentucky River Basin Watershed
Management Plan
Commonwealth Collaborative Fellow
As basin coordinator in the Kentucky River Basin through a
contract with the Kentucky River Authority (KRA), Dr. Ormsbee
has helped move the Kentucky River through all five phases of the
state’s watershed management framework, culminating in the
development of a comprehensive watershed management plan
for the basin (www.uky.edu/WaterResources/Watershed/)
Dr.
Ormsbee continues to direct the watershed management activities
in the Kentucky River Basin which includes technical support to
the KRA as well as the Kentucky River Watershed Watch. See;
http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KRWW/
University
of
Kentucky
Charles
Wethington Research Award (05-12)
1997: Kentucky Watershed Management Framework
Fellow of the American Society of Civil
Engineers (2008)
Diplomate: American Academy of Water
Resource Engineers (2006)
Robert Gilliam Award for Outstanding
Service to the Civil Engineering
Profession and the State of Kentucky,
Kentucky Section of ASCE (2008)
Omicron Delta Kappa – National
Leadership Honor Society (2004)
Kentucky Colonel (2003)
AWWA Journal Best Paper Award (97)
Sigma Xi – Scientific Research Honorary
Omega Rho – Operations Research
Honorary
Tau Beta Pi – Engineering Honorary
Chi Epsilon – Civil Engineering Honorary
Phi Eta Sigma – Freshman Honorary
Order of the Arrow - BSA
Eagle Scout – BSA
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE
Consulting Work while at UK:
2002 City of Lexington Kentucky
2002 FMSM Engineers
1995 Kentucky Utilities Company
1994 CH2MHill, Atlanta
1994 City of Phoenix, AZ
1991 TYJT, Detroit MI
1990 JYC, Carrolton, TX
1983-1985 H. K. Bell Engineers
1979-1981 Howard K. Bell Consulting
Engineers – Project Engineer
During 1997, Dr. Ormsbee served as a visiting scholar with the
Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection in assisting the
state with its transition to a statewide watershed management
framework.
During that time, he help developed several
assessment methods that have been used to prioritize basins for
subsequent plan development.
1994-1998: Central Kentucky Watershed Supply Plan
From 1994 -1996 Dr. Ormsbee led a coordinated research effort
that developed a comprehensive water supply model for the
Kentucky River. The developed model was used to develop a
comprehensive water supply plan for the Kentucky River Basin
that was subsequently implemented by the Kentucky River
Authority. This effort was then followed by development of a
computer model for the Kentucky River for use in evaluating the
water quality impacts associated with proposed structural changes
to the Kentucky River lock and dam system.
Dr. Ormsbee
continues to provide technical advice to the Kentucky River
Authority in support of the watershed management responsibilities
of the Authority.
1988-1989: Reliability and Energy Efficiency Analysis of the
Federally Owned Water Main System
This project involved developing recommendations for the FOWM
in Washington, DC. for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Lindell Ormsbee, P.E., P.H., Ph.D., D.WRE, F.ASCE
RESEARCH PUBLICATION STATISTICS
Book Chapters (6)
Journal Articles (56)
[h-index 12]
HIGH IMPACT PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Hennig, B., Ormsbee, L., McClain, C., Watkins, B., Blumberg, B.
Bachas, L., Sanderson, W., Gatchett, A, Lambert, J, Thompson, C.,
Suk, W. (2012) “Nutrition Can Modulate the Toxicity of Environmental
Pollutants: Implications in Risk Assessment and Human Health”,
Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 120, (6), pp. 771-774.
Proceeding Papers (98)
Peer Reviewed – Paper (6)
Peer Reviewed – Abstract (92)
Abstracts (29)
Posters (21)
Peer Reviewed Reports (36)
Internal Reviewed Reports (69)
Technical Report Editor (61)
Computer Programs (8)
Computer User Manual’s (11)
Websites (5)
Webinars (3)
Films (2)
Gui, M., Smuleac, V., Ormsbee, L., Sedlack, D., and Bhattacharyya,
D., (2012) “Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Synthesis in Aqueous and
Membrane Systems for Oxidative Degradation of Trichloroethylene
(TCE) from Water, J.of Nanoparticle Research, Feb, Vol. 14, (1).
Meyer, D., Hampson, S., Ormsbee., L., Bhattacharyya, D.B., (2009) “A
Study of Groundwater Matrix Effects for the Destruction of TCE using
Fe/Pd Nanoaggregates” Journal of Environmental Progress and
Sustainable Energy, Volume 28, (4), December, pp. 507-518.
Ormsbee, L., Elshorbagy, A.,and Zechman, E., (2004) “Methodology
for pH TMDLs: Application to Beech Creek Watershed,” ASCE Journal
of Environmental Engineering, Vol. 130, (2).
Jain, A., and Ormsbee, L. (2002) “Short-term Water Demand
Forecast Modeling Techniques- Conventional Methods Versus AI”,
Journal of the AWWA, Vol 94, (7), pp. 64-72.
Ormsbee, L, and Lingireddy, S., (1997) "Calibrating Hydraulic Network
Models,” Journal of the AWWA, Vol 89, (2), pp 42-50.
Invited Presentations (18)
Contributed Presentations (78)
Board/Project Presentations (115)
Development Presentations (6)
Press Conferences (4)
Ormsbee, L.E., and Lansey, K.E., (1994) "Optimal Control of Water
Supply Pumping,” ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and
Management, Vol. 120, (2), pp. 237-252.
Ormsbee, L.E. and Kessler, A., (1990) "Optimal Upgrading of Hydraulic
Network Reliability," ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and
Management, Vol. 116 (6), pp. 784-802.
Public Hearings (5)
Media Presentations (7)
KY Congressional Briefings (11)
Governmental presentations (17)
Chair - Governmental Hearings (31)
Ormsbee, L.E. and Khan, A.Q., (1989) "A Parametric Model for Steeply
Sloping Forested Watersheds," Water Resources Research, Vol. 25 (9),
pp. 2053-2065
Ormsbee, L.E., (1989) "Rainfall Disaggregation for Continuous
Hydrologic Modeling," ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 115
(4), pp. 507-528.
Presentation to Ed. Institutions (7)
Other Presentations (46)
Workshops/Short Courses Taught (148)
Ormsbee L.E., Walski, T.M., Chase, D.V., and Sharp, W.W., (1989)
"Methodology for Improving Pump Operation Efficiency," ASCE Journal
of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 115 (2), pp. 148164.
Ormsbee, L.E. and Wood, D.J., (1986) "Explicit Pipe Network
Calibration," ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and
Management, Vol. 112 (2), pp. 166-182.