Dave Pearson Watershed Excellence Award

The Dave Pearson Watershed Excellence Award was established in 2009 in the memory and recognition of Dave Pearson towards his dedicated services to VLWA, the annual water conference, and excellence in achieving water quality improvements in Virginia. The award is annually given at the annual water conference to the best abstract submitted and presented at the conference on a Virginia Lake and/or Watershed related Project or Study. In 2018, VLWA started recognizing also other outstanding abstracts and presentations as Honorable Mentions. Past winners of the award and honorable mentions are listed below:

2021 Award Winner:

Radiological Water Quality Modeling for a Worst-Case Catastrophic Failure from
Proposed Uranium Mine Site, Coles Hill, Virginia, by

David Weyant, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Old Dominion University

Jaewan Yoon, Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, Old Dominion University

2021 Honorable Mentions:

2D Rain-on-Grid Modeling for an Urban Resilience Plan, by

Sean Bradberry, GKY & Associates, Inc.

Crystal Bloom. P.E., LEED GA, City of Chesapeake, Public Works, Engineering

Deva K. Borah, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, City of Chesapeake, Public Works, Engineering

Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank (NVSRB) Case Study of an Urban Stream Priority 1 Restoration Project Restoring Riparian Wetlands, by

Frank Graziano, P.E., Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.

Michael S. Rolband, P.E., PWD, PWS, Emeritus, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.

Everything in Life Must Have Balance…Including Water Quality and Quantity,by

Fred N. Grogan Jr., PLA/ASLA, Michael Baker International

Michael S. Bumbaco, P.E., City of Virginia Beach Stormwater

James Kelly, P.E., Michael Baker International

Estuarine Water Quality Response Modeling for Tidal Flooding Susceptibility, by

Stephen Greiling, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Old Dominion University

Jaewan Yoon, Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, Old Dominion University

2020 Award Winner:

Flood Prevention Using Automated Controls for Weir Gate and Pumping, by

Jonas Alered, City of Virginia Beach, Public Works Operations

Scott Morrow, PE, Hazen and Sawyer, P.C.

2020 Honorable Mentions:

Regional River Severe Storm Model (R2S2) Map-to-Map Flood Prediction Model, by

Gamal Hassan, PE, HWR –Water Resource Consultants

Stormwater Improvement Projects to Address Infill Development – Lessons Learned from a Pilot Project and Future Opportunities, by

Sajan Pokharel, PE, Fairfax County

Matthew J. Meyers, PE, Fairfax County

Dipmani Kumar, PhD, PE, CFM, Fairfax County

Designing Bioretention for a 13-Acre Watershed, by

Don Rissmeyer, PE, CFM, A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc.

As the Tide Turns, by

Nicole Dane, PE, Michael Baker International

Michael S. Bumbaco, PE, City of Virginia Beach

R. Dennis Dunham, PE, Michael Baker International

2019 Award Winner:

Taking Schools by Storm, by

Meredeth Dash, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

2019 Honorable Mentions:

Fulfilling Multiple Needs with One Deed, by

Amity B. Dewey, PE, WSP, Inc.

James E. Wright, Jr., PE, City of Portsmouth

The Potential of Phycoremediation to Reduce Metal and Nutrient Concentrations in Stormwater Ponds, by

Elizabeth G. Malcom, PhD, Virginia Wesleyan University

Maury E. Howard, PhD, Virginia Wesleyan University

Warren Canady, Virginia Wesleyan University

Arika Marosi, Virginia Wesleyan University

Margaret Reese, PhD, Virginia Wesleyan University

Xixi Wang, PhD, Old Dominion University

Katrina Henry, PhD, Virginia Wesleyan University

2018 Award Winner:

Four Mile Run Tidal Restoration Project: The Challenges and Successes of a Major TMDL Project, by

Brian Finerfrock, PE, RK&K

Eliana Rios, RK&K

2018 Honorable Mentions:

Cumberland Marsh Preserve Dam Removals, by

Bill Weihbrecht, AECOM

Combating Sea Level Rise to Preserve Waterfowl Habitat at Curles Neck, by

Daniel Proctor, PE, Stantec

Karen Hall, PE, CFM, MBA, Stantec

Hypolimenetic Oxygenation May Increase Methane Bubble Fluxes in a Eutrophic Drinking Water Reservoir, by

Ryan P. McClure, Virginia Tech

Mary E. Lofton, Virginia Tech

Kathryn M. Kruger, Virginia Tech

Madeline E. Schreiber, PhD, Virginia Tech

Cayelan C. Carey, PhD, Virginia Tech

2017 Award Winner:

Making the Most of a Retrofit, by

Umar Shahid, PE, PMP, LEED AP, AECOM

Sara DeGroot, PE, CFM, City of Alexandria

2016 Award Winner:

Mill Dam Creek Stream Restoration, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, Virginia, by

Michael Mundy, City of Virginia Beach

Amity Dewey, WSP

Robert Kerr, Kerr Environmental Services, Corp.

Curtis Hickman, Kerr Environmental Services, Corp.

2015 Award Winner:

Harvell Dam Removal: Fish Passage and Appomattox River Restoration, by

L. Allan Weaver, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

2014 Award Winner:

Aeration, Oxygenation, or Both? A Demonstration of How These Dual Strategies are Being Integrated to Improve Water Quality, by

Cayelan C. Carey, Virginia Tech

Paul A. Gantzer, Gantzer Water Resources Engineering, LLC

Mark H. Mobley, Mobley Engineering, Inc.

Alexandra B. Gerling, Virginia Tech

Jamie Morris, Western Virginia Water Authority

Chris Edwards, Spotsylvania County Utility Department

2013 Award Winner:

Municipal Parking Lot Retrofit with Permeable Pavement, by

Don Rissmeyer, PE, CFM, A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc.

2012 Award Winner:

Tidal Shoreline Improvements – Breakwater Installation – Buckroe Beach, Hampton, Virginia, by

Rebecca Francese, Waterway Surveys & Engineering, Ltd.

2011 Award Winner:

Green Alley Program, by

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities

Timmons Group

2010 Award Winner:

Lynnhaven River Watershed Stream Assessment Project, by

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works

Barney Environmental Inc.

URS Corporation