Reckhow Named Chair of National Academies Panel on Water Quality in Chesapeake Bay

Contact: Tim Lucas, (919) 613-8084, tdlucas@duke.edu

September 29, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. – Kenneth H. Reckhow, professor of water resources at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, has been appointed chair of the National Academies Committee on the Evaluation of Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation for Nutrient Reduction to Improve Water Quality.

Reckhow is a widely cited expert on the development, evaluation and application of models and other assessment techniques for managing water quality, especially the assessment of nonpoint source pollution on surface water quality and the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).

In addition to his faculty position at the Nicholas School, he is former director of the University of North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute. He has served on numerous National Research Council committees, including as chair of the Committee to Assess the Scientific Basis of the TMDL Approach to Water Pollution Reduction, and as a member of the Committee on Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.

He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Cornell University and masters and doctoral degrees in environmental science and engineering from Harvard University.

The National Academies was established in 1863 to serve as official advisors to the nation on critical issues in science, engineering and medicine. It is comprised of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council.

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