Kevin Hardy Named NWRI Executive Director
Kevin Hardy has joined the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) as its new executive director. The nonprofit organization focuses on supporting innovative scientific research and activities to improve the quality of water supplies and increase available sources of water.
Hardy served seven years as general manager and 14 years as an executive of the Encina Wastewater Authority, a public agency that provides recycled water, resource recovery and wastewater treatment services in San Diego County, California. In addition, he was past president of both the California Association of Sanitation Agencies and the California Sanitation Risk Management Authority.
“Kevin is a great fit for NWRI,” said James Ferryman, president of the NWRI Board of Directors. “He is a successful strategic planner and he is very personable, both of which are traits essential for leading an organization as collaborative as NWRI. Significantly, he also understands the practical, day-to-day needs of utilities – and NWRI was formed by water and wastewater utilities to help them solve scientific and technical problems that they could not tackle alone. No doubt Kevin will strengthen NWRI’s already excellent reputation as a trusted source of information and expertise in the water industry.”
Hardy has already identified several goals for the nonprofit under his leadership, such as working with policymakers to continue developing regulations for potable reuse, building upon relationships with public and private agencies, and facilitating NWRI’s well-established expert panel program to help guide technological innovation and policies that shape the future of water in the United States.
The Orange County Water District is a member agency of NWRI and has relied on two NWRI panels, one to provide ongoing guidance for the monitoring of Santa Ana River water to assure the continued safety of this major source of recharge water for the groundwater basin. The other panel was assembled to offer advice and recommendations during the planning stages for the Groundwater Replenishment System. The District has benefited significantly from NWRI independent review.
“Panel recommendations have helped guide OCWD monitoring programs and even regulatory requirements. The reliance on NWRI panels has helped to foster public support and enhance credibility for projects like GWRS and agencies like OCWD,” said OCWD Assistant General Manager Michael Wehner.
For additional information, please see the NWRI press release.