Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment, CAS (IMHE) Research Team received the McKee Groundwater Protection, Restoration, Sustainable Use Medal from the Water Environment Federation (WEF) at its 82nd annual technical exhibition and conference on October 11-14th 2009 in Orlando, Florida.

It is the first time Chinese scientists received the awards.

The McKee Medal is named after Jack Mckee, president of WEF from 1962 to 1963. It recognizes significant contributions to groundwater science or engineering research published in a WEF or WEF member association periodical.

The team led Dr. WANG Genxu is recognized for their article, “Evaluation of Groundwater Dynamic Regime with Groundwater Depth Evaluation Indexes”. The article addresses the need for better monitoring, assessment, and forecasting of groundwater resources to help allocate water use more efficiently and equitably among competing needs.

It describes a novel and interesting methodology for development of specific groundwater depth evaluation indices to quantitatively evaluate anthropogenic effects on groundwater dynamics. The methodology integrates three indexes for extraction, runoff and precipitation to study the effects of human activities on groundwater systems. The result is a practical approach to the prediction of water usage/availability tied to use activities, which can be applied to different watersheds and regional groundwater systems.

Formed in 1928, WEF is a not-for-profit technical and educational water quality organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF and its Member Associations work to achieve mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.