2018 McEllhiney Lecture - The Future of Water: Data or Instincts?

Mankind uses economics, politics, and basic instincts to make decisions about water. However, the data on the hydrologic cycle suggests we are developing water incorrectly for two basic reasons. The first is our instincts are built upon water that is visible, so we ignore evapotranspiration which causes salinization, reduced water availability, and increased infrastructure costs. The second is our development of water preceded satellite data and computing power. This resulted in ignoring complicated groundwater systems that need to be defined on the meter scale and adopting simple concepts like dams and center pivot irrigation that do not require significant data management. A framework to improve our water resources will be presented as well as some case studies on how these problems present themselves.

Todd Halihan, Ph.D., P.Gp.

Todd Halihan, Ph.D., P.Gp., is a Professor of Geology at Oklahoma State University and Chief Technical Officer for Aestus LLC. His professional interests center in subsurface characterization and sustainable water supply. Halihan has been an associate editor for Groundwater and has served as Secretary-Treasurer of the U.S. Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He served as Chair of the Hydrogeology Division and the South-Central Section of the Geological Society of America. He currently serves on the Oklahoma governor’s Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity.

Halihan is the recipient of the Karin and Robert J. Sternberg Award for Excellence, the Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of Interior, and the Sterling L. Burks Award for Outstanding Environmental Research. He is also a professional driller in the state of Oklahoma and a PADI divemaster (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). He has provided input to stories on CBS, Fox News, NPR, CNBC, Popular Science, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.

Halihan has worked on over 200 different research and commercial sites in more than 30 U.S. states and overseas. His international research work has occurred in Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa along with a number of other countries on a commercial basis. He has also spent a significant amount of time in his home state of Oklahoma evaluating the Arbuckle Group of carbonates and associated springs.

 

 

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​William A. McEllhiney

 

To foster professional excellence in water well technology, the NGWA Foundation established the William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology, in 2000.  The lecture series honors William A. McEllhiney, the 1948 founding president of the National Ground Water Association, and a groundwater contractor and civil engineer. Click here to listen to William A. McEllhiney tell of how NGWA got its start back in 1948. (.mp3 file)

Annually, a panel of groundwater contractors invites an outstanding groundwater professional to share his or her insights and work experiences with the industry. Individuals may nominate themselves or others they believe to be qualified as a McEllhiney Distinguished Lecturer. 

 

Meetings and conventions of state and regional associations, foreign associations of groundwater contractors, academic institutions teaching water well technology, gatherings of water well regulators, and other bodies with a direct and identifiable interest in water well design and construction are eligible to request the presentation by filling out the r​equest form and return it to foundation@ngwa.org​. Lecturer availability is limited. Not all requests can be honored by the lecturer.