USA Water Quality Expert Awarded

USA Water Quality Expert Awarded



March 22, 2007 - Professor Perry 
McCarty from Stanford University, a pioneer in the development 
of the understanding of biological and chemical processes for 
the safe supply and treatment of water, was today named the 
2007 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. 
Professor McCarty’s work has led to more efficient biological 
treatment processes, in particular anaerobic treatment systems 
for municipal and industrial wastewaters that do not use 
oxygen, biological nutrient removal, and the development and 
use of biofilm reactors. 
"This is a real surprise. It's a very special award, one of 
the major water awards in the world," Professor McCarty told 
ENS today in a telephone interview from his home in Stanford, 
California. 
In its Citation, the Stockholm Water Prize Nominating 
Committee wrote, "Professor Perry L. McCarty is awarded the 
2007 Stockholm Water Prize for pioneering work in developing 
the scientific approach for the design and operation of water 
and wastewater systems." 
"He has established the role of fundamental microbiology and 
chemistry in the design of bioreactors. Professor McCarty has 
defined the field of environmental biotechnology that is the 
basis for small-scale and large-scale pollution control and 
safe drinking water systems." 
Professor Perry McCarty is the Silas H. Palmer Professor 
Emeritus of Environmental Engineering and Science in the 
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford 
University. 
The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1990 
and presented annually by the Stockholm Water Foundation to an 
individual, organization or institution for outstanding 
water-related activities. The activities can be within fields 
like education and awareness-raising, human and international 
relations, research, water management and water-related aid. 
The Stockholm Water Prize Laureate receives US$150,000 along 
with a glass sculpture, which will be presented August 16 
during the 2007 World Water Week in Stockholm. H.M. King Carl 
XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the Patron of the Stockholm Water 
Prize. 
Professor McCarty said he has been "blessed" in conducting 
research with many outstanding students and colleagues. "It is 
certainly very gratifying to me, and also to my colleagues who 
have helped to develop better fundamental understandings of 
the biologoical systems involved in water pollution contol," 
he said. "This is a wonderful recognition by others of those 
efforts." 
Being an environmental engineer, Professor McCarty has 
combined knowledge of physical, chemical, biological and 
microbiological processes and transferred the results into 
outstanding technical development widely used all over the 
world as the basis for design and operation of wastewater 
treatment systems. 
His interests have centered on Superfund and hazardous waste 
cleanup, groundwater contamination, and wastewater reuse 
issues, especially in conjunction with drinking water 
supplies. 
Clean drinking water is a precious resource that Professor 
McCarty has worked all his life to protect. 
Professor McCarty’s other important contribution was the 
identity of mechanisms for biodegradation and the fate of 
hazardous and trace chemicals as well as engineering for water 
quality improvement of ground and surface water and soils. 
All of his earlier research findings and theoretical 
developments have been incorporated into these recent studies 
and culminated in his fundamental theory of water quality 
improvement in surface and groundwater as well as biological 
treatment of polluted soils, or bioremediation. 
Professor McCarty also has tackled the problem of organic 
compounds and pollutants in wastewater and underground aquifer 
systems. His work has led to the development and practical 
implementation of methods to treat toxic chemicals in 
groundwater, especially chlorinated pollutants from industry. 
"Attempting to remediate groundwater is extremely expensive, 
so we need to make a great effort in prevention before 
contamination happens," he said. "This is very important 
especially for the developing world to understand, because 
once groundwater is contaminated, it is contaminated for 
centuries." 
"Prevention is relatively inexpensive rather than trying to 
remediate this precious resource," he said. "It is very 
vulnerable, and we really must protect it." 
Treated wastewater disposal beds, which created a large 
subsurface plume of contaminated ground water on Cape Cod, 
Massachusetts 
Professor McCarty has published more than 300 papers in water 
science, environmental engineering, and microbiology science 
journals with 50 papers just in the last 10 years. 
He is coauthor of the textbooks, "Chemistry for Environmental 
Engineering" and "Science and Environmental Biotechnology - 
Principles and Applications." These textbooks on the 
chemistry, biology, and design of treatment systems for 
municipal and industrial wastewater are daily used by 
engineers all over the world. 
Professor McCarty has been an educator and researcher at 
Stanford since 1962 where he is known for his ability to 
attract and develop outstanding doctoral students. 
From 1989 to 2002 he was director of the Western Regional 
Hazardous Substances Research Center, which is sponsored by 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an 
Honorary member of the American Water Works Association and 
the Water Environment Federation, and a Fellow of the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science, the American 
Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of 
Microbiology. 
He received the John and Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental 
Achievement in 1992 and the Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke 
Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Water Science and 
Technology in 1997. 
He was selected by the National Academies to be the 2001 Abel 
Wolman Distinguished Lecturer. Among other awards are the 
Harrison P. Eddy Award for Noteworthy Research (1964 and 1977) 
and the Thomas Camp Award for Unique Application of 
Engineering Research (1975) of the Water Environment 
Federation; the A. P. Black Research Award of the American 
Water Works Association (1989); and the Walter L. Huber 
Research Prize (1964), the Simon W. Freese Environmental 
Engineering Lecture Award (1979), and J. James R. Croes Medal 
(1995) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 





 

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