The National Ground Water Association Announces 2026 Industry Award Recipients

Annual awards highlight exceptional contributions to the groundwater industry

Westerville, OH - The National Ground Water Association congratulates the recipients of its 2026 Awards of Excellence, Outstanding Groundwater Project Awards, and Sectional Awards, which will be presented this December during Groundwater Week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

NGWA's highest honor, the Ross L. Oliver Award, will be presented to long-time NGWA member Jason House, LG, PG, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the groundwater industry throughout his distinguished career.

2026 NGWA Awards of Excellence

• Life Member Award – Thomas Mahan Jr., CWD, Connecticut Wells/Geothermal Services Inc., Bethlehem, Connecticut
• Individual Safety Advocate Award – John Fowler, CSP, CMSP, National Exploration, Wells & Pumps, Elko, Nevada
• Equipment Design Award – Simon Massé, Groupe Puitbec, Saint-Samuel, Quebec, Canada
• Technology Award – Jim Blair, NightOwl Monitoring LLC, Dripping Springs, Texas
• Special Recognition Award – Mark Sharenbroich, Hydro Resources Inc., Sugar Land, Texas
• Special Recognition Award – Katy Anderson, Drilling Equipment Resources, Tulsa, Oklahoma

2026 Sectional Awards

• Keith E. Anderson Award – Michael Milczarek, MS, Geosystems Analysis Inc., Tucson, Arizona
• John Hem Award for Excellence in Science & Engineering – Hongbin Zhan, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
• Manufacturer Special Recognition Award – Jonathan Hamp Adams, Grundfos Americas Corp., Brookshire, Texas
• Supplier of the Year Award – Matthew Roberts, Roberts Pump & Supply Co. Inc., Grand Island, Nebraska

2026 Outstanding Groundwater Project Awards

• Groundwater Supply Project Award – Aestus LLC, City of Guymon Mesa Water Project
• Groundwater Supply Project Award – EKI Environment & Water Inc., Valley of the Moon Water District Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project
• Groundwater Awareness Project Award – Geosyntec Consultants Inc., California Statewide Sampling Program to Monitor PFAS in Public Water Systems
• Groundwater Remediation Project Award – REGENESIS, Public Water Supply Protected by In-Situ PFAS Barrier at Massachusetts Former County Fire Training Site

2026 NGWA Fellow Designations

NGWA also recognizes members whose careers reflect exceptional professional achievement and dedicated service to the groundwater industry through its prestigious Fellow designation. The 2026 recipients are:

• David Kill, PE – Retired, Goulds Water Technology, Shoreview, Minnesota
• Barry Hibbs, Ph.D. – California State University, Los Angeles, California
• Jaclyn Giop – O'Keefe Drilling Co., Butte, Montana

NGWA's awards program recognizes individuals and organizations whose leadership, innovation, technical excellence, and service continue to advance the groundwater industry and protect one of the world's most valuable natural resources.

Learn more about the NGWA Awards program at NGWA.org/Awards.

For additional information or media inquiries, please contact pr@ngwa.org.