POTSDAM -- The American Water Works Association will honor Clarkson University Professor James K. Edzwald, chair of civil & environmental engineering, with the 2017 Abel Wolman Award of Excellence at the annual conference in June in Philadelphia, Pa.

The award recognizes Edzwald’s contributions to the field of physical and chemical water treatment and the protection of public health. His research on the control of carcinogens formed from disinfection processes has led to minimizing their levels in drinking water.

Edzwald's research also has shown how to remove effectively the protozoa pathogens of Giardia and Cryptosporidium. His fundamental research on dissolved air flotation to remove particles, algae and pathogens has led to widespread application of this process around the world. His two books, Water Quality & Treatment and Dissolved Air Flotation for Water Clarification are considered seminal contributions.

Edzwald was a professor at Clarkson in the 1970s and early 1980s when he developed the graduate environmental engineering program. Prior to his time at Clarkson, he held positions at the University of Missouri, the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration in Washington, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Washington Aqueduct Division.