Lindell Ormsbee, Ph.D., P.E., P.H., BC.WRE, F.ASCE, F.EWRI

Professor, Earl Parker Robinson Chair

The purpose of my laboratory is to develop sustainable solutions for water and wastewater infrastructure by integrating engineering and systems analysis with stakeholder engagement. Our current focus is on helping struggling systems in communities in the Appalachian regions of eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.

• Co-developer of KYPIPE software applications for water distribution analysis
• Co-developer of functionalized membrane technology for water treatment
• Developer of Kentucky Nutrient Model
• Developer of integrated stakeholder engagement methodology for environmental management
• Developer of water distribution modeling research database for use by international research community
• Developer of rainfall disaggregation model incorporated into the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM)
• Developer of nonlinear optimization protocol for integration of simulation programs

Mathematical Modeling of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems

Functionalized Membranes for Water Treatment

Water Distribution System Modeling

Watershed Management

Environmental Management

Water Supply Planning

Stakeholder Engagement

Nonlinear Optimization

Operations Research/Systems Analysis

Purdue University, Ph.D., 1983, Civil Engineering

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, M.S., 1979, Civil Engineering

University of Kentucky, B.S.C.E., 1978, Civil Engineering

2023 – present: Earl Parker Robinson Chair

2003 – 2023: Raymond Blythe Endowed Professor of Civil Engineering

2018 – 2020: Executive Director of the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment

2011 – 2022: Director Kentucky Center of Excellence for Watershed Management

2010 – 2020: Associate Director, UK Superfund Basic Research Program

2005 – 2020: Director, Research Translation Core, UK Superfund Basic Research Program

2004 – 2022: Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

2003 – 2009: Director. Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and the Environment

2001 – 2002: Director, Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment

1999 – 2004: Kentucky River Basin Coordinator

1999 – 2001: Associate Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

1998 – 1999: Acting Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

1997 – 1998: Visiting Researcher – Kentucky Environmental Protection Agency

1996 – 2003: Full Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky

1995 – 1996: Associate Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

1989 – 1996: Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky

1983 – 1989: Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky

1979 – 1981: Project Engineer, Howard K. Bell Consulting Engineers

EWRI Lifetime Achievement Award (2025)

ASCE Seminal Paper Award (2024)

KWRI Bill Barfield Research Award (2022)

UK COE Senior Faculty Service Award (2022)

ASCE Julian Hinds Research Award (2016)

UK COE Senior Faculty Research Award (2014)

KYASCE Outstanding Educator (2012)

EWRI Service to the Profession Award (2010)

KYASCE Robert Gilliam Award (2008)

AWWA Best Paper Award (1997)

Chair, ASCE Water Distribution Research Database Committee (2015-2022)

Member, EPA Board of Scientific Counselors (2008)

Member/Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Kentucky Watershed Watch (2004-2008)

Executive Director, Institute for Leadership and Scholastic Training (2004-2008)

Vice President, American Institute of Hydrology (2004)

Member/Chair, Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission (2003-2007)

Chair, EWRI Emerging, and Innovative Technologies Council (2003-2004)

Chair, Nuclear Subcommittee, Governor’s Energy Policy Advisory Board (2002)

President, Kentucky Section of ASCE (1997-1998)

Chair, AWWA International Computer Conference (1995)

President, Bluegrass Branch of ASCE (1991-1992)

• Keck, J. Adatorwovor, R. Noble, A., S. Tucker, S., Strike, W. Torabi, S., Banadaki, M., Mijatovic, Roggenkamp, S., McNeil, D., Ormsbee, L., Berry, S. (2026) “Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-VoV-2 in Rural Kentucky, 2021-2023”, Viruses, doi.org/10.3390/v18030282
• Fordjour, G., Gautam, Y., Ormsbee, L., Yost S., Unrine, J.” (2025) “Modeling the tradeoff between water loss, chlorine residuals, and trihalomethanes in rural in Appalachia, UDA:  Water, doi.org/10.3390/w17213138.
• Ormsbee, L., Byrne, D., McNeil, D., Yost, S., Garner, E., (2025) “The Challenges of Water Infrastructure in the Central Appalachia Region of the United States,” ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. doi:10.1061/JWRMD5/WRENG-7119.
• Ormsbee, L., McNeil, D., and Blackburn Lynch, W., (2024) Wastewater Treatment: Plant Operator Certification Manual, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, Certification and Licensing Branch, Frankfort, KY, pp. 283.
• Ormsbee, L., Byrne, D., and Magliocca, N., (2024) “The need for integrating governance, operations, and social dynamics into water supply/distribution modeling,” Engineering Proceedings, 2024, 69, 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2024069012.
• Unrine, J., McCoy, N., Christian, W. J., Sanderson, W. Draper, R., Mooney, M., Ormsbee, L., Cromer, M., Pennell, K., Hoover, A. (2024) “Spatial and seasonal variation in disinfection byproducts concentrations in a rural public drinking water system: a case study of Martin County, Kentucky, USA.” Public Library of Science: Water, https://doi.org/10.1317/journal.pwat.0000227.
• Wan, H., Islam, S., Tarannum, T., Shi, K., Mills, R., Yi, Z., Fang, F., Lie, L., Li, S., Ormsbee, L., Xu, Z., Bhattacharyya, D., (2023) “Reactive membranes for groundwater remediation and chlorinate aliphatic hydrocarbons: competitive dichlorination and costs aspects.,” Separate and Purification Technology, doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.123955.
• Ormsbee, L., Koyagi, E., McNeil, D., Shelley, J., Lucas, V., (2023) “Kentucky Water and Wastewater Operators Workforce Survey,” Journal AWWA, https://doi.org/10.1002/awwa.2126.
• Sharma, A., Dongre, S., Gupta, R., and Ormsbee, L. (2022), “Multiphase Procedure for District Metered Areas Identification in Water Distribution Networks Using Community Detection, NSGA-III Optimization and Multiple Attribute Decision Making, ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001586
• Lingireddy, S., Ormsbee, L., and Kamojjala, S., (2022) “How Slow is Slow? Managing fire hydrant operation for protecting water infrastructure,” AWWA Water Science.doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1290
• Francisco, L., Vogler, R., Sandman, P., Harris, N., Ormsbee, L., Liu, C., Bhattacharrya, D. (2022) "Dual-Functional Nanofiltration and Adsorptive Membranes for PFAS and Organics Separation from Water", American Chemical Society Journal, 2(5), 863-872, doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.2c00043 .
• Ormsbee, L., Hoagland, S., Hernandez. E., Hall, A., Ostfeld, A. (2022). “Hydraulic Model Database for Applied Water Distribution Systems Research, ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001559
• Hernandez, E., and Ormsbee, L., (2021) “A Heuristic for Strategic Valve Placement”, ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 147(12) doi.org/10.1061 (ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001497.
• Hernandez, E., and Ormsbee, L., (2021) “Segment Identification Procedure for Water Distribution Systems, ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management,147(5) doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001363.
• Hernandez, E., and Ormsbee, L., (2021) “Segment Based Assessment of the Consequences of Failure on Water Distribution Systems, ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 147(4), doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001340.
• Walski, T., Grayman, W., Ormsbee, L., (2020) "Water Distribution System Modeling: Past and Present," Journal. AWWA, doi.org/10.1002/awwa.1572
• Ormsbee, L., Hoagland, S., Peterson, K., (2020) “Limitations of TR-55 Curve Numbers for Urban Development Applications: Critical Review and Potential Strategies for Moving Forward,’ ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering,” https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001885.
• Saad A, Mills R, Wan H, Ormsbee LE, Bhattacharyya D. (2020). Thermo-responsive PNIPAm-PMMA functionalized PVDF membranes with reactive Fe-Pd nanoparticles for PCB degradation. Ind Engineering Chem Res 59(38):16614-16625. doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.0c03260.
• Wan H, Islam MS, Qian D, Ormsbee LE, Bhattacharyya D. (2020). Reductive degradation of CCl4 by sulfizied Fe and Pd-Fe nanoparticles: Kinetics, longevity, and morphology aspects. Chemical Engineering Journal. 394:125013, doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.125013 NIHMSID: 158320711.
• Aher A, Nickerson T, Jordan C, Thorpe F, Hatakeyama E, Ormsbee LE, Majumder M, Bhattacharyya D. (2020) Ion and organic transport in graphene oxide membranes: Model development to difficult water remediation applications. J. Mem. Sci. 2020 604:118024. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118024 NIHMSID: 1575224
• Saad, A., Mills, R., Wan, H., Mottaleb, M. A., Ormsbee, L., and Bhattacharyya, D. (2020) “Thermo-responsive adsorption-desorption of perfluoroorganics from water using PNIPAm hydrogels and pore functionalized membranes”. Journal of Membrane Science, 2020, Article number 117821, doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2020.117821 PMCID: PMC70396517.
• Aher A, Thompson S, Nickerson T, Ormsbee L, Bhattacharyya D. (2020) Reduced graphene oxide-metal nanoparticle composite membranes for environmental separation and chloro-organic remediation. RSC advances. 2019;9(66):38547-38557. PubMed PMID: 32095233; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7039523; DOI: 10.1039/c9ra08178j.
• Wan H, Islam S, Briot N, Schnobrich M, Pacholik L, Ormsbee LE, Bhattacharyya D.(2020). Pd/Fe nanoparticle integrated PMAA-PVDF membranes for chloro-organic remediation from synthetic and site groundwater. J Memb Sci 594: doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117454 PMID:31929677
• Hoover, AG, Koempel, A, Christian WJ, Tumlin, KI, Pennell, K.G., Evans, S., McAlister, M., Ormsbee, L.O., and Brewer, D. (2020). Appalachian environmental health literacy: building knowledge and skills to protect health. Journal of Appalachian Health, 2(1), 47-53. DOI: https//doi.org/10.13023/jah.0201.06
• Brewer D, Travis E, Koempel A, Ormsbee L, Pennell K. (2020) Community Forum Identifies Opportunities to Engage with Eastern Kentucky Community Leaders about Chronic Disease and Environmental Pollution. Applied environmental education and communication. 2020;19(2):187-204. PubMed PMID: 32973411; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7510481; DOI: 10.1080/1533015X.2019.1597660.
• Rathi, S., Gupta, R., Palod, N., Ormsbee, L., (2019) “Minimizing the Variance of Flow Series using Genetic Algorithms for Reliability based design of Looped Water Distribution Networks,” Engineering Optimization. doi.org/10.1080/0305215X.2019.159898

• Title: DEVICES AND METHODS FOR REMOVING PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS FROM CONTAMINATED WATER U.S. Utility Patent Application No. 16/885,369 Year: 2020, Patent Granted May 23, 2023; Author (or assignee): Bhattacharyya, Saad, Mills, Mottaleb, Ormsbee.