Controlled Drainage Expert Honored

Robert Evans, head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, was named to the International Drainage Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Ohio State University earlier this month. Evans was honored for his internationally recognized contributions to drainage, drainage water management, stream and wetland restoration, riparian buffers and nonpoint source pollution control.

Early in his research career, Evans determined crop response to shallow water tables and developed algorithms for predicting yield losses in terms of water table depths and durations. These results were incorporated into DRAINMOD, a computer simulation model.

Evans is best known for his contributions to applied research, extension and public acceptance of controlled drainage, a practice which can reduce the loss of nutrients from agricultural fields. His work expanded research sites in North Carolina, helped environmental regulators and farmers better understand the practice and its application to drained cropland. Working with Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Agricultural Research Service, he set up a series of field demonstration and research sites that resulted in controlled drainage being recognized as a best management practice with cost sharing by the State of North Carolina to improve drainage water quality.

As member of the International Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Evans has participated in congresses in South America, the Netherlands, China and Finland. He also has collaborated with water management researchers in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and has served as an instructor at drainage schools in Ohio and Illinois, co-instructed DRAINMOD courses in six states and served on teams to review water management programs.