The IECA, a non-profit member organization for erosion and sediment control professionals, has announced the winner of the 2015 Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award.

The International Erosion Control Association, IECA, Region One has announced that "Evaluating Floating Surface Skimmers" has been named the winner of the Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award for Environmental Connection 2015.

This award honors presenters who have demonstrated excellence within the content of their Environmental Connection technical presentation. James E. (Jay) Sprague, CPESC, laboratory director of TRI Environmental's Denver Downs Research Facility, DDRF, in Anderson, S.C. submitted the paper.

Sprague has been integrally involved with implementing large-scale test methods, including the construction and maintenance of the state-of-the-art facilities that make TRI the only independent commercial laboratory offering such a wide array of performance testing capabilities.

After helping to construct DDRF as a college intern in 2006, Sprague completed his degree in Agricultural Economics at Clemson University and spent the next three years specializing in agricultural, erosion control, and sediment control products as a Market Development Manager at Pennington Seed Company. Now, as Laboratory Director for TRI's Denver Downs Research Facility, Sprague supervises a staff of technicians, directs all site operations and testing, and is responsible for implementation of TRI's Quality Systems throughout all lab operations.

"I am thrilled and honored to receive this award," says Sprague. "The technical paper will describe a new technology required by recent EPA regulations - floating surface skimmers. It will also show how to evaluate their performance and how to use them in designing pond dewatering systems," concludes Sprague.

The presentation of "Evaluating Floating Surface Skimmers" may be seen at Environmental Connection 2015, which will be held from February 15-18, 2015, in Portland, Ore.

For more information about the IECA, please visit ieca.org.

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