The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities’ manager of water operations, James (Jim) A. Epp, has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2017 George Warren Fuller Award by the American Water Works Association.
The award recognizes Epp’s distinguished career and management of the BPU water utility division, as well as his leadership role within AWWA itself.
The George Warren Fuller Awards are presented annually by AWWA to individual sections’ respective selected members for their distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of the sound engineering skills, interpersonal skill, and the constructive leadership which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.
The class of 2017 Fuller Award recipients will be recognized at the AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jim Epp has worked at BPU for 28 years, starting with BPU as a civil engineer. In 1990, he was promoted to director of water support services and he has served as manager of water operations since 2004.
He has been involved in the ongoing development and review of BPU’s Water Master Plan, which led to the construction of the Nearman Water Treatment Plant with its state-of-the-art horizontal collector well, the largest alluvial well of its kind in the U.S.
Epp has also served as a pension trustee for BPU’s retirement plan for 21 years and is currently chair of this group. He has also served on various task forces and committees at BPU, including the Leadership Team for BPU’s Strategic Planning process.