City Adds to Water Research Talent with Transferred EPA Employees

ADA, OKLAHOMA – The City of Ada has received news of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to relocate some 30 professional jobs from its Houston regional laboratory to the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center (RSKERC) in Ada.  The move comes as the City of Ada seeks to position Ada as a national hub for water research, tribal water policy, and water technology startups.  “The City looks forward to welcoming our new EPA workforce and I am excited about expanding our water innovation efforts,” said City Manager Cody Holcomb.

The City has committed to economic development through business attraction, entrepreneurship support, and investments in quality of life.  A committee to oversee the development of a Water Technology Industry Cluster has been appointed, and will be participating in the Water Cluster Leaders Group organized by the Water Environment Federation. “The City and its partners are currently developing an entrepreneurial center focused on water technology development,” said Dr. Guy Sewell, a member of the City of Ada’s Water Technology Cluster Committee.  “This relocation of EPA scientists could be a significant, positive influence on the success of the water cluster.”

The City of Ada has had a relationship with the EPA since 1966, when the Kerr Research Center opened.  The Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center stands as a state of the art, government-owned science and technology center. The Research Center has a long and accomplished history in the area of environmental research and is world-renowned for its contaminant transport and subsurface ecology research.

The Chickasaw Nation is headquartered in Ada, Oklahoma, and maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center.  The Memorandum allows both organizations to share research to improve community health and provide sustainable resources for future generations.  “Having these scientists join the team at Kerr Labs deepens our capacities in the region to work toward our sustainable future, and the Chickasaw Nation looks forward to continue in partnership with the labs, the City of Ada, and ECU,” said Bill Anoatubby, Governor, The Chickasaw Nation.

The City of Ada has partnered with the Chickasaw Nation and East Central University to invest over $3 million to form the Oka’ Institute, a water research and policy center located at the East Central University campus in Ada. These activities add to Ada’s long history of innovation, research, and entrepreneurship, in which the EPA and the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center have played a key role.

“The scientists, researchers and support personnel at the EPA are valued members of Ada and have been critical in helping make the city a thriving and progressive community” said Dr. Tre Landrum, Mayor of Ada.

For more information, contact Lisa Bratcher, City of Ada Public Information Director, at lisa.Bratcher@adaok.com and (580) 436-6300 ext. 226.